 GENERAL INFO (Jump to Diary)Algeria, الجزائر or officially; The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in North Africa. It is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia, to the east by Libya, to the southeast by Niger, to the southwest by Mali, Mauritania, and Western Sahara; to the west by Morocco and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea. I will only visit the northwest on this tour. That is the more fertile part, although not that fertile at all. Algeria's name derives from the city of Algiers, which in turn derives from the Arabic al-Jazāʾir (الجزائر, "the islands"), referring to four small islands off its coast.  Kind of strange,
considering how deep it reaches into Africa and Sahara.It covers 2,381,741 square kilometres, making it it is the world's tenth-largest nation by area, and the largest nation in Africa. The highest point is Mount Tahat with 3,003 metres. It is inhabitant by around 44 million citizens. Islam is the predominant religion in Algeria, with its adherents, mostly Sunnis, accounting for 99% of the population. History: It has been inhabited since prehistory time, with crossroads of numerous cultures and civilizations, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantine Greeks, and Turks. Its modern identity is rooted in centuries of Arab Muslims. In the most recent time, it was invaded by France in 1830 and formally  annexed in 1848, though it was
not fully conquered and pacified until 1903. The Sétif and Guelma massacre
in 1945 catalysed local resistance that culminated in the outbreak of the
Algerian War in 1954. Algeria gained its independence on 5 July 1962 and
declared the People's Democratic Republic on 25 September of that year. The
country descended into a bloody civil war from 1991 to 2002.Climate: In this region, midday desert temperatures can be hot year round. After sunset, however, the clear, dry air permits rapid loss of heat, and the nights are cool to chilly. Enormous daily ranges in temperature are recorded. Rainfall is fairly plentiful along the coastal part of the Tell Atlas, ranging  from 400 to 670 mm annually,
while the larger, southern part get next to nothing.Wildlife: The varied vegetation of Algeria includes coastal, mountainous and grassy desert-like regions which all support a wide range of wildlife. Many of the creatures constituting the Algerian wildlife live in close proximity to civilisation - or people have found their habitations to be appealing. The most commonly seen animals include the wild boars, jackals, and gazelles, although it is not uncommon to spot fennecs (foxes), and jerboas. Algeria also has a small African leopard and Saharan cheetah population, but these are seldom seen. Barbary macaques are the sole native monkey. A species of deer,  the Barbary stag, inhabits the dense humid forests in the
north-eastern areas. Snakes, monitor lizards, and numerous other reptiles can be found living among an array of rodents throughout the semi arid regions of Algeria. Many animals are now extinct, including the Barbary lions, Atlas bears and crocodiles. Flora: In the north, some of the native flora includes Macchia scrub, olive trees, oaks, cedars and other conifers. The mountain regions contain large forests of evergreens; Aleppo pine, juniper, and evergreen oak, along with some deciduous trees. Fig, eucalyptus, agave, and various palm trees grow in the warmer areas. The grape vine is indigenous to the coast. In  the Sahara region, some oases have palm trees.
Acacias with wild olives are the predominant flora in the remainder of the
Sahara. The caudiciforms, known to me are: Anacamptis coriophora, Anacamptis pyramidalis, Atriplex halimus, Biarum bovei, Bryonia dioica, Citrullus colocynthis, Conium maculatum, Cyclamen persicum, Cyclamen repandum, Dioscorea communis, Dipcadi serotinum, Dracunculus vulgaris, Ecballium elaterium, Ficaria verna, Geranium tuberosum, Hyacinthoides lingulata, Isoetes velata, Mandragora autumnalis, Moraea sisyrinchium, Muscari graecum, Ophrys lutea, Ornithogalum orthophyllum, Pancratium maritimum, Umbilicus rupestris and Urginea undulata. However, I will not be looking for any in particular.
DIARY.
|