Sea, mountains and sands - this is how Algeria can be briefly described geographically. It is the largest country in Africa and the Mediterranean. Only in its north are bays, mountains and small green plains, and most of it is dominated by the sultry desert.
1. Algeria is a "young" independent state
Algeria lies in the north of Africa. For almost its entire history, it was ruled by other peoples. First they were the Phoenicians, then the Romans, then the Turks, the French. And just about half a century ago, the country became an independent state.
Algeria is now home to about 37 million people. 99% of the population are Arabs and Berbers. The remaining percentage is accounted for by Europeans.
2. Algeria - country and capital
The capital of the state is also Algeria. It is one of the largest and most populous cities in North Africa. Most of the buildings in it were built by the French. On the streets of the Algerian capital, you can hear both Arabic and French speech.
Algeria is located at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea and is divided into two parts. The modern part is closer to the sea: there are wide streets and a lot of cars. The historic district is called the Kasbah. It is located on a hill. Cars cannot drive on it. To go from one street to another, you will have to overcome dozens of steps and not get lost in the maze of narrow alleys.
3. Algeria - pirate coast
The sea coast in Algeria stretches for almost 1000 km. From the 16th to the 19th century, pirates hunted here. They plundered merchant ships, attacked port cities and even captured entire islands in the Mediterranean. The most famous pirate is Barbarossa. He even ruled over Algeria.
Algerian pirates turned sailors and captive passengers from ships into slaves and sold them in the slave markets of North Africa. For three centuries, Algerian sea robbers captured more than 1 million Europeans. Now the majority of the population of Algeria lives on the coast, large ports are located on it, and pirates are a thing of the past. Nevertheless, Algeria is often referred to as the birthplace of pirates.
4. UNESCO sites
Algeria has as many as seven sites that are protected by UNESCO. These are mainly ancient cities, including Dzhemila, Tipasa, Timgad. Natural sites in Algeria are also protected. So, UNESCO protects the Tassilin-Ajer plateau, which is located in the Sahara. It stretches for 500 km in its sands. There, on the rocks, thousands of ancient drawings (petroglyphs) were found, which depict people, elephants, giraffes, crocodiles, rhinos, buffaloes, etc.
Scientists have found that the most ancient petroglyphs were created 9 millennia ago. Their find suggests that there was life in the Sahara at that time.
5. Algeria is a desert country
80% of the country's territory is occupied by the Sahara. People are rare in the Algerian desert. They live in oases. In these places, underground rivers come closest to the surface, and people can extract water from them.
