1. By Matt Caruso and Cali Shaw
The People of Algeria
By Matt Caruso and Cali Shaw

2. Ethnicities 99% of Algeria is made up of Arab-Berbers.
Only 1% is Europeans.
Berber Children
Berber woman in traditional dress

3. Religion The official religion of Algeria is Muslim (mostly Sunni).
99% of the religious population is Muslim and the other 1% is either Christian or Jewish.
Algerian Muslims
Algerian Jews
Algerian Christians

4. Marriage and Birth
The birth rate is for every 1000 people there are births.
Women on average have 2.78 children, but in the past many would have up to 9.
The decision to divorce rests solely in the hands of the husband.
In the case of divorce, the husband gets all property, belongings, and the children.
Marriages are traditionally arranged by parents and/or a professional match maker.
Men are able to have up to 4 wives legally, but polygamy is rare.
Although the legal age of marriage for women is 19, child marriage is still practiced in certain ethnic groups.

5. Language The official language of Algeria is Arabic.
The people of Algeria also speak French, and the people who recognize themselves as Berber speak four different types of dialect.
The four types of dialect are Kabylie Berber, Chaouia Berber, Mzab Berber, and Tuareg Berber.

6. Population The current population of Algeria is 39,542,166 people.
The rate of population growth per year is 1.84% which is ranked 61st globally.
For every 1 female there is 1.03 men.

7. Customs & Social Etiquette
Greetings are lengthy.
Friends and family exchange kisses on the cheek.
When introduced to someone, use titles (hierarchy is very important).
Do not hold eye contact with women or ask any questions.
Women dress modestly.
Always pass and eat with the right hand.
Women are looked at as permanent minors.

8. Education
Traditionally, only the boys would be educated but this has changed in recent years.
Child education differs according to gender; Girls are taught to obey and boys are taught that girls fulfill their every command.
In 1990, males had a literacy rate of 70% and females had a literacy rate of 45%
Education is free from ages 6 through grade 9, but many fail to attend school for this period (the situation is worse for girls).
Less than half of those that complete up to grade 9 further their education.

9. Holidays - Algerians celebrate a range of holidays:
January 1st – New Years Day
January 10th – Mawlid (Mohammed’s Birthday)
May 1st – Labor Day
July 5th – Independence Day (Independence from France in 1962, President addresses achievements and aspirations)
July 17th – Eid ul-Fitr (End of Ramadan: Filled with prayer, charity and forgiveness)
September 23rd – Eid al-Adha (“Festival of Sacrifice”: Ibrahim’s sacrifice of Israel, begins with a prayer & sermon)
November 1st – Anniversary of the Revolution (remembers the countries resistance to French colonization)
October 14th – Islamic New Year (“Hijri New Year”, starts the Islamic calendar, commemorates the death of Muhammad’s grandson, full of grief)
October 13th – Ashura (Final day of the remembrance of Murraham, Shi’a Muslims view it as a day pf sadness while Sunii’s view it as a day of happiness for the prophet Moses)
Algerian Independence Day
Eid al-Adha
Eid ul-Futir

10. CITATIONS
"Algeria - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette." Kwintessential. Kwintessential, Web. 23 Sept
"Algeria Celebrates 50 Years of Independence from France." Firstpost. Firstpost, 5 July Web. 23 Sept
"Algeria Flag." Maps of the World. Compare Infobase Ltd. Web. 23 Sept
"Algeria's Official, National and Public Holidays." Algeria.com. Algeria.com. Web. 23 Sept
"Bakrid {Eid Al-Adha} SMS Messages Wishes Quotes Images HD Wallpapers." Visualeks. Visualeks, 25 Sept Web. 28 Sept
Data.com. Advameg, Inc. Web. 23 Sept <
"Education System in Algeria." Classbase. Foreign Credits, Inc., Web. 23 Sept
Evans, Martin. "Algeria's Jewish Question." History Today. History Today Ltd. Company, 7 July Web. 23 Sept
Gigon, Aurélie. "Children of Algeria Realizing Children’s Rights in Algeria." Humanium. Humanium, 6 Nov Web. 23 Sept
"Образование в Алжирской Демократической Республике." People and Countires. Peopleandcountires.com, 18 July Web. 23 Sept
Projectafricaasia72. PB Works. Web. 29 Sept <
Stanford, Eleanor. "Algeria." Countries and Their Cultures. Advameg, Inc., Web. 22 Sept
"Traditional Dress of Morocco." The Lovely Planet. The Lovely Planet, 24 Aug Web. 23 Sept
"What Pre-Colonial Africa Was Really Like (life, Travel, Culture, Living) Read More: City-Data.com. Advameg, Inc. Web. 23 Sept <
Williams, Elizabeth. "Authentic Morocco." Authentic Moroccoa. Authentic-Morocco.com. Web. 23 Sept <