| Algeria formally the People's Democratic Republic | | | | Modern Algerian literature, divide between Arabic |
| of Algeria is a country in northward Africa, and | | | | and French, has been powerfully influenced by the |
| the second largest country on the African | | | | country's late history. Famous novelists of the |
| continent, Sudan being the largest. It is bordered | | | | 20th century admit Mohammed Dib, Albert |
| by Tunisia in the northeast, Libya inside the east, | | | | Camus, and Kateb Yacine, while Assia Djebar is |
| Niger in the southeast, Mali and Mauritania in the | | | | wide translated. Important novelists of the 1980s |
| southwest, and Morocco as well as a few | | | | included Rachid Mimouni, later vice-president of |
| kilometers of its annexed province, Western | | | | Amnesty International, and Tahar Djaout, |
| Sahara, in the west. Constitutionally, it is defined | | | | murdered by an Islamist group in 1993 for his |
| as an Islamic, Arab, and Amazigh (Berber) area. | | | | secularist views. As early as Roman times, |
| The name Algeria is inferred from the name of | | | | Apuleius, born within Mdaourouch, was native to |
| the city of Algiers, caused by the Arabic word | | | | what would become Algeria. |
| al-jaza'ir, which translates as the islands, bringing | | | | Inside school of thought and the humanities, Malek |
| up to the four islands which one lay off that city's | | | | Bennabi and Frantz Fanon are noted for their |
| coast until getting part of the mainland in 1525; | | | | ideas on decolonization, while Augustine of Hippo |
| al-jaza'ir is itself short for the older name jaza'ir | | | | was born inside Tagaste (about 60 miles from the |
| bani mazghanna, "the islands of (the tribe) Bani | | | | present day city of Annaba), and Ibn Khaldun, |
| Mazghanna", used by early medieval geographers | | | | though born within Tunis, wrote the Muqaddima |
| such as al-Idrisi and Yaqut al-Hamawi. | | | | whilst staying within Algeria. |