Liberty University
Algeria
Multimedia Project
David Schauble
HIWD 320
Professor Hannah Schultz
2 July 2015
Algeria
The country of Algeria’s history,
culture, and natural resources has all contributed to create modern Algeria.
Over the years Algeria has experienced many different people groups living
within its boarders. These people groups have contributed to Algeria’s deep
sense of culture and the accumulation of Islamic beliefs. Algeria is a blessed country because its
geographic location has provided it with lucrative natural resources that have
helped the country to remain economically stable over the years. Algeria’s
history, culture, and natural resources have helped shape the country and its
people into what is now modern Algeria.
Algeria is located in the northwest
corner of Africa on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Algeria is roughly four
times the size of Texas with a total area of 2,381,741 square
kilometers of which ninety percent is made of deserts. Algeria’s capital
is the city of Algiers, which is the largest city in the country. Algiers is
located along the west side of one of the bays of the Mediterranean Sea. The
city has two separate components, one that is ancient and is located on a large
hill behind the modern city, and the modern city that was built close to sea
level and is made up of many different large white buildings. The name of the
city translates from Arabic to be "the islands" in English. This name
is derived from the four islands that lay off the coast of the city.
The history of Algeria is very
unique in that many different people groups have at one time inhabited the land
of Algeria. 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 would last
for the majority of the 16th 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 19th 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 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.
The country of Algeria has a very
rich sense of culture that can be seen through the countries religious views. The
nation of Algeria possesses very few religions because the majority of the
country's religious make up is predominantly Sunni Islam. Islam is by far the
most practiced religion by the country's inhabitants but Sunni Islam, or Muslim
religion, permeates through every aspect of life in Algeria. Islam is engrained
in the culture of Algeria in that Islam gives Algeria its cultural and social
identity as well as its principles that govern most of the nations behavior and
ethics. Apart from the large following of Islam in Algeria, there are also
small numbers of Christians, Jews, Atheists, and some additional religions. The
explanation for the supremacy of Islam in Algeria is due to Muslim armies that
invaded from Cairo for over a thousand years. It was these armies who brought
Islam to the Berbers who are the descendants of the pre-Arab populations of
North Africa. Berbers are primarily Sunni Muslim, but many traditional practices
can be found among them. The Berbers slowly converted to Islam over centuries but
the religion was not dominant until the sixteenth century. Before this mass
conversion to Islam began, some of the Berber groups converted to Christianity
or Judaism while others decided to practice polytheism. Due to the influence of
Islamic culture, Islam over swept some religions that briefly existed. It seems
to be that the Berbers did not have a specific religion prior to the invasion
of Islam. The impact of Islam and Christianity in Algeria has given the country
a sense of identity. Before the invasion of Islam, Algeria seemed to have minor
ties to any sort of religion. Through the countries synchronization with Islam
over the years, Algeria has created its own set of governing principles and
beliefs.
The natural resources of Algeria are both
lucrative and plentiful. The two largest exports of Algeria are natural gas and
oil. Algeria has exported these items to Europe for long periods of time to
create a stable economy within the nation. 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. 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.
The country of Algeria has had many
different people groups living within its territory over the centuries. Algeria
is now a country with rich culture and history due to the contributions of the
people who lived there. The lucrative natural resources have helped to support
this Country financially over the years. Modern Algeria is now the accumulation
of the cultures of people groups who lived there and an economically stable country
due to its lucrative natural resources.
Bibliography
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Pictures:
Map of Algeria, Accessed July 2, 2015, http://www.urbonu.com/1/Algeria/El+Bayadh/stitten+ksel/
Flag of Algeria, Accessed July 2, 2015, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Algeria.svg/2000px-Flag_of_Algeria.svg.png
Addendum I on Mauritanian and Algerian Islamists, Accessed July 2, 2015, https://themoornextdoor.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/addendum-i-on-mauritanian-and-algerian-islamists/
Algiers, Algeria, Accessed July 2, 2015, http://www.vosizneias.com/121991/2013/01/18/algiers-algeria-algeria-60-hostages-dead-missing-in-standoff/
