The Land

Covering 2,460,500km2, Algeria is the second largest country in Africa (after Sudan). The only arable land is found in small flat clearings between the Mediterranean and the broken ranges of the Tell Atlas Mountains. These, running parallel to the coast, rise to 1800m at their highest point. In places the coastline is very rugged, with sheltered bays and sandy beaches, and the mountain scenery is spectacular. Coastal rivers drain from the Tell Atlas to the sea. The lowlands around Algiers and Oran are densely populated and cultivated.

The High Plateau (Hauts Plateaux), a level, sparsely vegetated region, lies south of the Tell Atlas. Here shallow lakes formed during the rains dry out to become salt pans (chotts). Further south the Atlas Saharien Mountains border the desert, which covers nearly 90% of the country. In the Sahara there are vast, dead-flat gravel plains, bare rock outcrops (hammada), huge tracts of sand dunes (ergs), numerous oases and high mountains. Algeria's highest peak, Mt. Tahat (about 3000m) is in the Hoggar (Ahaggar) Massif near the Niger border, over 2000km south of Algiers.

Vegetation

Mediterranean bush and scrub grow on the slopes of the Tell Atlas. Here, during the Independence War, most of the forest areas were plundered for fuel. The need for construction timber and grazing brought about further exploitation. However some replanting took place and there are a few stands of cedars and pines to be seen. Algeria has been one of the world's biggest suppliers of cork. Alfa or Esparto grasses, used in paper, cordage and basket making, grow in better-watered areas of the High Plateau.

More drought-resistant grasses, a few acacias and Jujube trees are scattered around the edges of the Sahara. Palms line the oases. There is little to support wildlife but occasionally scavenging jackal, hyaena and vultures, and a grazing antelope or gazelle may be spotted.

Climate

Summer (May-September) along the coast is warm and humid, with temperatures in the lower thirties Centigrade. It's cooler in the mountains but in the High Plateau it becomes increasingly hotter and drier. The Sahara bakes in daytime as the mercury climbs to over 50degreesC.

When the scorching, sand-laden sirocco (chehili) blows north off the Sahara, life is most unpleasant. However in the 1500m-high Hoggar Mountains, it's decidedly cooler. Winters in the north are mild and wet, with Algiers receiving up to 800mm of rain in a good year. Snow is common on the highest peaks south of the city. The High Plateau receives about 300mm of rain in an "average year" but further south some Saharan towns go for up to 20 years without a drop.

The People

There are more than 30 million people in Algeria, of whom two-thirds are under 30 years old. Nine out of ten Algerians live along the coastal plain. The main ethnic groups are the Berbers, the Arabs and those of mixed Arab-Berber ancestry. Europeans constitute less than 1% of the population. Berbers (Imazighen - free men) are in the majority. They include the Tauregs of the desert areas. Most traditional Taureg men wear a blue or white head cloth (tagelmoust), which covers the face.

The predominant (and state) religion is Sunni Islam. Over 80% of the people speak Arabic while most of the remainder communicate in one of the Berber dialects. French, the colonial language, is widely used among the educated.

Less than half the population pass into high school and few attend higher education. Unemployment is lower than the African average, but the Haitists are a notable feature in towns - the people who (literally) prop up walls.

History

Rome colonised the territory in 146BC, Vandals conquered it in the 5th century and it became part of the Arab West (Maghreb) during the Middle Ages. In 1830 the French defeated Turkish and allied Berber forces and the latter were finally subdued in 1857. By the turn of the last century, French colonial occupation was being actively resisted and a bloody seven-year campaign culminated in full independence in 1962. French settlers evacuated en masse and bitter leadership struggles followed.

Houari Boumedienne took control in 1965 after a bloodless coup d'etat and went about building a "super industrial" social state. After his death in 1978 Chadli Benjedid opened the country to foreign investment and private ownership. Over the next decade the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) asserted its influence, and economic, ethnic, religious, gender and civil rights issues dominated life.

In 1990 reforms, including the legalisation of opposition parties and the holding of elections, followed. However losses in the early rounds resulted in the ruling party declaring a state of emergency. The military assumed control and Algeria once again became a battlefield. The government of Liamine Zeroual made widespread arrests, created internment camps and tortured suspected FIS members. Unsurprisingly a military win in the 1997 elections was strongly contested by the Fundamentalists, the FIS and other opposition groups.

The Economy

Nearly all of Algeria's foreign currency is derived from natural gas and crude petroleum. The main oil fields lie between Hassi Messaoud and In Amenas. Algeria is also a pioneer in the development of liquid natural gas. Other exploited natural resources include iron ore, lead, zinc, uranium and phosphates. There are some light industries, notably food processing, textiles and the production of huge numbers of TV sets. About half the country's grain, fruit and vegetable needs are met from cultivation in the lowlands around Algiers and Oran. Tobacco, wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, tomatoes, melons, citrus fruit, dates, grapes and olives are the country's main crops. Algeria's prime imports are machinery, iron and steel, coal, refined gasoline, cereals and sugar.

Algiers

The capital, with over two million inhabitants, is boxed in by mountains rising steeply from the coast. Much of the old city was rebuilt by the French but there are still a few palaces and four significant mosques remaining. Entry to the latter is for Muslims only but there are half a dozen museums to visit, covering Algeria's arts and crafts, antiquities, the "Holy War" of independence, the army, and a collection of minor works by notable French impressionists. Major shops, banks and hotels are in the city centre and most places of interest are within fairly easy walking distance of the main square. Small cafes selling soups, kebabs, chicken, chips and salads are found in and around the rather run down medina. There are a couple of American-style burger bars and several restaurants specialising in Algerian, French, Italian and seafood dishes. Most of the embassies are in the suburbs but are easily reached by taxi.

Oran

Ferries from Alicante (Spain) and Sete (France) dock here beneath the 16th century fort of Santa Cruz and the basilica. Having suffered a massive earthquake in 1790, a major cholera outbreak in 1849 and the mass departure of 200,000 Europeans after independence, this 10th century city (Algeria's second) has had its moments. Its Sacre Coeur Cathedral is now a library but the Great (Pasha) Mosque lives on. The town theatre and the preserved, deformed animal foetuses in the Demaeght Museum are less appealing.

Constantine

This town of about 800,000 people is perched like an eagle's nest on the summit of a crag (according to Alexander Dumas). Cons-tantine's history stretches back to Carthaginian times. There is a kasbah, a Bey palace where Napoleon III stayed, a couple of mosques, a museum with an interesting coin collection and a medina of narrow streets which are always congested. The Roman site of Tiddis, some 30km away, is worth visiting for its extensive ruins.

This town of about 800,000 people is perched like an eagle's nest on the summit of a crag (according to Alexander Dumas). Cons-tantine's history stretches back to Carthaginian times. There is a kasbah, a Bey palace where Napoleon III stayed, a couple of mosques, a museum with an interesting coin collection and a medina of narrow streets which are always congested. The Roman site of Tiddis, some 30km away, is worth visiting for its extensive ruins.

Annaba

Algeria's fourth largest city and third largest port, Annaba sits on a coastal plain ringed by hills. Things to see include the ugly Basilica of St. Augustine, which dominates the skyline, and the nearby Roman town of Hippo Regius where St. Augustine was bishop for 34 years. However, having been besieged by Vandals, the corsair Barbarossa, the Spanish, the French and the Germans during the World Wars, it holds little to admire.

Setif

With tree-lined boulevards, fountains and theatres, Setif has a French feel. Its Parc d'Attraction boasts an artificial lake, fountains, a tiny zoo and amusements. It is flanked by the remnants of a Byzantine fortress and a museum housing artefacts from prehistoric to Islamic times. Tucked away in the hills to the east are the ruins of Roman Cuicul, present day Djemila. These are possibly the best-situated and best-preserved in Algeria. Among the ruins are baths, a triumphal arch, a baptistery, a forum, a temple and a market place.

The North-West

Apart from excellent examples of mosque building in Tlemcen, a city with an intriguing blend of Islamic and colonial French architecture, there is little to interest visitors. There are some sunny beaches and the depleted remnants of ancient Mansourah to see, but few will find the area worth a special journey.

The Algerian Sahara

Before the disturbances of a decade ago, the Algerian Sahara was, thanks to its geographical and geological variety, its history and cross-desert routes, a top destination for desert travellers. With tours of the Tassili (an area containing remarkable ancient rock art) now on offer, using direct flights to Djanet and new hotels and operators, it could be about to recover its popularity.

The Grand Erg Occidental (Western sand-sea) occupies a high tract south of the Saharan Atlas. It is fringed by some of the most spectacular oases (especially Timmoun) while the sand dunes at Taghit, Beni and Abbes are among the best. The oasis at El-Golea boasts over 180,000 palm trees.

The Grand Erg Oriental (Eastern sand-sea) lies in east central Algeria, spilling into Tunisia. The road between the two oasis towns of Touggourt and El-Oued passes through magnificent sand dunes. Touggourt was the starting point for the first motorised Sahara crossing (to Timbuktu in 1922). El-Oued is one of a series of oases where the Souf people have managed to grow dates and other fruits under almost impossible conditions, including temperatures that can soar to 60degreesC.

Between these two sand-seas is the M'Zab, a deep, narrow valley inhabited by Mozabites, a puritanical Islamic sect of Berbers. They live in a pentapolis - five villages of which Ghardaia is the largest. Ghardaia has a colourful market, a fortress-like Great Mosque and a folklore museum.

South of the two Grand Ergs lies the unbelievably flat Tademait Plateau, and further south still the Hoggar Massif. The mountain scenery is awe-inspiring and sunrises are unforgettable. Equally compulsive viewing is Assekrem, the Grand Canyon of the Sahara. Charles de Foucauld's hermitage (1910) lies atop the plateau. Taman Rasset is an appealing Taureg town in the centre of the Hoggar region at an altitude of 1400m. Its climate is moderate (max 35degreesC) all year round. Some of Africa's finest rock paintings, a notable feature in the mountains, show that the Sahara was far more hospitable 6000 years ago.

Published in Travel Africa Edition Eighteen: Winter 2001/02. Text is subject to Worldwide Copyright (c)