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| Independence Year : 1962 Population : 31471000 Life Expectancy : 69.7 Capital : 35 GNP : 49982.00 GNP Old : 46966.00 Local Name : Al-Jaza’ir/Algérie Government Form : Republic Location : Northern Africa, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea on the north, Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania on the west, Mali and Niger on the south, and Libya and Tunisia on the east. Terrain : Algeria consists of four regions: the coastal mountainous chain. Plains and high plateaus. The mount Climate : Mediterranean in the north, mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold win Ethnic Group : Arab 83%, Berber 17%, Touareg, European less than 1%. Religions : Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%. Official Website : www.el-mouradia.dz/ | 
Genral Information - Algeria
Background
Algeria is Africa's second largest country, covering an area of nearly 2.5 million square miles. Algeria's indigenous Berber people has been under foreign rule for much of the last 3000 years. The Phoenicians (1000 BC) and the Romans (200 BC) were the most important of these. With the incursion of Muslim Arabs in the 7th-8th century into the region, Islamic influence came to the Berbers and almost a millenium of domination by Arab dynasties. In the beginning of the 16th century the region was placed under protection of the ottoman Sultan of Istanbul, followed by reigns of ottoman beys, pachas, and aghas, brought to an end with the beginning of the French colonization in 1830. The French occupation condemned Algeria's population to economic, social and political inferiority and caused an armed resistance lasting for decades. After a century of rule by France, Algeria became independent in 1962 and Arabic became official language - with a little help of Quran teachers from Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Since then le pouvoir ("the power"), an elite of business leaders and generals behind a democratic façade has run Algeria |
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