 With
more than four-fifths of its territory covered by the
Sahara desert, the
Sahara is Algeria's most striking feature and is drawing
increasing numbers of tourists. Several flights operate
from Algiers, the capital, to Ghardia, Djanet and
Tamanrasset, as well as to smaller towns,
oases and oil
settlements.
Algerian oases generally defy the European cliché of a
small patch of palms forever threatened by encroaching
dunes as they are often fairly large towns with highly
organised, walled-in gardens
with date palms, and mosques, shops and
monuments. Les
hommes bleus,
blue-robed Touaregs,
who are the ancient nomadic
inhabitants of the Hoggar Mountains, can be
seen making their way in camel caravans around the
inscrutable desert.
A large country, Algeria was originally inhabited by the
Berbers until the Arabs
conquered North Africa in the seventh century. Staying
mainly in the mountainous
regions, the Berbers resisted the spreading
Arab influence, managing to preserve much of their
language and culture until the present day. Today, they
make up some 20% of the total population.
Part of the Turkish Ottoman empire from the 16th century,
Algeria was conquered by the
French in 1830. The country was given the
status of a département in its
own right. The struggle for independence began in 1954
headed by the National Liberation Front, which came to
power on independence in 1962.
In the 1990s, Algerian politics
was dominated by the struggle involving the military and
Islamic militants. In 1992, a general election won by an
Islamic party (FIS - Islamic
Salvation Front) was annulled, marking the beginning of
a bloody campaign which saw the slaughter of more than
150,000 people.
An amnesty in 1999 led many rebels to lay down their
arms. Violence has largely abated, although a state of
emergency remains in place. In 2001, the government
agreed to a series of demands by the minority Berber
community, after months of unrest involving Berber
youths pressing for greater cultural and political
recognition.
It should be noted that Algeria faces a serious internal
security problem from terrorist insurgency and that
travellers by road in northern Algeria are at risk of
attack by terrorist groups. It is advised that all
travellers be extra cautious with personal security
arrangements throughout their stay. All travel to the
southeastern provinces of Tamanrasset, Djanet and Illizi
is currently advised against.
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