For a country so big, Algeria isn’t that well known on the world stage. You most likely know very little about this North African gem, but if you’re reading this, chances are you want to know more. So without further ado, here are some weird and interesting facts you probably didn’t know about Algeria.
1. Algeria is the largest Arab country and the largest country in Africa
Algeria is huge, so big that it is the largest country in Africa. Algeria took the top spot when Sudan, the previous largest country in Africa, split into two – Sudan and South Sudan.
Algeria is also the largest country with an Arab majority, being larger than its neighbour Libya and Saudi Arabia, its two closest competitors for this title.
Since Algeria is so large, with a relatively small population, only 12% of Algeria is inhabited, with 90% of the total population living within 50km of the Mediterranean coast.
2. Algeria follows a non-aligned policy in the Middle East and North Africa
Along with Oman, Algeria has managed to avoid being drawn into the proxy conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. Siding neither with Saudi or Iran, Turkey or Qatar, Algeria has managed to stay out of many of the conflicts in the region.
3. The indigenous people of Algeria are Berbers
The original inhabitants of most of North Africa were the Berber people. After the Arab conquest the Berbers faced huge levels of persecution and exclusion from society right through to the 21 st century. The Berber language was officially “discouraged”, and Berbers were forced to assimilate into Arab culture. This has recently been changing with increased rights and protections afforded to the original inhabitants, as well as increased funding to promote Berber culture.
4. The official name of Algeria is the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
Algeria fought for its independence from France in a bloody war. The main revolutionary armed group was the National Liberation Front (FLN), which established an independent Algeria in 1962, and thus also gave it the name the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria. The FLN have been in power ever since and are still the largest party in government.
5. Over 400,000 people died in the Algerian War of Independence
Unless you’re French or Algerian, it is unlikely that the Algerian War of Independence made it into your schoolbooks. However, after 132 years of being a French colony, the Algerian people fought back, and over a bloody eight year conflict managed to push the French out.
6. Algeria is home to seven UNESCO World Heritage sites
Algeria is steeped in history. At one point it was one of the most important provinces of the Ottoman empire, and even earlier than that the northern coast of Africa was the jewel in the Roman Empire’s crown. As such, Algeria is home to not one, but seven UNESCO World Heritage sites. They are:
| Al Qal’a of Beni Hammad | Tassili n’Ajjer | M’Zab Valley |
| Djémila | Tipasa | Timgad |
| Kasbah of Algiers | Djamaa el Djazaïr (Great Mosque of Algiers) | |
7. Algeria’s national animal is the Fennec Fox
The Fennec Fox is the world’s smallest canine and is know for its weird appearance, being a very small dog with huge ears. The Fennec Fox is designed for the tough Saharan conditions, and like a camel, can go for days without water. It also travels at night, and sleeps during the day.
As well as the Fennec Fox, Algeria is also home to the Saharan cheetah, a native species to Algeria that is critically endangered.
8. Algeria was once the world capital of slavery
At the beginning of the 17 th century, over 25% of the population of Algeria were white European slaves. The Algerian pirates who raided Europe to kidnap slaves even made it as far north as Iceland, and even occupied the town of Baltimore in Ireland for a period of time. Still today in Algeria and Libya there are people who are descended from Icelandic and northern European slaves.
The United States created the US Marines in order to stop the increased slave trade in North Africa.
Until 1830, over a million European Christians were enslaved in Algeria from raids across the Mediterranean.
9. Algeria is a resource powerhouse
Algeria is the world’s largest exporter of propane in the world. It also has the 10 th largest gas reserves in the world and is the world’s 6 th larger exporter of gas. The country also has massive oil deposits, meaning that Algerians only pay around 30 cents for a litre of petrol.
10. Iced coffee was invented in Algeria
Around the year 1840, a drink was invented in Algeria called Mazagran. It is a cold sweetened coffee, using ice to quickly cool the beverage down. It was invented by French soldiers serving in modern day Algeria as a refreshing but stimulating beverage in the harsh hot Algerian climate.
