Natural Resources

Algeria is located in North Africa and while being the second largest country in Africa, finds itself in the precarious position of being located on the edge of the Sahara Desert. Economically, the are advantages and disadvantages of such a location. The discussion of Algeria's main exports tie directly into its position geographically.

While part of Algeria is located on the coast, most of the country is a desert. For this reason, Algeria is not an agricultural powerhouse. One commentator said, "There is not enough potentially arable land remaining in Algeria to equate demand and supply by simply expanding cropland. Possibilities for new development are limited to about 250,000 acres; irrigation offers, additionally, more efficient use of less than half that amount" (Holm, 1). In addition, agriculture used to be Algeria's dominant sector but quickly became handicapped after French colonization ended (Metz, 152). Wine production, olives, wheat and barely represent some of Algeria's main staple crops. While some agriculture does exist in Algeria, the major exports of Algeria are in minerals and oil.

One source states that the major industries in Algeria are: oil, natural gas, light industries, and food processing (Algeria, 1). Oil is probably one of the biggest attractions for investors in Algeria due to its relative distance to Europe: "Algeria is very well positioned on the supply side to meet a healthy portion of this growth in demand [for oil]. As the second largest country in Africa and the tenth largest in the world, it has the advantages of an abundance of hydrocarbons and its proximity to Southern Europe" (Majumdar, Chapter 12). Hydrocarbons represented an average of just over 23 percent of Algeria's GDP in 1990 (Metz, 145). In addition, Algeria's mineral deposits are vast. The main minerals Algeria exports are: iron, phosphate, mercury, and zinc (Metz, 148). One estimate of iron ore found in Algeria could be as large as two billion tons. Natural gas also constitutes a vast part of the Algerian economy. In 1992, it was estimated that Algeria's 3,200 billion cubic meters of recoverable natural gas could last up to sixty years (Metz, 147).

Much of Algeria's economic prospects have changed drastically in the years since French colonization ended. As discussed, Algeria was somewhat crippled agriculturally after the French departed. Algeria is still positioned well in the world for international trade as it became its own country, however. The proximity of Europe ensures that Algeria will continue to funnel resources North to satisfy the appetites of Europeans.

Bibliography

"Algeria." In The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 596. New York: World Almanac Books, 2001. General OneFile (accessed September 25, 2016). http://p2048-ezproxy.liberty.edu.ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=vic_liberty&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA73404917&sid=summon&asid=dfbc94fe473f6864d7cf908fe5dda677.

Holm, Henrietta. The Agricultural Economy of Algeria. Washington D.C.: The United States Department of Agriculture, 1911.

Metz, Helen C. Area Handbook Series: Algeria a Country Study. Washington D.C.: PN, 1993.

Saad, Mohammed A., and Margaret Majumdar. Transition and Development in Algeria. Bristol: Intellect Ltd., 2012.

Religion in Algeria

Algeria has a rich history of religious belief that finds itself at the crossroads of two of the major religions today: Islam and Christianity. Delving even further into its history however, the ancients had a particular religious belief outside of these two main pillars.

One of the earliest known people groups of Algeria were the Berbers. These were mostly nomadic people who lived near the coast of North Africa. As much as we can tell, these people were animists and one commentator calls them "pagans": "Assisted by these traits of indigenous manners, we can call to mind ogres and pagans who represent an ancient population, or, more exactly, the secretarians of ancient religion like the Paganism or the Christianity which was maintained on some points of Northern Africa..." (Basset, xvi-xvii) Much of the ancient literature has been contaminated by the Islamic influence around 700 A.D., so while these religious beliefs probably persisted for some time, they were ousted by the dogmatic Muslims which conquered the country. 

But Alegria is the crossroads of two religious main religious beliefs, and the first to appear was Christianity. Rome conquered Algeria during the Punic Wars and it became a colony subservient to that master. When Constantine promoted Christianity as the state's official religion, Christianity was popular in the state. One commentator said, "The new Christian doctrines, which from Carthage radiated rapidly throughout Roman territory, were at once recognised [sic] as a danger to the established order; but there was no sufficient philosophy to oppose them" (Nickerson, 31). Some of the most famous Christian teachers of the early Church lived in Algeria, including Augustine of Hippo. 

This dramatically changed in the 8th century. Islam arose from the Prophet Muhammed in the 7th century A.D. in Arabia. Trade routes were established that took the religion across vast areas in a relatively short amount of time (Isichei, 40). By the 8th century, traders had brought Islam to Algeria. It was widely accepted and several Islamic dynasties ruled Algeria until the 16th century. The Ottoman Turks absorbed parts of North Africa into their empire, the consequence of which was widespread acceptance of Islam. While small pockets of Christianity remain, Islam is the dominant religious belief of Algeria.

Bibliography

Basset, Rene. Moorish Literature. New York, NY: P.F. Collier & Son, 1901.

Isichei, Elizabeth Allo. 2004. The Religious Traditions of Africa : A History. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost (accessed September 17, 2016).

Nickerson, Jane. Africa: From Pre-Roman Times to the Present. New York, NY: Devin-Adair, 1961.

Non-Written Sources

Algeria has a rich history of non-written sources. Some of the earliest rock paintings in Africa are located in the Tassili range of the Hoggar Mountains in the central Sahara. One source said of these, "From the point of view of the historian these paintings... are of the utmost value, illuminating the past of the Sahara and going one step further towards the elucidation of the mystery of when, if not why, the region changed from fertility to the sterile sands which have been known through all recorded time" (Nickerson, 6-7).


The Roman period marks a huge transition for the people of Algeria. The Romans changed Algerian society from its largely nomadic roots to a civilized, coherent people group. They also worked to change their culture. Many statues are found in Algeria, although their genesis probably did not originate in Algeria; as one commentator said, the Roman era statues found in Algeria were most likely the result of powerful and wealthy patrons that settled there from Rome (Boissier, 33-34). One particularly elegant statue is found in the Museum of National Antiques of Algeria. The statue features a Roman municipal magistrate made of marble. It was probably from the Constantine period of the Roman Empire. It is unique in the man that it depicts is most likely an African himself and was a magistrate in his ancient hometown, Subzuar.

 

A later piece also comes from the Roman era. In the 4th century, a sarcophagus depicting the seven miracles of Christ was found composed of marble. This demonstrates the heavy influence of Christianity in the formative years of the new millennium in Algeria.



In the 12th century, a group of Islamic Kings, the Berbers, unified North Africa and their movement was called the Almohad Caliphate. This was a critical time in the history of Algeria because it rescinded its Christian heritage in favor of Islam. A silver plate was discovered that dated to the 12th century. It bears an inscription that says, “Praise be to God, Lord of the universe.” Primarily a work of art, it demonstrates the vast changes that occurred in the tumultuous history of Algeria.

 

Bibliography

Boissier, Gaston. Roman Africa: Archaeological Walks in Algeria and Tunis. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1899. Accessed September 9, 2016. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015002137746;view=1up;seq=7.

National Museum of Antiquities. “National Museum of Antiquities.” Accessed September 9, 2016.http://www.musee-antiquites.art.dz/?action=accueil&lang=fr.

Nickerson, James. Africa: From Pre-Roman Times to the Present. New York: Devin-Adair Company, 1961. Accessed September 9, 2016. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008918313;view=1up;seq=10.

Geographic Features and Location of Algeria

Algeria is located in the northernmost part of Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea in the north and the Sahara Desert in the south. Algeria is one of the largest states in Africa, second only to Sudan with around 919,600 square miles (World Almanac). 40 percent of the total population is concentrated in four cities located primarily in the coastal region: Algiers, the largest city and the capital (latitude 36° N, longitude 3° E),  Constantine (latitude 36° N, longitude 6° E), Annaba (latitude 36° N, longitude 7° E), and Oran (latitude 35° N, longitude 0° W) (Nyrop, 83).

(Coastal region of Algeria)

Being surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea in the north and the Sahara Desert in the south, Algeria has a complex climate. It has four distinct climate zones: the coastal region, the inland hills and plains of the Tell Mountain, the continental climate of the high plateaus and Saharan Atlas ranges, and the desert climate of the Sahara (Nyrop, 68). The coastal region receives much rain during the wet season while also having a relatively small gap in temperatures from summer to winter. The Tell Atlas is farther away from the coast and therefore has average rainfall, snow in the winter, cold winters and very hot summers. The high plateaus also receive frosting and ice during the winters and are hot in the summers. They are more removed from rainfall. Lastly, the Sahara represents extremes of both sides of weather: during the summers, temperatures can reach up to 120°. Very little rainfall occurs in the desert and temperatures drop significantly in the winters.

Besides the Mediterranean Sea, other important geographic features in Algeria are the Tell Atlas Mountains. Because of the mountainous region, this area receives the most rainfall and therefore is most conducive to agriculture. The other mountainous region is the Saharan Atlas which is in the high plateau area of Algeria. Very little agriculture is produced because of the harsh, mountainous area. The Sahara is also a significant geographical area. The Algerian Sahara covers over 800,000 square miles and contains about 500,000 inhabitants (Nyrop, 64).

 

(Tell Atlas Mountain Range)

The vast geographic differences in Algeria have altered its history. The coastal area gave Algeria contact with European nations during the great imperialistic fervor. Along with Morocco and Tunisia, piracy was an integral part of the Algerian economy in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The Saharan Desert obviously attracted Bedouin tribes and other nomadic peoples moving west from the Middle East. From this area, they brought Islam which is the dominant religious belief in Algeria today. The agriculture of Algeria is made complicated by the little space there is room for cultivating produce. Most of the country is composed of the desert climate and not conducive to producing food. Disease in Algeria is probably less severe than in the tropics of Africa.

Bibliography

Nyrop, Richard. Area Handbook for Algeria. Washington D.C.: US Government Printing Office, 1972. Accessed September 2, 2016. http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&u=vic_liberty&id=GALE|A119451344&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&userGroup=vic_liberty&authCount=1#.

The World Almanac and Book of Facts. New York City: World Almanac Books, 2004. Accessed September 2, 2016.http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&u=vic_liberty&id=GALE|A119451344&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&userGroup=vic_liberty&authCount=1#.