Introduction
Algiers is the capital, largest city, and chief seaport of the North African country of Algeria. It is the political, economic, and cultural seat of the nation.
Algiers is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara. Built on the slopes of the Sahel Hills, the city extends for 10 miles (16 kilometers) along the Bay of Algiers. It takes its name, meaning “The Island” in Arabic, from several small islands that once existed in the bay. All but one of these islands are now connected to the shore.
Cityscape
Photograph:Minarets of the mosque of Ketchaoua overlook one of the public squares in Algiers, Algeria.
* Minarets of the mosque of Ketchaoua overlook one of the public squares in Algiers, Algeria.
Contemporary Algiers has developed around a 10th-century Muslim town. The older parts of the city are on the upper slopes of the hills. Along the narrow, winding streets are mosques and marketplaces called bazaars.
The modern part of the city is closer to the harbor. This section has wide boulevards and many public squares. In the city center are office buildings, foreign embassies, and the University of Algiers.
Economy
Algiers is chiefly a port for the import of raw materials, industrial goods, and general supplies. The main exports are wine, vegetables, oranges, iron ore, and phosphates. The city has an international airport.
History
Algiers was founded in ancient times by the Phoenicians. In the 5th century AD Germanic tribes known as Vandals destroyed the town. Another group, the Berbers, rebuilt it in the 10th century as a commercial center. In the 17th century, under Turkish rule, it became a flourishing city. The French captured Algiers in 1830. They made the city a military and administrative headquarters for France's colonial empire.
During World War II Algiers became the headquarters of Allied forces in North Africa. For part of that time the city served as the capital of France's government-in-exile while France was occupied by the Germans. During the Algerian struggle for independence from France in the 1950s, Algiers was the scene of much fighting and bloodshed. Population (1998 census), 1,519,570.
