Adventures in Algeria Trivia Quiz

Answer: north

Algeria is in Northwest Africa, and shares borders with seven African countries: Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. Its northern border is the Mediterranean Sea. The northwest part of Africa is called the Maghreb ("west" in Arabic). Depending on which reference you use, the countries that are included in that region vary. All seem to agree on Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia being included. Those North African countries border the Mediterranean Sea. Egypt also borders the Mediterranean Sea, but is not considered part of the Maghreb region.

Algeria covers roughly 920,000 square miles (2,382,789 km²). Africa's smallest country is The Gambia, and it covers less than 11,000 square miles (28,490 km²), making Algeria 200 times larger. In world rankings, Algeria is the tenth largest by area. You can fit three states of Texas into Algeria!

Phoenix Rising's Red Crew member, jaknginger, squeezed this puzzle into the team quiz.

Answer: tropical rainforest

Most of Algeria's huge territory sits north of the Tropic of Cancer, and the part of the country located south of it lies squarely in the semi-arid Sahel region. Southern Algeria contains the southern end of the Hoggar Mountains, which belong to the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion, characterized by vegetation that can withstand low rainfall and extremes in temperature. Tropical rainforests, as their name suggests, need abundant, year-round rainfall - which is not a distinctive feature of Algeria's climate.

While rain is relatively plentiful in the coastal regions of northern Algeria - an area known as the Tell, which enjoys a Mediterranean climate allowing the cultivation of grapes, olive trees and citrus fruits - the climate of the most of the country is typical of arid or semi-arid zones, with very high summer temperatures and sparse vegetation. Temperate coniferous and mixed forests are found in the Atlas Mountains, which run parallel to the coast.

The sandy expanse in the photo is part of the Tassili n'Ajjier National Park in southeastern Algeria

This environmentally-conscious question grew out of LadyNym's keyboard.

Answer: in the alphabet

The Berber flag represents the Berbers as an ethnic group found in North Africa, from the Canary islands to Egypt. Each colour of the flag represents a part of Tamazgha, the Berber territory. Blue represents the sea, Green the Atlas mountains, and yellow the vastness of the desert. The red of the letter Z (ⵣ in the Berber alphabet called Tifinagh) represents the freedom of the Berber people. Overall the flag represents the Berber people living in harmony with Tamazgha.

This question was waved into the quiz by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.

Answer: St. Augustine

St Augustine was born in 354 AD in the Roman-Berber city of Thagaste (now Souk Ahras in northeastern Algeria). His mother, Monica, was a devout Christian, while his father was a pagan. Though heavily Romanized, the family was of Berber ethnicity, as Augustine occasionally points out in his writings. After a rather turbulent youth and early adulthood - during which he embraced Manichaeanism, and also had an illegitimate son - at the age of 31 Augustine converted to Christianity, and in 387 was baptized by St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.

Augustine then returned to Numidia, where he was ordained as a priest in the city of Hippo Regius (now Annaba) - whose Bishop he became in 395. He remained in that position until his death in 430. Augustine was canonized soon after his death, and in 1298 was recognized as a Doctor of the Church for his extensive contribution to Christian philosophy and theology. His most influential work, "De civitate Dei" ("The City of God"), was written in the aftermath of the traumatic sack of Rome by the Visigoths (410 AD).

A large Catholic basilica dedicated to St. Augustine was built in Annaba between 1881 and 1900. The city of St. Augustine in Florida, founded by the Spanish in 1565, and named after the saint, is the oldest city in the US.

The photo shows the oldest existing portrait of St. Augustine, dating from the 6th century.

This question was reverently compiled by LadyNym of Phoenix Rising's Red Crew.

Answer: Casbah of Algiers

The Casbah (Kasbah) of Algiers is the walled citadel in the capital city of Algeria. It was declared a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO in 1992. The Algerian War of Independence took place from 1954 to 1962, with the National Liberation Front (FLN) using guerilla warfare to bring about liberation from France. The Casbah was used to plan an insurgency during the early years of the war. The Casbah is sited on the ruins of a Berber city, Icosium, dating back to Roman occupancy of the area.

Beni Hammad Fort is a Muslim fortified city that is now mainly ruins, dating back to the 11th century. Timgad is an archaeological site which includes a Roman triumphal arch from the 2nd century. Djemila is a mountain village popular with tourists, due to some uniquely adapted Roman buildings such as temples, theatres, and basilicas. All are UNESCO sites.

"Sharif" might not like it, but Red Crew's smpdit would like to rock there.

Answer: Sunni

Most Algerians are Sunni Muslims of the Maliki school of jurisprudence, as is common across Northern Africa. Per the constitution, Islam is the official state religion, and it is a criminal offense to proselytize a Muslim toward another faith; it is also criminal to insult or offend any religion. Persecution of other branches of Islam and Christian faiths has been alleged. Most Christians in Algeria are foreign residents.

Player pusdoc has faith that this question will find its place in the Red Crew's efforts for the Phoenix Rising Global Tour.

Answer: the Algerian War of Independence

Ghana was the first nation to declare independence from its colonial master (Great Britain) in 1957. Algeria had sought independence from France as early as 1954 (held since 1830), but when it finally gained its independence in 1962, 22 other African nations had already sought and gained independence considerably more peacefully than Algeria. The eight years of war between France and the Algerian FLN (Front de Libération Nationale) were a bitter, brutal time, characterised by the use of torture by the French and the guerrilla warfare of the FLN. The war caused the fall of the Fourth Republic (1946-58), which needed to be replaced by the Fifth Republic; this gave the French President far more power. As the war dragged on, world sentiment turned against the French, and the new French President, Charles de Gaulle, was forced to negotiate with the FLN - resulting in the Évian Accords of March 1962. A referendum took place in France on 8 April 1962, in which 91% approved the Évian Accords. On 1 July, the Accords were subject to a second referendum in Algeria, where 99.7% voted for independence.

While the violence ended, after independence 900,000 European-Algerians (Pieds-noirs) fled to France to avoid FLN persecution. France was unprepared was such a vast intake, and turmoil prevailed. The Harkis, native Muslim Algerians who fought with the French, were left behind and were seen as traitors: they were murdered by the FLN in large numbers, with 90,000 managing to reach France. Both Pieds-noirs and the Harkis make up a significant proportion of the French populace in the 21st century.

This vintage (1900) photo shows a detail of the Casbah of Algiers, where the film was shot.

After independence, the FLN ruled Algeria as a one-party government until 1991, when a civil war erupted. The violence continued until the 2004 presidential election.

This question was written by Phoenix Rising team member 1nn1.

Answer: The Plague

Albert Camus' novel, "The Plague", was set in the 1940s, with the author using an outbreak from 1849 as a reference. The story displays human triumph over suffering and death, and optimism over hopelessness. The novel was published after WWII. One reviewer described the novel as being "part an allegory of France's suffering under the Nazi occupation, and a timeless story of bravery and determination against the precariousness of human existence."

Historically, Algeria fought outbreaks of the bubonic plague as early as the 1500s and as late as 1944. Maybe not to the scale of the Covid pandemic, but thousands were killed by cholera throughout the centuries.

Albert Camus (1913-1960) was a French-Algerian author and philosopher. He won the 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature. The photo shows a view of Oran.

Jaknginger optimistically added this question to the Red Crew's Global Tour quiz.

Answer: tlitli b'djedi

Trade generated by the countries that adjoin the Mediterranean Sea has had a great influence on Algerian cuisine as well as that of its land borders that add North African touches. Tlitli B'djedi incorporates spices, garlic and a pasta similar to orzo that is commonly made at home: the addition of chicken, eggs and often chickpeas make this a warm comforting dish. Couscous (shown in the photo), whilst common throughout North African countries, is considered to be more at home in neighbouring Morocco. Risi e bisi is Italian, koshari is an Egyptian rice dish, and kleftiko is a Greek lamb and lemon dish.

Red Crew's smpdit would be happy to take any of these dishes for a spin!

Answer: dissipating heat

The smallest canid species, the fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) is native to the deserts of North Africa, where it inhabits sand dunes and sandy areas with sparse vegetation, digging out extensive burrows in the sand. Its name comes from "fanak", the name given to the species in Arabic.

This small mammal's anatomy is impressively adapted to the harsh desert environment: its huge ears help in dissipating heat (as well as locating underground prey), and its kidney functions enable it to rely on the moisture found in food when water is scarce. In addition, its sand-coloured fur is not only effective for camouflage against predators (mainly raptors), but also helps the animal keep warm at night while reflecting sunlight during the day. Fennec foxes are crepuscular and omnivorous, and form family groups in which both the male and the female care for the kits.

Though often captured to be sold to zoos or as exotic pets, fennec foxes are not threatened with extinction, and are listed by IUCN as Least Concern (2015). As the country's national animal, this fox is protected in Algeria (as well as Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt). The Algerian national soccer team is nicknamed "Les Fennecs".

LadyNym of the Red Crew was happy to supply this question on one of her favourite animals.