History
Berberian tribes have been living in Algeria since 4000 BCE. Several empires have reigned over the territory, including the Romans, the Umayyads, the Abbasids and the Ottomans.
Algeria was colonized by France in 1830. Revolution against the French oppression broke out in 1954. Algeria became independent in 1962. Algerian independence is celebrated on 1st of November, the day of the outbreak of the revolution 1954.
Algeria started its independence as a socialist country. The economy was rapidly liberalized in the 80’s. In the 90’s, Algeria suffered from inner conflicts between the state and armed Islamists. The decade was called Décennie Noire, or the Black Decade. President Bouteflika led the country to a peace. Peace and a stability have been the norm since.
Algeria has developed strong ties with the EU which comprises a large majority of Algerian emigration. Also, 90% of hydrocarbon imports go to EU.
Contemporary Algeria
Today, Algeria is especially proud of its cultural diversity and high level of education. Berber was granted a status of an official language in 2016. This reflects a general tendency towards greater rights to minorities. The education level is high with 97% of population accomplishing secondary education.
Moreover, Algeria has been ranked Africa’s happiest country by World Happiness Report in 2017, Africa’s 3rd country in Human Development by Human Development Report in 2016 and the world’s 7th safest country by US Gallup Institute 2017.