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Arab Culture & Civilization
Explore this exemplary library of articles and resources on Arab societies and culture. This site was originally created by the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education (NITLE).
Algeria's history over the past sixty years has often been a bloody one. In the 1950s, Algerians fought to free themselves from French rule, resulting in complete independence in 1962. The National Liberation Front, a secular party dominated by the military elite credited with winning independence, came to power and has dominated Algerian politics ever since. However, many were not happy with the NLF's control over the political system. In December of 1991 the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) won the first round of elections, alarming the country's ruling elites. The army intervened before the second round of voting and began a crackdown on FIS supporters.
As a result, FIS supporters began a decade-long battle with the government. Between 1992 and 1998, more than 100,000 Algerians died as a result of the violence on both sides. By 2000 the government gained the upper hand and the FIS disbanded, but small Islamist groups have continued to conduct ambushes and attacks. In 2006 the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) merged with al-Qaida (followed by a name change to al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb). This has lead to an increase in bombings against the government and Western targets.
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who was placed in power by the army in 1999 and who won reelection in 2004, faces serious economic and cultural problems: the ethnic minority Berbers' ongoing campaign for autonomy, large-scale unemployment in a very young and restless population (the median age of the population is 26), a shortage of housing, unreliable electrical and water supplies, and government inefficiencies and corruption. Algeria is the second-largest country in Africa, with enormous oil and natural gas accounting for 60 percent of its economy. This hydrocarbon wealth, however, has not been used effectively to address the country's social or infrastructure problems.
Identification. The name Algeria is derived from the name of the country's oldest continuous settlement and modern capital, Algiers, a strategically located port city with access to both Europe and the Middle East. Most of the population of the country is in the north. While the majority of the population who are Arab (or mixed Arab and Berber) identify with the common Algerian culture, the Berber tribes, particularly in the more isolated southern mountainous and desert regions, retain more of the indigenous Berber culture and identity. http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Algeria.html
Demography. The estimated population as of 2000 is 31,193,917. Ethnically it is fairly homogeneous, about 80 percent Arab and 20 percent Berber. Less than 1 percent are European. The Berbers are divided into four main groups. The largest of these are the Kabyles, who live in the Kabylia Mountains east of Algiers. The Chaouias live in the Aurès Mountains, the M'zabites in the northern Sahara, and the Tuaregs in the desert.
National Identity. The national identity of Algeria is based on a combination of Berber and Arab cultures. The strong influence of Islam in all aspects of Algerian life creates a sense of identity that extends beyond national boundaries to include other Arab nations. Opposition to the French colonizers also has been a uniting force in defining a sense of identity in Algeria.
Ethnic Relations. There is some distrust between the Arabs and the Berbers, which dates back centuries to the conquest of the area by Arab settlers. Although most Berbers have adopted the Islamic religion, they remain culturally distinct, and even when they are forced to migrate to the cities in search of work, they prefer to live in clans and not integrate themselves into the dominant Arab society. The Kabyles are the most resistant to government incursion. The Chaouias are traditionally the most isolated of all the Berber groups; the only outsiders their villages received were occasional Kabyle traders. This isolation was broken during the war for independence, when the French sent many of the Chaouias to concentration camps.
Religious Beliefs. Ninety-nine percent of Algeria is Sunni Muslim. There also is a tiny Jewish community, whose presence goes back centuries. Christianity has existed in Algeria since the Roman era, but despite efforts (particularly by the French colonizers) to convert, the number of Algerian Christians is very small. Islam forms the basis not only of religious life in Algeria but also is a unifying force (both within the country and with other Arab nations), creating for all believers a common ground that is both cultural and spiritual. There is a range of observance among Algerian Muslims; rural people tend to hold more strictly to the traditional practices.
There also are remnants of the indigenous Berber religion, which has been almost entirely subsumed by Islam. Despite opposition by both the French colonizers and the Algerian government (who viewed this religion as a threat to the unity of the country), there are still some organizations, called brotherhoods, that hold on to their magical practices and ceremonies.
Everyculture.com
Population
The population of Algeria in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 31,800,000, which placed it as number 35 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 4% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 35% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 102 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is 1.67%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 38,142,000. The population density in 2002 was 13 per sq km (34 per sq mi). The birthrate was down from 29 births per 1,000 population in 1996 to 23 per 1,000 in 2002, due in part to government programs.
It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 60% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Algiers, had a population of 1,840,000 in that year. Other large cities and their estimated populations include Oran, 700,000; Constantine (Qacentina), 500,000; and Batna, 300,000. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 3.2%.
The population is concentrated in the cultivated areas of the northern Tell region near the Mediterranean coast. More than 90% of the populace lives in approximately one eighth of the country. The plateau and desert regions are sparsely populated.
The population consists almost entirely of Arabs. Arabs in Algeria are chiefly of Berber derivation, particularly in the Kabilia and Aurès areas and in the Sahara oases, or admixtures of Berbers with invaders from earlier periods. The Berbers, who resemble the Mediterranean subrace of Southern Europe, are descendants of the original inhabitants of Algeria and are divided into many subgroups. They account for 99% of the population. The Kabyles (Kaba'il), mostly farmers, live in the compact mountainous section in the northern part of the country between Algiers and Constantine. The Chaouia (Shawiyyah) live in the Aurès Mountains of the northeast. The Mzab, or Mozabites, include sedentary date growers in the Ued Mzab oases. Desert groups include the Tuareg, Tuat, and Wargla (Ouargla).
Europeans are of French, Corsican, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese ancestry. Algeria's European population was estimated at less than 1% of the population in early 1999. About half the Jews in Algeria were descended from converted Berbers, and the remainder were mainly descendants of Spanish Jews. Within a month after Algeria became independent, about 70,000 Jews emigrated to France and 10,000 to Israel. Almost all the rest left Algeria during the next seven years; fewer than 100 Jews remained as of 1998, and virtually all synagogues had been converted to mosques.
The sole official and majority language is Arabic, with many variations and dialects, but many Algerians also speak French; "Arabization" has been encouraged by the government. About one-fifth of the population speaks a wide variety of Berber dialects, particularly in Kabilia, in the Aurès, and in smaller, relatively protected areas in the mountains and the Sahara. Berber is a distinct branch of the Hamitic language group; dialects vary from district to district. In antiquity, the Numidians wrote Berber in script form.
Languages
About 99% of the population adheres to Islam, the state religion. Except for a small minority of Kharijites (Ibadhis) in the Mzab region, most Muslims are adherents of the Maliki rite of the Sunni sect, with a few Hanafi adherents. The law prohibits assembling for purposes of practicing any faith other than Islam. However, there are Roman Catholic churches that conduct services without government interference. Non-Muslims usually congregate in private homes for worship services. Proselytizing of non-Muslim faiths is illegal. Foreigners who practice non-Muslim faiths are generally shown a greater degree of social tolerance than non-Muslim citizens.
Many citizens who practice non-Muslim faiths have fled the country because of the civil war. The number of Christians and Jews is thus significantly lower than in the early 1990s. The small Christian community, which is mostly Roman Catholic, has approximately 25,000 members, and the Jewish community numbers fewer than 100.
Arabic