Thursday, July 2, 2015

Final Multimedia Project

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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"Algeria Demographics Profile 2014." Algeria Demographics Profile 2014. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2015.
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"Algeria," Infoplease, accessed June 26, 2015, http://www.infoplease.com/country/algeria.html?pageno=5.

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/

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