Sports in Algeria - Birthplace of Hassiba Boulmerka!
By Alejandro Guevara Onofre

Road to London 2012!

Munich 1972

Did you know- By the early 1970s, the National Olympic Committee sent five champs --four athletes and one boxer-- to the Summer Games in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Prague 1978

Did you know- By 1978, the women's handball squad of Algeria won the right to compete in the World Championships in Prague (Czechoslovakia).

Algiers 1978

Did you know- At the African Games in Algiers, between July 13 and July 28, 1978,the host nation's team finished third in the medal count (unofficial point scoring of nations), winning a total of 16 gold, 19 silver, and 23 bronze medals. Seven years ago, Algeria reached seventh place in Lagos (Nigeria).

Madrid 1982

Did you know- At the 1978 African Games, Algeria gained gold, followed by Nigeria (silver), and Ghana (bronze). Later on, by 1982, the team from Algeria fulfilled a dream nurtured for decades when they qualified for the FIFA World Championships in Madrid (Spain). In a memorable match, Algeria routed West Germany 2-1 in the international event. In Spain, the African country finished 13th. During the years that followed, by 1990, the nation won the Men's African Cup, after finishing second in the regional event in 1980. The national sport in Algeria is soccer.

Barcelona 1992

Did you know- The most internationally known athlete is Hassiba Boulmerka. By the early 1990s, she became the first Algerian woman to win an Olympic gold medal. This award was a boost for women in Algeria, an Arab nation in North Africa. Then, she headed the African delegation at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta (Georgia, US). She was born on July 10, 1968, in Constantine, Algeria.

Atlanta 1996

Did you know- At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics,the North African team placed 34th in the tally of gold medals, with two gold medals ( one in men's 1,500m and one in boxing). This accomplishment is greater than any previously achieved by the national teams from Algeria.

Indianapolis 2002

Did you know- By 2002, the men's basketball team of Algeria came in 15th place in the World Cup in Indianapolis, Indiana (United States).

Athens 2004

Did you know- Surprisingly, the nation's swimmer Salim Iles finished seventh in the men's 100 m freestyle final at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens (Greece). In addition, he came 8th in the 50m freestyle. He became one of the first North African swimmers to qualify for the finals in the Summer Games.

Beijing 2008

Did you know- The women's volleyball team of Algeria qualified for the first time to the Summer Olympics when they competed in the Games of the 29th Olympiad in the People's Republic of China. They qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics through the African qualifiers in Algiers.

Alejandro Guevara Onofre: Freelance writer. Alejandro is author of a host of articles/essays about over 220 countries and dependencies (and American States as well), from ecology, history, tourism and national heroes to Olympic sports, foreign relations, and wildlife. In addition, he has published some books on women's rights, among them "History of the Women in America" and "Famous Americans."

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Algeria Travel Information - Africa
By Swati A

Algeria is the second largest country on the African continent. Most of the coastal area is hilly, sometimes even mountainous, and there are a few natural harbors. Algeria is famous for its of strong cultural identity, Sahara desert, beautiful oasis and mountains.

POPULAR ATTRACTIONS:
Most famous cities of Algeria are Oran, Algiers, In Salah, El golea, Constantine, Bejaia, Tamanrasset, Laghouat, Taghit, Tlemcen, Annaba and Boghni.

Algers, the capital city, has a maze of pretty small alleys and whitewashed houses.Constantine has some museums and deep gorge protects the city on almost all sides. Taghit is popular among tourists for its oasis and dunes. Oran is an important city and a busy port. Tlemcen has nice mixture of Islamic and French architecture.

Natural attractions in Algeria include Kabylia and the Chiffa Gorges. Boghni is located next to the enormous and magnificent Jurjura mountains. Laghouat is an oasis town, it is where the Sahara desert really starts. The holy town of Beni-Isguen with its well-guarded gate and auction market, makes for an interesting stop.

Tassili n'Ajjer is a famous archaeological site, erosion in the area has resulted in nearly 300 natural rock arches being formed. The M'zab is a limestone plateau, centered around the Wad M'zab and also a world heritage site.

SAFETY CHECK:

Algeria, has been battered by violence and civil unrest over the past half-century. It is IMPORTANT to check the travel.state.gov website for most current safety warnings and which areas have been declared safe for travel. You should also check the Algerian tourism authority and consulate for travel and safety recommendations.

POPULAR THINGS TO BUY:

Dates, leather goods, carpets, jewelry, pottery and paintings.

CLIMATE:

Arid to semi-arid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer.

CULTURE:

The majority religion is Islam and the normal Islamic ethics apply in most of the country. Keep in mind to only drink at home or in a bar, never on the street.

By Swati A
http://www.saching.com
http://www.travelandtourisminfo.com/Algeria/Algeria.asp
A leading Name for Travel and Tourism information

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History of Algeria
By Kum Martin

Algeria lies on the northern block of Africa. The country is independent and boasts of a rich culture and a surplus nation. The country is largely Muslim. The country has been plagued by terrorism with Islamic jihadists occupying cells and causing chaos often. The recent past has seen terror operatives find harbor in Algeria. This gave a blow to the local people but efforts to rid the country of such elements have been beefed up and have been quite successful. Algeria is a country that has an interesting history. The country's history dates back to the 16th century.

Algerians find their roots to the Berber dynasty. This dynast declined between the 15th and 16th century. A dynasty called the Dey dynasty was established in Algeria. Pirates who were establishing bases across Africa first landed at the coast of Algeria in 1512. The pirates made a camp there until the French intervened. The French maneuvered to eject the Turkish pirates along the Algerian coast.

Research about the Algerian history reflects on what the North African trade empires operated. The rich culture of North Africa was spread throughout the region and Algeria was not an exception. The Muslim religion became widespread and today, Algeria is largely Muslim. The rich history of Algeria also features the culture of the Algerians. Their economic activities, their way of government, social economic activities and their politics is also part of their history. History of Algeria traces back a long way of changes and reflects the rich culture and highly esteemed traditions.

About Author: Kum Martin is an online leading expert in travel industry. He also offers top quality articles like: Egypt Archeological Work, Ghana Physical Characteristics

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25 Facts About Algeria
By Javan McCabe

1. Algeria is the second largest country in Africa

2. Over 1 million Algerians died during the country's fight for independence from France which they achieved in 1962

3. Algeria is the largest exporter of propane/butane in the world

4. The highest ever recorded temperature in Algeria was 60.5 degrees centigrade

5. Algeria has the largest oat market in Africa

6. The area used to be known as Numidia

7. Constantine is twinned with Istanbul and Grenoble in France

8. Out of 132 capital cities studied, Algiers is considered to be one of the least livable

9. 80%-90% of Algeria is in the Sahara desert

10. Oran the second largest city in Algeria comes from the Berber word Wahran which means 'Two Lions' after sightings of the animals were seen in the area circa 900 BC

11. Former French footballer and World Player of the Year, Zinedine Zidane has Algerian heritage

12. Three languages are spoken. Arabic, French and Berber

13. In the 1800's Algeria was notorious as a base for slave traders and pirates

14. Algiers has the highest cost of living in North Africa

15. Situated in the Ahaggar mountains, Mount Tahat is the country's highest peak at 3,003m

16. The country is known for Bertolli's olive oil despite it having an Italian background

17. Algeria's national day is on November 1st and is called Revolution Day

18. Algeria is three times the size of Texas

19. The biggest sand dunes are located in Algeria

20. 'A sensible enemy is better than a narrow minded friend' is one of Algeria's proverbs

21. The town of Chlef formerly Al-Asnam derives it's name from the country's longest river and is considered to be one of the hottest urban area's in Algeria

22. About 25% of the country's population lives off less than $2 per day

23. Couscous is Algeria's national dish

24. The Algerian legal system is based on French and Islamic law

25. Algeria is the largest importer of agricultural goods in Africa

For categorized lists, facts, reference and quiz material go to http://www.factplaza.com/

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Beach Tourists Prefer Lebanon and Algeria
By Iuri Tarabanov

Tourists preferring beach vacation to any others and looking for diversity, pay their attention to the new travel directions - Lebanon and Algeria that shall soon become very competitive as compared with other African resort countries - Egypt, Tunis and Morocco. Morocco is a special item in this list, since in 2007 the tourist flow to this country broke all records (+8%, the total number of tourists made up 7 million people) which is caused by effective domestic policy and appearance of the new routes of low-budget airlines (easyJet, AirBerlin, Ryanair) from Europe to Marrakesh, Agadir and Fez.

"Euromonitor International" predicts the boom of beach tourism in Lebanon and Algeria in the next five years. Unusual and beautiful nature, cultural and historical sights, historic mysteries and various exotics shall attract a big number of European tourists. The specialists recommend both countries to borrow Tunisian or Egyptian models of tourism development in which sea, sun and beach are combined with the high level of service, unique thalassotherapy and antique sights.

The tourism in Lebanon and Algeria is now restrained by visa issues and lack of qualitative hotels. However, before 2015 "Accor Group" plans to open 36 hotels in Algeria, and "Marriott International" and "Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide" are already constructing new beach resorts. The company "Maltese Corinthia Group" owns so far the only 5-star hotel in Tripoli, whereas the Italian company "Gruppo Norman" is building the resort for 3.8 thousand guests on the Farwa island. Investment companies from the United Arab Emirates are also showing interest in the region.

Iuri Tarabanov writes about interesting travel experiences. His Travel site is http://www.travelime.com

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