Day 47 - Learned about Algeria

My cab driver this afternoon was so nice and quite chatty. Turns out he is from Algeria and is really excited for the World Cup this summer. Big soccer fan. In the World Cup, Algeria is in the same group as the United States, along with England and Slovenia. The US and Algeria play each other in South Africa on June 23.

Here are some facts about Algeria:

~ it is about 3.5 times the size of Texas, making it the second largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
~ its borders include the Mediterranean Sea to the north; Mauritania, Mali, and Niger to the south; Morocco and Western Sahara to the west: and Tunisia and Libya to the east.
~ the Sahara region accounts for 85% of the country, and is mostly uninhabited.
~ population of 34.2 million, with 3.9 million in the capital city of Algiers
~ the official language is Arabic, and the state religion is Sunni Muslim (99%)
~ won independence from France on July 5, 1962
~ government is a republic, run by the country's main political party, National Liberation Front
~ main economic product = hydrocarbons (natural gas and petroleum)

Check out the rest of the info on Algeria at CIA Factbook and Infoplease.com.