Algeria

Interesting Facts About Algeria

• Algeria is the largest country in Africa and the tenth largest in the world, spanning over 2.3 million square kilometres.
• About 90% of Algerians live in the northern coastal area, while the Sahara's inhabitants are mainly concentrated in oases.
• Algerian Arabs and Berbers have been shaped by contributions from Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantine Greeks, Turks, and French throughout history.
• Modern Standard Arabic and Standard Amazigh are both official languages; Algerian Arabic is spoken by about 83% of the population.
• Kabyle, the predominant Berber language, contains significant Arabic, French, Latin, Greek, Phoenician and Punic influences, with Arabic loanwords making up 35% of its vocabulary.
• Spanish was spoken by Andalusi Morisco descendants in Algeria deep into the 18th century, and Catalan was spoken in the small town of Grish El-Oued.
• The largest concentration of Algerian migrants outside Algeria is in France, with reportedly over 1.7 million Algerians of up to the second generation.

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