Hello readers! It is
me, Liesbeth. A few days ago, we arrived at Algeria. As promised, I will keep you
informed about our trip. This week, I am going to tell you something more about
the economic side of Algeria.
When we arrived at
the airport, we changed our money immediately into the local currency; the
Algerian dinar. There are a lot of exchange offices at the airport, so you do
not have to worry about changing your money! The money in Algeria is a
little bit different than in Europe, they have coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and
100 dinar and notes of 100, 200, 500, 1000 dinar. I also searched for the
exchange rate for euros and pounds:
1 euro = 101,54 dinar;
1 pound = 120,14 dinar.
Now, I am going to inform you a little bit more about Algeria itself, tourism and the main activities in Algeria.
Algeria is a republic with a president, named Abdelaziz
Bouteflika, who is chosen by elections. Algeria has five important parties and
some other independent parties.
I did some research after the importance of agriculture. It seems that agriculture is still very important in Algeria. You can find fertile grounds in the valleys and basins in the north of Algeria and in the oases close to the Sahara. The main crops are wheat, yeast, oats, citrus fruit, wine-grapes, olives, tobacco and figs. The country is also a very important manufacturer concerning cork.
The people on the country sides also breed a lot of animals like sheeps, goats, poultry and other livestock.
Algeria is a very dependent country concerning petroleum and natural gas.
The most important products of Algeria are processed in nutrition, e.g. olive oil, tobacco products, construction materials, chemical products, metal, textile and clothing. The wine culture is also very important in Algeria.
Of course, after a meeting on our second day, we went to a vineyard
where we tasted some very good wine! I’m thinking to visit Algeria during the
holiday and bring some bottles of wine to Europe because I really enjoyed the
wine tasting!
You see, Algeria offers a wide range of products and materials. That is
why Algeria had a surplus on its trade balance for a few years. Its
most important business partners are France, Germany, Italy, the United States
and Spain.
Algeria has a limited road and railway network, mainly around the coastline in the north of the country. The roads along the coast line are very dangerous too, so be careful when you are driving and at the mean time looking at the beautiful views!
I was a little bit afraid to travel in Algeria because I read on the internet that Algeria is known as a country with a lot of disagreements, reign of terror, disappearances, violence and other problems with the safety of its inhabitants and tourists. Algeria is at least as beautiful like Morocco or Tunisia. Algeria is not a country that is overflowed with tourists, but it has a lot to offer. You can visit the beautiful city Algiers and other cities in Algeria, visit the Sahara with its oases in winter or spring and in the north of the country you can do some aquatic sports, sunbathe or swim in the sea. Algeria offers 1200 kilometres of coast line and there are some beautiful and crowded seaside resorts like Tipasa and Oran. When you are driving to a seaside resort and you take the ‘Corniche des Dahra’ route, you are going to be amazed by the view! It is a beautiful (but dangerous too!) driveway and it has the most beautiful panorama’s!
After those amazing experiences and some long meetings too, I fell in
love with this country. It is beautiful and you will be amazed when you see the
sea, the Sahara and all the other things Algeria has to offer. I did not know
the country, but I am sure, I will come back some day! I wish we could stay
longer, but unfortunately, we have to leave tomorrow. We are going to Tunisia,
another beautiful country, I am sure!
So keep reading!
Liesbeth
So keep reading!
Liesbeth
Sources:
http://www.algerianwine.com/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/28/aqim-violence-algeria-libya
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