http://www.algeria.com/blog/ en 2013-05-20T05:40:04-05:00 hourly 6 2013-05-20T05:40:04-05:00 http://www.algeria.com/blog/discover-algeria-s-city-of-bridges 2013-05-20T05:40:04-05:00 en Editor Travel Almost completely surrounded by a deep gorge, the city of Constantine is sometimes called the "City of Bridges" – a reference to the numerous bridges connecting the different parts of the city which is perched on a high plateau. As Algeria's third largest city (after Algiers and Oran), Constantine is the capital of the Constantine Province and has a long and interesting history going back to the time was founded by the Phoenicians, who named it Sarim Batim, meaning "Royal City". http://www.algeria.com/blog/dragonflies-part-of-algeria-s-biodiversity 2013-05-06T02:18:58-05:00 en Editor Features Algeria has a number of national parks and nature reserves where visitors can view the country's wildlife in it natural surroundings. The most easily spotted wildlife in Algeria includes boars, gazelles and jackals, with an abundance of bird species, reptiles and other creatures adding to the biodiversity of the country. What may sometimes be overlooked, however, is how important insects are to maintaining the balance in nature. In recent years the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has been sounding a warning that a variety of insects are in danger of becoming extinct, with a number of species having already done so. Among these are Algeria's colorful dragonflies which are so important to the environment because they help control populations of harmful insects, most notably mosquitoes, flies and ants, while posing no risk to humans. In fact, the presence of dragonflies is an indication of the balance of the environment – the more dragonflies, the healthier an environment is likely to be. http://www.algeria.com/blog/visit-the-north-eastern-algerian-town-of-setif 2013-04-22T04:24:40-05:00 en Editor Travel Located on the high plateaus of north-eastern Algeria, the town of Sétif is the capital of the Sétif Province, known to be one of the coldest regions in the country. It is not uncommon for the town to experience snow in the winter months, while summer temperatures can occasionally reach 40 degrees centigrade. Sétif is the home base of one of Algeria's most prestigious top division football clubs, Entente Sportive Sétifienne, more commonly referred to as ES Sétif, and the town has a number of attractions worth visiting. http://www.algeria.com/blog/explore-algerias-coastal-reserves 2013-04-08T05:01:09-05:00 en Editor Travel With eleven national parks and a number of nature reserves, Algeria is intent on conserving its natural heritage for future generations. Along the Algerian coastline there are three national parks – Gouraya National Park, El Kala National Park and Taza National Park, each of which has its own special characteristics, making it worthwhile to visit all three. http://www.algeria.com/blog/new-suburb-planned-for-constantine 2013-03-25T06:50:13-05:00 en Editor Features The city of Constantine in north-eastern Algeria lies on the banks of the Rhumel River around 80 km inland from the Mediterranean coast. It is Algeria's third largest city, after Algiers and Oran, and is the commercial and cultural center, as well as the capital, of the Constantine Province. The city has changed hands, and names, many times since being established by the Phoenicians some time before 539 BC, and has continued to grow during its, often tumultuous, history. The development of Constantine continues in the 21st century with an entirely new suburb, named Bourouag, set to be constructed over the next few years. http://www.algeria.com/blog/accomplished-algerian-novelist-ahlam-mosteghanemi 2013-03-11T03:01:26-05:00 en Editor Features Algerian writer Ahlam Mosteghanemi's latest novel Black Suits You Well sold over 100,000 copies in the two months following its release in November 2012 and is reportedly on the long list for the 2013 Sheikh Zayed Book Award. This latest success is her fifth novel written in Arabic, the first four being Memory in the Flesh, Chaos of the Senses, Passer-by a Bed, and The Art of Forgetting: A Guide for Broken-Hearted Women. Having built the reputation of being one of the world's best-selling Arabic-speaking woman writers, Ahlam Mosteghanemi's novels are listed as prescribed books in the curricula of a number of high schools and universities world-wide, and her work has been translated into several languages, including French and English, as well as being printed in Braille for blind readers. http://www.algeria.com/blog/algerias-endangered-amphibians 2013-02-25T01:42:24-06:00 en Editor Features Found only in the Edough massif in northeast Algeria, the Edough ribbed newt (Pleurodeles poireti) is a species of salamander classified in the Salamandridae family considered by the IUCN to be 'endangered'. These interesting amphibians live primarily in rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, ponds and cisterns, and their continued existence is chiefly threatened by the ongoing loss of habitat they are dependent upon. It was initially thought that the P.poireti newt was the same as the Algerian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles nebulosus) which has a wider distribution in both Algeria and Tunisia, but in 2004 molecular genetic analysis by Carranza and Wade confirmed that they were, in fact, two separate species, with P.poireti being endemic to the Edough massif, and therefore, found nowhere else. http://www.algeria.com/blog/take-time-to-explore-algerias-world-heritage-sites 2013-02-11T02:33:24-06:00 en Editor Travel As Algeria's only natural UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tassili n'Ajjer is home to one of the world's most important collection of prehistoric cave art. The manner in which human life evolved and adapted to changing climatic conditions, as well as the migration patterns of animals, are depicted in more than 15,000 drawings dating from around 6000 BCE through to the first centuries of the common era (CE). Eroded sandstone in forest-like rock formations are another interesting feature of this World Heritage Site, as not only are they spectacularly scenic, they provide valuable insight into the geological history of the area. http://www.algeria.com/blog/protecting-the-alboran-sea 2013-01-28T03:50:32-06:00 en Editor Features Surrounded by three countries – Algeria, Morocco and Spain – the Alboran Sea is home to rich and diverse marine life, which all three countries have agreed to take steps to preserve. The average depth of the Alboran Sea is 445 meters, with its deepest spots measuring up to 1,500 meters, and with the sea's surface current flowing from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, and deeper currents flowing from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, it boasts species generally found in both oceans, including loggerhead sea turtles, bottle-nose dolphins, swordfish, harbor porpoises and huge schools of sardines. In fact, the Alboran Sea is believed to be the habitat for the largest population of bottle-nose dolphins in the western Mediterranean. http://www.algeria.com/blog/algerian-author-mohammed-dib 2013-01-14T01:49:09-06:00 en Editor Features Born in the western Algerian town of Tlemcen in 1920, Mohammed Dib discovered his talent for expressing himself through the written word at a young age and went on to contribute significantly to the literary heritage of his home country. While being proficient in various styles of writing, Mohammed Dib favored poetry, a genre he had embraced since he was 15 years old.