ALGERIA 196 



the French, except that the position of France 

 among the powers of Europe is strengthened by 

 its ownership. It gives present indication of 

 developing into a profitable colony. 



The Country and the People. The At la- 

 Mountains traverse the country in irregular 

 lines from east to west, with a few elevations 

 which reach 7,000 feet, but which average half 

 that height. In the northern and central sec- 

 tions the valleys and low plateaus are fertile 

 and contain the homes of most of the people. 

 Close to the coast, in a belt 100 miles wide, is 

 the most fertile and populous region, called the 

 Till. The southern section merges into the 

 vastness of the desert, where the population is 

 limited to possibly 100,000 wandering, clannish 

 people. 



The natives are Berbers (which see) ; they 

 are often regarded as descendants of the Nu- 

 midians, a theory which is probably correct, as 

 present-day Algeria was a part of ancient Nu- 

 midia. More numerous than these are the 

 Arabs, and there are also a considerable num- 

 ber of Jews, who are more influential in the 

 country's affairs than their numbers would in- 

 dicate. All except the latter are of the Mo- 

 hammedan faith. 



Attractive Features. The average tourist 

 seldom goes to Algeria, but the visitor there 

 may enjoy a wide range of experience. As a 

 winter resort the country is not excelled, so far 

 as climate is concerned; snow remains on the 

 mountain peaks until May, but on the pla- 

 teaus, along parallels of latitude with Atlanta 

 and Los Angeles, the temperature is delightful 

 most of the year. Lower down intense heat is 

 experienced. Those who wish to see desert 

 conditions may do so, under circumstances as 

 favorable as in most sections, by caravan routes 

 to the very numerous oases (see OASIS). The 

 people are worth studying; only a few hours 

 from highly-developed Europe are native cus- 

 toms and characteristics which have changed 

 little with the passing of time. 



Resources. The*. usual minerals of mountain- 

 ous regions are abundant. Iron is extensively 

 mined, and large capital finds profitable invest- 

 ment in this industry. Lead, copper, zinc, mar- 

 ble and mercury add to the mineral wealth. 

 The Mediterranean fisheries are important, in- 

 cluding profitable sponge and coral industries. 



The raising of figs, dates, oranges, lemons and 

 olives is increasing at a remarkable rate, and 

 this, with added activity in mining, explains 

 why Algeria is sure to be within a brief time a 

 profitable colony for France. The country pro- 



ALGERIA 



duces more to-day than at any time since the 

 Romans owned it before the Christian Era, 

 when it was one of the famous granaries of the 

 ancient world. To-day the production of wheat, 

 barley and oats is important, but the tropical 

 products excel all others. Europeans manage 

 nearly all the enterprises of the colony; they 

 number over 750,000, or one in seven of the 

 total population. 



Government. France keeps in very close 

 touch with the government of its colony. The 

 Governor-General, the ruler of Algeria, is ap- 

 pointed in Paris, and the three departments 

 into which the colony is divided send repre- 

 sentatives to the French National Assembly. 

 This bodj; makes the laws for Algeria. The 

 Arab inhabitants have chiefs of their own, but 

 the government takes no account of these and 

 exacts the same obedience from its Arab as 

 from its French subjects. 



History. Modern Algeria was the Numidia 

 of the Romans, and, as a colony of the Empire, 

 prospered and developed a high state of civili- 

 zation. The Vandals, however, put an end to 

 its prosperity in A. D. 440, and little was then 

 heard of it until the Mohammedan conquest in 

 the eighth century. Arabs migrated to the 

 country, and the Mohammedan religion be- 

 came firmly established. 



When the Moors were driven from Spain in 

 1492 by Ferdinand and Isabella, many of them 

 settled in Algeria, and from that time on for 

 centuries the country was known to outside 

 peoples chiefly as the home of pirates who were 

 greatly to be feared. The United States, in 

 common with other nations, at one time paid 

 tribute n^ney to the outlaws of the Barbary 

 States to insure safety for its commerce. By 

 the beginning of the nineteenth century the 

 daring of these pirates had become a real men- 

 ace to the Christian powers, and efforts to 

 suppress them were constant, but in vain. 

 Finally, in 1815, Commodore Decatur suc- 

 ceeded in forcing the dey, or ruler, of Algeria 

 to admit that the United States flag was inviol- 

 able, and in the next year an English fleet 

 wrung from Algeria a treaty which promised 

 the cessation of piracy and the liberation of all 

 Christian slaves. These promises the pirates 

 constantly broke, and in 1830, after a French 

 consul had been grossly insulted by the dey of 

 Algeria, the French sent a fleet which reduced 

 the country to utter dependence. It was many 

 years before the insurrections were all put 

 down, however, and the country brought to the 

 point where any real progress was possible. 



