Changes in Political and National Boundaries in Algeria

The Nation of Algeria is known for being one of the largest countries in the world. Nearly four times the size of Texas, Algeria is one of the largest countries on the continent of Africa. Algeria's land boundaries equal a total of 6,734 km bordering Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. Both the national and political boundaries of Algeria have remained generally consistent through the country's existence since it was built along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

Although Algeria has existed independently from France since 1959, the country has created its own national identity based on a combination of Berber and Arab cultures. The Ottoman empire was the first to establish colonization in the territory which Algeria now exists. However, the establishment of Algeria's political and national boundaries should be contributed to the French. The French took control of northern territory in Africa during the nineteenth century and maintained it for 132 years. During this time, the French continued to expand their influence and land holdings until Algeria reached the size and boundaries that it remains today.

Algeria has conformed to include existing cultural boundaries due to its strong ties to other Arab nations in the world. The strong influence of Islam in Algerian life has created a specific sense of identity that connects Algeria to many other Arab nations. Also, Algeria's war for independence against the French was a unifying factor that helped bring a sense of cultural identity to Algeria.

The changes which have occurred in Algeria's boundaries over the years has helped to impact the nations stability by providing it with rich resources allowing the nation's economy to thrive. Without it's existing boundaries, Algeria would not be able to maintain its gas exports to Europe. This resource has been a constant support for Algeria's economy causing great stability within the nation. Algeria's political and national boundaries have helped to establish this African nation.


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Mission Work in Algeria

In a nation that is 95% Muslim, 3% non-religious, and roughly 1.5% Christian, it’s hard to believe that Algeria would have any type of successful missionary work occurring within its boarders. However, over the year many Christians have been giving their lives to the gospel and attempting to bring the message of Christ’s love to the people in Algeria.

Mission’s work in Algeria first began in the year 1908 when Methodist missionaries established themselves in the nation. At this time, the church in Northern Africa was an annual conference to which local pastors, preachers, and evangelists belonged. The Methodist Church owned church buildings, children’s homes, and clinics. This was an acceptable practice until the year 1962 when Algeria became an independent nation. From this point forward, open evangelization was no longer tolerated. When Algeria dissolved its ties to France many Christian missionaries left the country believing that a Christian church no longer belonged in Algeria. Through the course of the next eight years children’s homes and boarding schools were closed and half of the Methodist missionaries were deported. 

It was not until the year 1972 that the Methodist church would fuse with Protestant denominations in Algeria to form the Protestant Church of Algeria. As this occurred, Methodist work in Northern Africa was being reorganized as a district of the annual conference of Switzerland and France. Missions and Ministries were focused on providing food, clothing, and medicine during this time period as well as organizing worship services, bible studies, weddings, and baptisms.

Today the Christian Church continues to be a very small minority in Algeria due to the overwhelming presence of Islam. Recently, mission’s work has progressed since it is now possible to run a congregation in an organized manner despite all the prohibitions of the nation. The Protestant Church of Algeria is now constituted as a federation of Protestant congregations that allows Methodist missionaries to continue to work in the country. The impact of Christian missionaries in Algeria has allowed the faith to continue existing in a dominantly Islamic country.

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First Contacts in Algeria

The first contacts between Algeria and Asians/Europeans did not occur until around the 16^th century. In Algeria, Arabic tribes and dynasties had changed over time until the Berber dynasty was overrun leaving the north coastal strip of Africa up for grabs. The first two countries to make their move on this land were the Spanish to the west and the Turkish to the east.

The Spanish-Turkish rivalry that would last for the majority of the 16^th century but due to their relentless spirit, the Turks eventually would inherit this land. This battle was won in a very odd manor through the use of Turkish pirates. These pirates would land on the coast, seize territories, and the turn them over to the Ottoman Empire.  The first pirate to establish himself on the coast of Algeria occurred in 1512.

European powers made many different attempts to remove the pirates, even including naval expeditions by Holy Roman emperor Charles V in 1541. Other attempts to remove the pirates were mounted by the British, Dutch, and Americans in the early 19^th century yet all of these efforts proved to be futile.

The seizure of Algeria by the Turkish pirates would not last forever, as the French would decide to intervene in Algeria during the year of 1830. It was not until the year 1847 that the conquest of Algeria would be completed by the French.  The French would then convert the territory into an administrative and military headquarters for their affairs in North and West Africa.

The struggle for power in Algeria affected the development of both Algeria and France and Spain due to the many battles that were fought shaping the nation. If the French had never obtained power in Algeria, they would never have acknowledged Algeria as an independent nation. This occurred in the year 1962, ending the dispute over the North African territory.

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Algeria's Natural Resources

The nation of Algeria possesses two of the world’s most lucrative natural resources to be found in the world: oil and natural gas. In the 1970’s oil prices rose greatly with economic growth that topped 20 percent annually, proving for oil to be an excellent resource for Algeria. During the mid 1980’s oil maintained an average growth rate of 4.5 percent proving to be one of the nations most reliable resources. The growth rates maintained by Algeria’s oil in the 21^st century were supported greatly by export growth. Since 2005 Algeria has had a very successful trade surplus, great foreign exchange reserves, and has managed to reduce its foreign debt because of this lucrative resource. In addition to this, Algeria’s production and exportation of oil and gas has continued to supply a very large portion of Europe’s energy requirements.

            Apart from oil and natural gas, Algeria also relies on mining to provide a portion of the country’s resources. Algeria’s phosphate mines in the Northeast are one of the largest collections in the world covering over eight hundred square miles and providing approximately one million tons annually. In addition to these phosphate mines, Algeria also contains deposits of high-grade iron ore located near the Tunisian border. Apart from the large collections of phosphate and iron ore, Algeria also include mineral production providing zinc concentrate, bentonite, lead concentrate, mercury, crude barite, salt, hydraulic lime, marble, silver, kaolin, sulfur, and strontium. With this wide array of different minerals, minerals are another one of Algeria’s most profitable natural resources.

            Although Algeria does contain many valuable minerals, the nation primarily depends on producing oil and gas as its number one export. Needless to say, Natural gas and petroleum completely dominate Algeria’s economy. In 1985 to 1986, Algeria was facing a very large debt. The government did its best to try and diversify the nation’s economy and to create more prove businesses. During the late 1990s and 2000s, Algeria suffered due to inefficient agricultural methods and unemployment. Fortunately, due to the oil prices rising at this time, Algeria was able to increase its exports and trade.

            Oil, natural gas, and minerals have proved to be sufficient natural resources for the nation of Algeria. Although the country has struggled financially at times due to the change in value of these resources, they have allowed the country to maintain its existence due to their lucrative exportation values.

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