The earliest known inhabitants of Algeria were the Berbers. During the 12th century B.C., seagoing Phoenician traders built outposts along Africa's Mediterranean coast. The Romans defeated the Phoenicians in the 2nd century B.C. The area became known as Numidia and was cultivated to produce grain and olive oil for the Romans. In 429 A.D., the Vandals, a tribe from northern Europe, invaded North Africa from Spain. They set up trade routes across the Sahara.

In the 7th century, the Middle Eastern Arabs conquered most of North Africa and introduced the religion of Islam to the nomadic peoples. Some regions of Algeria resisted the Arab invasion, but most of the population accepted the new rulers, converted to Islam and helped spread the religion to northwest Africa and Spain. The area was at first ruled by the Umayyad dynasty from Damascus. In the 8th century, the Berbers in North Africa formed their own Islamic governments, including a kingdom ruled from Tahert by a group called the Rustamids. Over the next few centuries, the Rustamids were succeeded by other Muslim dynasties: the Almoravids and later the Almohads.

In the 13th century, the coastal area became known for piracy. Pirates, called corsairs, captured merchant ships and held them for ransom. In the 16th century, the Spanish tried to put a stop to the piracy and captured several North African ports, including Algiers. The Berbers invited the Ottoman Turks to help them fight the Spanish, and the area became an autonomous province within the Ottoman Empire. The corsairs continued to raid ships in the Mediterranean until the early 19th century, when European and American naval forces attacked Algiers.

Did you know?

The period from the 16th to the 18th century is considered the golden age of Belarusian culture.

In 1830, the French conquered Algiers and over the next few years annexed the entire country, despite resistance from Algerian forces led by Abd al-Qadir and other leaders. The French colonists appropriated land and suppressed local culture. The country became an overseas département(province) of France, ruled by French colonists. Agricultural products were exported to France, and mosques were converted to Christian churches. Muslims were denied the full rights of citizenship, and their activities were restricted.

After the First World War, several nationalist parties were established. However, it was not until 1954 that Algerians went to war under the National Liberation Front (FLN) to claim their independence. The fighting continued for eight years, and about 1.5 million Algerians died in the struggle. Finally, on July 1, 1962, Algeria won its independence. Most French colonists left Algeria after 1962.

Algeria became a socialist state. The economy was centrally controlled by the FLN, and resources were diverted from agriculture to the emerging oil and gas industries. In the late 1980s, violent demonstrations against government restrictions led to some reforms. However, the reforms caused conflict between the government and an Islamic party called the Front Islamique du Salut (FIS). In 1992, when the FIS attempted to take power, civil war broke out. Fighting and terrorists attacks continued through the 1990s, and thousands of Algerians died. The country is still in turmoil.

Did you know?

People of French origin who were born in Algeria were once called "pieds-noirs" (black feet), because the French troops stationed in Algeria wore black boots.