Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in North Africa. Algeria 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. It is considered part of the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has a semi-arid geography, with most of the population living in the fertile north and the Sahara dominating the geography of the south. Algeria covers an area of 2,381,741 square kilometres (919,595 sq mi), making it the world's tenth largest nation by area, and the largest nation in Africa, more than 200 times as large as the continent’s smallest country, The Gambia. With a population of 44 million, Algeria is the tenth-most populous country in Africa, and the 32nd-most populous country in the world. The capital and largest city is Algiers, located in the far north on the Mediterranean coast.
The Algerian War was a major armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front from 1954 to 1962, which led to Algeria winning its independence from France. An important decolonization war, it was a complex conflict characterized by guerrilla warfare and war crimes. The conflict also became a civil war between the different communities and within the communities. The war took place mainly on the territory of Algeria, with repercussions in metropolitan France.
Oran is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural importance. It is 432 km (268 mi) west-south-west from Algiers. The total population of the city was 803,329 in 2008, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000 making it the second-largest city in Algeria.
French Algeria, also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of Algerian history when the region was a colony and later a part of France. French rule in the region began after the French successful invasion of Algeria and lasted until the end of the Algerian War leading to its independence in 1962. After being a French colony from 1830 to 1848, Algeria was a part of France from 4 November 1848 when the Constitution of French Second Republic took effect until its independence on 5 July 1962.
The prime minister of Algeria is the head of government of Algeria. Aymen Benabderrahmane has been the prime minister since 30 June 2021.
The Algeria national football team represents Algeria in men's international football and is governed by the Algerian Football Federation. The team plays their home matches at the 5 July Stadium in Algiers and Miloud Hadefi Stadium in Oran. Algeria joined FIFA on 1 January 1964, a year and a half after gaining independence. They are the current champions of the FIFA Arab Cup.
The Algerian Football Federation (AFF); is the governing body of football in Algeria. Formed in 1962 and was based in the capital Algiers. It has jurisdiction on the Algerian football league system and is in charge of the men's and women's national teams. Although an unofficial national team had played fixtures since 1958, the first recognized international took place in January 1963, some six months after independence. In 2021, twenty structures were added to the Algerian Football Federation. Algeria has to work with new players but has already qualified for AFCON 2021. AFCON stands for Africa Cup of Nations. Algeria has 17 players in French Ligue 1. The Algerian Football Federation is considered a member of FIFA.
The Catholic Church in Algeria is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Kef Governorate is one of the twenty-four governorates of Tunisia. It comprises chiefly part of the dorsal Atlas Mountains and their foothills in north-western Tunisia, bordering Algeria. It covers an area of 4,965 km2 and has a population of 243,156. The capital is El Kef.
Nîmes Olympique is a French association football club based in Nîmes. The club was founded on 10 April 1937 and currently plays in Ligue 2, the second level of French football. The Stade des Antonins is the club’s home stadium.
Association sportive de Béziers was a French association football team playing in the city of Béziers, Hérault. The team was founded in 1911 and was dissolved in 1990, due to financial problems. The team was the football section of successful rugby club AS Béziers Hérault.
Abderrahmane Soukane was an Algerian footballer who played as a striker.
Algerian Sign Language is the sign language most commonly used in Algeria. It was officially recognized by the Algerian law on the protection and promotion of persons with a disability enacted on May 8, 2002.
Farud or Forud was an ancient king of Kelat in his early youth and makes up a chapter in the Shahnameh "The Book of Kings" (940-1020) by Ferdowsi where he is mentioned as the brother of Kai Khosrow.
Union Sportive Madinet d'Oran, known as USM Oran or simply USMO for short, is an Algerian football club based in Oran. The club was founded in 1926 and its colours are black and white. Their home stadium, Allal Toula Stadium, has a capacity of 5,000 spectators. The club is currently playing in the Régional I.
Algerian Jewish Sign Language (AJSL), also known as Ghardaia Sign Language, is a moribund village sign language originally of Ghardaïa, Algeria that is now used in Israel and possibly also in France.
The French Player of the Year is an association football award presented annually by the French magazine France Football since 1959. Originally, only French players playing in France were eligible, but from 1996 French players playing abroad were in contention to win the trophy. Since 2001, former winners elect the player of the year.
The military ranks of Algeria are the military insignia used by the Algerian People's National Army. Being a former colony of France, Algeria shares a similar rank structure to that of France.
On 29 January 2021, Algeria launched a COVID-19 vaccination campaign, a day after receiving its first shipment of 50,000 doses of the Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. As of 6 June 2021, around 2.5 million doses have been administered. Algeria is currently vaccinating its population with both Sputnik V and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines.
