Algeria

Algeria: population and cities

Population

Population

According to Countryaah website, Algeria has about 44 million residents.

Ethnic composition

The residents of Algeria are made up of around 83% Arabs and around 17% Berbers (including Tamazight and Kabyle). There is also a French minority in the country.

Religious affiliation

In Algeria, almost 100% of the population are Muslim (mostly Sunnis). There are also small Catholic and Protestant minorities who make up only around 0.1% of the population.

National language

The official language of Algeria is Arabic and is spoken by around 70% of the population. Another 30% of the people, mainly in the south of the country, use Berber languages (Tamazight, Kabyle).

The language of business and authorities is predominantly French.

Capital and other cities

The capital of Algeria is Algiers (El Djazair), with a population of around 3 million.

Other cities are:

Oran (Wahran) with around 700,000 residents

Constantine (Qusantina) with around 500,000 residents

Batna with around 250,000 residents

Annaba with around 220,000 residents and

Setif (Stif) with around 220,000 residents.

Algeria: geography, map

Defined by DigoPaul, Algeria covers a total area of 2,381,741 km².

Thereof:

• Forest

  Only around 2% of the country is forested.

• Meadow and pasture land

  Around 13% of the land is used as meadow or pasture land.

• Arable land and fields

  Around 3% of the land is used as arable land or fields, especially for growing grain, potatoes, grapes, sugar beets, pulses and citrus fruits.

• Desert

  About 85% of the country is covered by the Sahara desert.

Algeria has a common border with a total of seven countries:

- Libya with a length of 982 km,

- Mali with a length of 1,376 km,

- Mauritania with a length of 463 km,

- Morocco with a length of 1,559 km,

- Niger with a Length of 956 km,

- Tunisia with a length of 965 km and

- Western Sahara with a length of 42 km.

Algeria has a coast to the Mediterranean Sea with a length of 1,000 km.

Longitude and latitude

Algeria extends over the following geographical latitude (abbreviation Δφ) and geographical longitude (abbreviation Δλ):

You can find detailed information on this subject under Longitude and Latitude.

Time in the country

For Algeria, the following value applies to Central European Time (CET), i.e. the time (without summer time). A minus sign means that it is earlier there, a plus sign that it is later than CET:

The CET applies in Algeria.

Further and detailed explanations of the time can be found under Time zones, time.

The highest point of the sun in Annaba

Annaba lies at a north latitude of around φ = 37 °. If the sun is at the tropic, i.e. at δ = 23.5 °, summer begins in Annaba, this is June 21. Then, for the highest position of the sun at noon, according to Eq. 1 (see position of the sun):

37 ° = (90 ° - h) + 23.5 °

so:

At 76.5 °, the sun in Annaba has the highest level of the entire year above the horizon (more precisely: above the horizon).

Mountains in the country

The highest mountain in the country is the Tahat (Djebel Atakor) with a height of 3,003 m.

Other high mountains are:

- Assekrème with a height of 2,728 m

- Djebel Telerhteba with a height of 2,455 m and

- Djebel Chélia with a height of 2,328 m.

Sahara and atomic bomb tests there

The Sahara

The Sahara covers an area of around 9 million km², making it the largest dry desert in the world. However, only about 20% of the Sahara is what can be described as a sandy desert. In contrast, 80% of it is a stone or rubble desert. The Sahara in northern Africa stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Nile and on the other side further to the Red Sea in the east. In the north it is bounded by the Maghreb - Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, in the south lies the Sahel zone. In the west it is bounded by the Air Mountains.

Sand dunes as one would imagine from an outsider are found in the Ténéré sand desert - which is often referred to as a desert in the desert (Sahara). There are "real" sand dunes with heights of up to 400 m, and there are also a few wadis (rivers that only carry water at times) and valleys with numerous plants and animals. Mainly Tuaregs live here. Numerous dinosaur fossils have been found in the vicinity of Tiguidit, evidence that a considerably different climate prevailed here in their time (they died out 60 million years ago). Countries in which, in addition to Algeria, parts of the Sahara are located: Egypt, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Sudan, Chad and Tunisia. The relatively few residents of the Sahara are Arabs, Berbers and Moors as well as small groups of Tubu or Tuaregs.

Atomic bomb tests in the Sahara

From 1960 - the first test took place on February 13th - until 1966, 17 underground and surface nuclear weapon tests were carried out in the Algerian Sahara on an area of approx. 1,000 km². On the Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls, a further 197 atom bomb tests followed until 1996 - the last on January 27th. Not only were large parts of the Sahara contaminated with radioactive substances such as plutonium, but French soldiers were also deliberately endangered. For example, French soldiers - mostly recruits - had to stay near the explosion site or, after the explosion, walk up to approx. 700 m from the explosion site. In doing so, the soldiers received considerable doses of radiationexposed, the consequences of which many later developed cancer. These human experiments under the code names "green or blue desert jerboa" were intended to test the psychological and physiological effects of radiation on humans. It was not until early 2010 that reports on these experiments were made available to the public. The government wants to provide € 10 million in compensation. Since a total of around 150,000 people from all attempts could have a possible claim, this would result in compensation of around € 66.7 per person!

rivers and lakes

The longest river in the country is the Shilif with a length of 725 km.

The country includes some salt lakes. The largest of these are:

- Chott ech Chergui

- Chott Mehrihr

- Chott el Hodna.

Mediterranean Sea

Algeria borders the Mediterranean Sea for around 1,000 km in the north.