1. Algeria is the Largest African Nation and the 10th Largest Nation in the World

Covering a massive 2.38 million square kilometers, Algeria just barely edges out the Democratic Republic of Congo (2.34 million square kilometers) as the largest country in Africa. The difference in size between the two nations is roughly the size of the US State of Indiana.

One aspect of African history that makes it particularly fascinating is that geographies are constantly changing. Algeria has only been the largest country in Africa since 2011. Any guesses as to which country held the title prior to Algeria? I’ll give you a hint: it’s a country that still exists today.

Prior to 2011, Sudan was the largest country in Africa, checking in at 2.51 million square kilometers. On 9 July, 2011, South Sudan broke off from Sudan and became its own country. As a result, the ensuing reduction in size dropped Sudan from the ninth to the sixteenth largest country in the world. But that’s a story for another day.

So just how big is Algeria? If you overlay it on a map of the United States, it covers the middle third of America almost perfectly.

Now, despite it being the largest country in Africa…

2. Only 12% of the Country’s Land Mass is Inhabited

The Sahara Desert covers the vast majority of Algeria. It’s one of the most extreme environments on the planet. Temperatures in the Sahara can reach 55°C (131°F), and going three or four years between rainfalls is quite common.

Nonetheless, Algerians haven’t let that fact stand in their way. Only 3% of Algeria’s land mass is cultivated, but that’s enough to feed their population self-sufficiently. Less than 1% of Algeria is forest.

So just how inhospitable and uninhabitable is the Sahara? We can explain it with simple math. The Sahara covers 88% of Algeria. What’s 100% minus 88%? 12%. And how much of Algeria’s land mass is inhabited? Yes, that Sahara really is that extreme and inhospitable.

3. Algeria is Home to Some of the World’s Largest Sand Dunes

Aptly named the Isaouane-n-Tifernine Sand Sea, the dunes in eastern Algeria are the largest in Africa. The dunes cover an area roughly the size of Kentucky and stretch into neighboring Libya. They tower up to 465 meters (1,525 feet) above the desert floor, reaching elevations of 2,000 meters (6,000 feet) above sea level. If you thought tromping through soft sand was tough, try doing it at elevation.

As for the tallest sand dunes in the world? It surprises a lot of people, but the top 3 tallest sand dunes are all in South America. Reaching elevations of nearly 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) above sea level, you can find them in Argentina, Peru, and Chile respectively.

4. Algeria was Once Part of France and Remains Rich with French Culture to this Day

Like much of West Africa, Algeria fell to French colonization efforts in the 19th century. The French occupation of Algeria began when they landed in Algiers in 1830. The French conquest of Algeria was bloody and brutal, killing untold members of Algeria’s indigenous population.

“[The French] had been for over a hundred years in Algeria and were determined that it was part of France, and they damn well were going to stay there. Of course, there was a very strong school of thought in the rest of Africa that they damn well weren’t.”

Joseph C. Satterthwaite, US Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, in 1961

While their relations were never great, the relationship between France and Algeria improved in the early 20th century. In 1961, the Algerian people voted overwhelmingly (about 80%) for independence from France. Following several failed coup attempts, French leader Charles de Gaulle formally recognized Algeria’s independence in 1962. Algeria’s relationship with France has remained close since then, but there have been difficult times.

130 Years of French Occupation Leaves Its Mark on Algerian Culture

Walk through any city or town in northern Algeria and you’ll find a melting pot of cultural influences dating back over 2,000 years. However, you’ll find French influences to be the strongest simply because they have been the most recent power to occupy Algeria. You’ll find plenty of French food, art, literature, and more. Over the years, Algeria has also been a part of Spain, Italy, and Turkey, so be sure to keep a look out for those influences as well.

While not one of Algeria’s official languages, French is widely spoken throughout the country. The French language is used in Algeria much in the same manner that Spanish is used in the United States. Road signs are all bilingual in both Arabic and French. The same goes for billboards, newspapers, menus, and pretty much anything else that’s in written form.

Why is French Not One of Algeria’s Official Languages?

If you travel south across West Africa, from Sénégal down to the Congo, you’ll find that many of France’s former colonies still not only speak French, but use it as their official language. Algeria is one notable exception. Its neighbor Tunisia is the other.

So why did these two neighbors not adopt French as their official language? It boils down to two reasons.

First, the Arabs first colonized Algeria in the 8th Century as they sought fertile lands on the Mediterranean shores to grow their crops. When the Arabs came, they brought Islam with them. As a result, Algeria has been an Islamic Nation for over 1,200 years.

The Arabic language is critically important to Islam. Muslims believe that Arabic was chosen by Allah, and that the holy scripture (the Quran) shall be written entirely in, and only in Arabic. Therefore, in order to fully understand the word of Allah, all Muslims must learn to read and speak Arabic. Modern linguistic scholars have revealed that the Quran is written is such precise Arabic, that it is nearly impossible to translate it into other languages without losing any meaning.

Most Islamic nations have carried this belief into their system of government. Indeed, have a look around the nations of the Muslim world. You’ll notice they all have one thing in common. They all use only one official language: Arabic.

Second, the French occupation of Algeria was such a dark period in its history. Untold numbers of Algerians died as a result of French colonization. You really can’t fault them for wanting to distance themselves from that.

5. Algeria is a Land of Temperature Extremes…But It’s Got Nothing on Russia and Canada

It’s no secret that desert environments can be extreme, especially when it comes to wild temperature swings. Just have a look at Algeria’s all-time temperature records.

The concept of temperature records in Algeria is actually hotly contested. If you do a quick Google search for Algeria’s all-time record high temperature, you’ll find a surprising range of claims. It turns out that weather data has not always been reliably measured or recorded, so records are broken into two categories: the hottest temperature ever reliably measured and the hottest temperature ever recorded. You’ll find numerous claims of air temperatures between 60°C and 65°C (140°F to 150°F) in Algeria. However, meteorologists have debunked those claims time and time again.

Russia and Canada put Algeria’s Temperature Range to Shame

For being in such a temperate climate, Algeria has an impressive temperature range. There’s no doubt about it. But unfortunately, Algeria doesn’t get cold enough to compete with the true champions of the temperature range. For that, you’ll need to turn to two countries that are well-known for their brutal, bone-chilling winters: Russia and Canada.

6. The Rarest and Most Elusive Carnivore in the World Lives in Algeria

The Northwest African Cheetah, also known as the Saharan Cheetah, is a critically endangered species native to the Sahara Desert. As of 2008, there were estimated to only be at most 250 of them left on Earth. In March, 2020, the Office National du Parc Culturel de l’Ahaggar captured footage of the first Saharan Cheetah to be seen in over 10 years. A game camera recorded the cheetah inside of Parc Culturel de l’Ahaggar (Ahaggar Cultural Park) in southern Algeria.

7. The World’s Most Dangerous and Deadly Road Runs Across Algeria

Algeria is widely regarded as one of the safest and most stable countries in the Arab world. So how did it wind up with the world’s most dangerous and deadly road? Your mind is probably drawn to the images of extremist insurgent groups traversing war-torn countries like Iraq, Afghanistan, or Yemen. But those groups are non-existent in Algeria.

The road’s danger and deadliness is not attributed to the people on it. On the contrary, it’s the lack of people on it. The Trans-Sahara Highway stretches for 4,500 km (2,800 mi) from Algiers, Algeria to Lagos, Nigeria. For reference, if you flew from Boston, Massachusetts to Bogotá, Colombia, you would have traveled 4,200 km. Running through the guts of the Sahara desert, it’s one of the truest and most extreme adventures in Africa that attracts only the bravest and most foolhardy.

Successfully completing the journey requires a lot of skill, and a little luck. The Trans-Sahara Highway is one of the most difficult passages on the planet. You’ll need a specially outfitted 4×4 and plenty of desert experience to survive the extreme and harsh environment. Even though 85% of the route is paved, much of the pavement is littered with potholes and in disrepair. In addition, daytime temperatures often hit 50°C (122°F) and sandstorms bury the highway under massive drifts of sand on a regular basis. There are no services or supplies along the route. If you break down or have a medical emergency, you’re on your own. You better know how to fix it or treat it. And then there’s all of the bureaucracy you have to deal with if you want to cross any of the international borders along the route.

So what attracts so many adventurers to the Trans-Sahara Highway? The opportunity to experience the Sahara at its most mesmerizing. You’ll get to see something that very few others have, in its rawest and most pristine form.

8. Despite Being Almost Entirely Desert, Algeria is Full of Marine Fossils

From a climatological standpoint, the Sahara is absolutely fascinating. In some of its most uninhabitable locations, archaeologists have found fossils of tropical jungle plants, mangroves, fish, and even whales. Furthermore, they have uncovered evidence of ponds, lakes, and oceans in the middle of the Sahara.

How does all of this marine evidence wind up in the middle of the world’s largest desert? If we look at what archaeologists have uncovered in the Sahara, it’s clear that it hasn’t always been a vast desert.

Every 20,000 years, there is a wobble in the Earth’s orbit that causes a dramatic shift in the tropical monsoon over Central Africa. Depending on the direction of the orbit, the monsoon either shifts north, over the Sahara, or shifts south, over equatorial Africa. As a result, the Sahara cycles back and forth between a “Desert Sahara” and a “Green Sahara”.

Uncovering Evidence of a Green Sahara

The first step to confirming the existence of a Green Sahara is to look at the deposits of Saharan dust in core samples taken in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Africa, as well as in both North and South America. In those core samples, there is a significant reduction in dust deposits every 20,000 years. During the Green Sahara, trees, vegetation, and water hold the soil in place, preventing the massive sand storms that are common during the Desert Sahara.

Furthermore, archaeologists have also found paintings and sculptures depicting the Green Sahara in places no civilization would survive today. Coupled with the marine fossils found in the Sahara, we can paint a pretty clear mental picture of what the Green Sahara looked like.

What Does the Green Sahara Look Like?

Because the Sahara covers such a vast area, the Green Sahara is diverse. You’ll find swamps that resemble the Florida Everglades, and dense jungles like you’d find in South America or Southeast Asia. There will also be lush savannah and grasslands that closely resemble the ones you find in Kenya or Tanzania.

But most important for the survival of civilizations is the presence of water. The Green Sahara was covered in ponds and lakes. Some lakes were likely the size of the Great Lakes, if not bigger. There was more than enough water in the Green Sahara to support human, plant, and animal life.

When Is the Next Transition to the Green Sahara?

The most recent transition from the Green Sahara to the current Desert Sahara occurred about 5,500 years ago. The drying of the Sahara as it underwent that transition forced people living in what is currently Egypt to abandon their homes and re-settle along the Nile River. This migration gave rise to cities that eventually became the Ancient Egyptian Civilization.

The next transition back to the Green Sahara is still about 15,000 years away. Once the African monsoon shifts, it takes between 100 and 200 years to complete the transition. To put that into perspective, if the transition had started during the American Civil War in the 1860’s, it would be just barely complete today.

9. Algerian Cherries and Dates are Widely Renowned as the Best in the World

Thanks to its moderate, but diverse climates along its northern Mediterranean coast, Algeria is world-famous for its cherries and dates. And they’re not just great. They’re widely considered to be the best in the world. Don’t forget that at its closest point, Algeria is only about 220 km (135 mi) from Italy and 150 km (90 mi) from Spain, and we all know how good the fruits and veggies from both of those countries are.

10. Algerian Vexillology Tells a Fascinating Story of the Country’s History

The Algerian flag is very simple, but tells a fascinating story of the country’s history, going back at least 1,200 years. Designed when Algeria gained its independence from France in 1962, the flag is nothing more than a red star and crescent on a field that’s half green and half white. But its symbolism stretches far deeper than that.

• The green field is a symbol of Islam. The flags of most Middle Eastern and Islamic Nations nations have green on them.
• White symbolizes peace and purity.
• The star and crescent emblem can be traced back when the Ottoman Empire ruled Algeria prior to the French colonization. It’s also a symbol of Islam. You can find a very similar symbol of the flag of Turkey, which is where the Ottoman Empire originated.
• The red color actually has two meanings. It symbolizes the blood that the Algerian people shed during the war of independence from France. It’s also another link to the Ottoman Empire, which used the same flag Turkey does today. The Turkish flag is red with a white star and crescent on it.

And on a side note, a big shout out to The Big Bang Theory for introducing me to the term “vexillology” back in the day.

Bonus: A Few Extra Facts

Because Algeria is such a fascinating country, here are a few bonus bizarre facts.

• Algeria was called Numidia in ancient times. The name comes from a people who were well known for their horse-drawn army. Numidians later came to be known as Berbers. Today, Berber is one of the national languages of Algeria.
• It’s the largest oat market in Africa, and one of the largest producers of artichokes and watermelons in the world.
• Despite the fact that French is not an official language, Algeria is currently the second-largest French-speaking community in the world. Over 2/3 of the population can speak French, mostly as a second language. In 2016, 68% of Algerians that used Facebook posted in French.
• The furthest capital from Algiers (as the crow flies) is Wellington, New Zealand, which sits a whopping 19,141 km (11,894 mi) away

Conclusion

We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of Algeria’s history and culture. One of the aspects I love about writing this Weird Geography series is just how much I learn about these countries as I research them. This was especially true for Algeria because my studies of French culture did not cover Algeria at all. As a result, the whole melting pot of cultures along the north coast of Africa has been giving me that “tug” for quite a while now. Whether you’re interested in Algeria’s history, culture, or climate, it offers something for everyone. Where will your next adventure take you?

Top Photo: Hikers Cross Seemingly Endless Sand Dunes
Death Valley National Park, California – February, 2020

The post Weird Geography: 10 Bizarre and Unusual Facts About Algeria appeared first on Matthew Gove Blog.

1. Sahara Means “The Greatest Desert” in Arabic

The Sahara is appropriately named, as it is the largest hot desert in the world. It covers the northern third of Africa and is comparable in size to countries such as the United States, Canada, and China. Much of the desert is uninhabited. Rain is nearly non-existent, with the Sahara averaging about 20 millimeters (0.8 inches) of rain per year. Its residents live on the coast and on the far outer fringes of the desert. Sand temperatures over 80°C (176°F) have been recorded in the Sahara.

There are no roads across the Sahara, but a 4,500 km (2,800 mi) Trans-Saharan Highway that runs north/south from Algiers, Algeria to Lagos, Nigeria is in the works. A few brave people have successfully driven across the Sahara in a 4×4, but it is considered one of the most dangerous drives in the world.

2. Violent Sand Storms are a Routine Occurrence in the Sahara

The Sahara’s latitude aligns it nearly perfectly with the strong easterly trade winds that blow across the Atlantic. When violent sand storms are lifted by heating, convection, and turbulence that occur naturally over the desert, they cross paths with the trade winds. As a result, ejections of massive plumes of dust over the eastern Atlantic Ocean occur routinely. When the dust plume is large enough and the trade winds are strong enough, Saharan dust can reach North America, which is happening right now.

3. Geologists Can See Deposits of Saharan Dust in North American Soil that Dates Back Thousands of Years

While the levels of dust can vary wildly from year-to-year, dust events follow a fairly routine schedule. The presence of Saharan dust can be seen in the layers of soil samples taken in North America, South America, and the Caribbean, as well as sediment samples taken from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

These studies give scientists a glimpse into not just geology, but also meteorology, climatology, oceanography, and human behavior thousands of years ago. The area right off the coast of Mauritania, Western Sahara, and Senegal is one of the most studied areas in the world for deposits of Saharan dust.

Do you want to know something else really cool these studies have uncovered?

4. Every 20,000 years, the Sahara Cycles Between a “Desert Sahara” and a “Green Sahara”

Every 20,000 years, there is a wobble in the Earth’s orbit. As a result, a dramatic shift in the tropical monsoon occurs over Central Africa. The next time this happens, the monsoon will shift dramatically to the north, dumping lots of rain across the Sahara Desert. As more rain falls, trees, shrubs, and other vegetation start to grow. Eventually, lakes and ponds form too. The Green Sahara can resemble anything from a tropical swamp like you’d see in the Florida Everglades to a dense jungle like you’d find in parts of South America or Southeast Asia to a lush savannah or grassland like the ones that are currently in Kenya or Tanzania.

Proof of the Green Sahara Starts with Saharan Dust

Now come on, there’s no way that just some dust deposits at the bottom of the ocean can prove this. You’re right that the dust alone doesn’t prove this. When combined with archaeological and anthropologic evidence found in the Sahara, it does. Every 20,000 years, there is a significant reduction in dust deposits as vegetation in the Green Sahara holds the soil and place, preventing the massive sand storms that are common across the Desert Sahara. In some of the most uninhabitable places of the current Sahara, archaeologists have found paintings depicting the Green Sahara, as well as fossils of both tropical jungle plants and marine life. Even mangrove fossils and whale fossils have been found in the middle of the Sahara.

When is the next shift of the Sahara?

So are we going to see the Green Sahara in our lifetimes? Unfortunately, no. The last change from Green Sahara to Desert Sahara occurred about 5,500 years ago, so there’s still about 15,000 years to go until the next Green Sahara starts. Even if the changeover were to start tomorrow, it usually takes between 100 and 200 years to transition between the Desert Sahara and the Green Sahara.

Before we shift back to the current Saharan Dust storm, here’s one more fun fact about the Green Sahara. The drying of the Sahara as it underwent its most recent shift from Green Sahara to Desert Sahara 5,500 years ago led to the rise of the Ancient Egyptian Civilization.

5. The Current Saharan Dust Storm is Suspended at an Elevation of Approximately 1.5 to 6 Kilometers (5,000 to 20,000 Feet)

In the Sahara, when strong winds whip up sand storms, strong heating, convection, and turbulence that occur naturally over the desert lift the dust and sand particles high into the atmosphere, reaching altitudes as high as about 6 km/20,000 feet. The lift from that heating and convection is so strong that the dust particles get up in the jet stream. The dust then rides the jet stream across the Atlantic.

I know what you’re wondering. Why doesn’t the dust just fall out of the sky? What keeps it suspended in the air? There are two possible scenarios.

1. You can think of the atmosphere in terms of layers, just like layers in a cake. The jet stream is above the ground layer, and can be several layers above that ground layer. As the plume of dust moves west across the Atlantic, the ground layer often has a thermodynamic makeup that blocks particles from entering it from above and prevents dust particles from settling back down.
2. If you look at a vertical profile of the atmosphere, you will find areas of lift and areas of subsidence. Strong jet stream winds encourage lifting in the atmosphere, which keeps the dust particles suspended aloft, much like raindrops in a cloud.

Gravity will eventually win this battle. Once the dust gets blown into weaker upper-level winds or out of the jet stream completely, it will begin to settle.

6. The Current Saharan Dust Storm Will Primarily Impact the Eastern United States

The southeastern United States, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will see its greatest effects. The main effect you’ll see is just a thick haze. If you’ve ever been near a wildfire, it will look very similar to that, just without the smoky smell.

The latest weather observations show very strong trade winds blowing from east to west across the Caribbean. A high pressure system sits just off the east coast of Florida, which will pull the dust north through the Gulf of Mexico. Not surprisingly, the states seeing the greatest impacts of the dust include Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

Models show the dust plume will continue north across the Mississippi River valley. It will then shift east, impacting much of the central and eastern United States. The high pressure off the coast of Florida will slowly shift to the east over the next couple of days. At that point, it will pull the dust back into Florida. Ironically, the US state closest to the Sahara, Maine, will likely the least impact, at least among the eastern states.

Now, what does that mean for those of us who live west of the Great Plains? There is a strong wind blowing across Central America and up the west coast of Mexico. Miniscule amounts of Saharan dust may reach the far southern parts of California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Any effects will be so minimal that you will barely notice.

7. You May Notice Adverse Health Effects, Especially in the Southeastern US, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands

If you’re experiencing symptoms similar to allergies or a very mild cold, such as sneezing, coughing, runny nose, scratchy throat, or itchy eyes, the dust is likely at least partly responsible for it. Even if you’re not allergic to anything in it, the dust is still an irritant that can cause these symptoms. When I am exposed to excessive amounts of desert dust here in Arizona, I tend to sneeze a lot and get scratchy throats.

If you are sensitive to low air quality, there are a few things you can do to limit your exposure:

• Close your windows and doors and stay indoors
• If your air conditioning has a recirculate mode, use it
• Avoid being outdoors for extended periods
• The masks you wear to stop the spread of COVID-19 will help reduce irritation from the dust. N95 respirators will filter out the dust particles, but the regular cloth masks are better than nothing.

8. The Dust Will Produce Spectacular Sunrises and Sunsets

Light refracting through particles suspended in the air equals beautiful colors at sunrise and sunset. That’s just simple physics.

9. The Saharan Dust Will Temporarily Pause the Atlantic Hurricane Season

Many people think that the dust somehow interferes with the sunlight or the heating necessary to form hurricanes. That is incorrect. When the Sahara ejects dust plumes over the Atlantic, it also ejects very dry desert air along with it. The dust plume stays in that pocket of very dry air as it makes its journey across the Atlantic.

When the dust gets to the Caribbean, the very dry air that it is traveling in is strong enough to cut off the moisture supply that tropical cyclones require in order to form. Extremely dry air, such as that found in deserts, is impressively difficult to re-humidify, so once the dust leaves the area, it will take several days for moisture to return to its normal levels.

Further inland, you will also see the same effect. The only difference is that the dust will be shutting off rain and thunderstorms, not hurricanes.

10. It is Full of Nutrients that Allow Plant Life and Agriculture to Flourish

Saharan dust is so much more than “just dust”. In fact, Saharan dust is a type of mineral dust that is extremely rich in nutrients such as iron and phosphorus, which fertilizes and gives life to some of the lushest forests on the planet. In the Amazon rainforest alone, the Sahara deposits over 22,000 tons of dust every year, making it almost solely responsible for keeping the Amazon’s ecosystem so healthy and lush. Because the Amazon gets so much rain, if it weren’t for the Saharan dust, the Amazon’s nutrients would wash away very rapidly.

Saharan dust deposits in the ocean are a bit more of a mixed bag. While they deliver the same benefits they bring to ecosystems on land, the mineral-rich dust can also be a breeding ground for algae blooms and red tides, which can release toxins and deplete the ocean of oxygen, resulting in mass death of ocean creatures. I experienced several red tides back when I lived in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. Trust me, they are not pleasant to be near.

11. The Current Saharan Dust Storm in North America is Not a Haboob

You have probably heard the word “haboob” thrown around as massive dust storms barrel across the deserts of the American Southwest during the summer monsoons. The Saharan dust plume is not a haboob. Let me explain.

Do you know the saying that all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares? The same analogy applies here. All haboobs are dust storms, but not all dust storms are haboobs. So what exactly is a haboob?

A haboob is a specific type of intense dust storm that is carried on a weather front. In North America, they are almost exclusively found on gust fronts and outflow boundaries as monsoon thunderstorms collapse. They are a routine occurrence in the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico during the summer monsoon. The word “haboob” is an official meteorological term that means “blasting” or “drifting” in Arabic.

How exactly does the Saharan dust storm differ from a haboob? Let’s have a look.

12. Does It Affect the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Not in a major way. The dust plume will not be in one specific location long enough nor be severe enough to have any significant impacts on the pandemic. You may see a very slight uptick in hospitalizations for a day or two. The Saharan dust will have little to no effect on case counts or death counts.

If you’re currently ill with COVID-19, a cold, or any other respiratory illness, the dust plume may exacerbate your symptoms for a day or two. Staying inside with the doors and windows closed will help mitigate that exacerbation.

13. The Saharan Dust Storm is Impacting Many More Countries than just the United States

The current Saharan dust storm will likely impact over 50 countries by the time it’s all said and done. In the map below, countries shaded in red will see effects of the Saharan dust. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the dust finds its way into to additional countries. Nations in Central America and the Caribbean, as well as the southeastern United States will see the greatest effects of the dust.

If you have any questions about this unique event, please leave them in the comments. I’ll answer them as soon as I can.

Until next time.

Top Photo: One of the largest haboobs in Arizona history near Gila Bend, Arizona – July, 2018

The post Saharan Dust Storm: 13 Surprising Ways It Might Impact You appeared first on Matthew Gove Blog.