The YPT Algeria Guide! Algeria, or to give its full and proper name the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a very interesting country in Northern Africa.

An integral part of the Ottoman Empire from 1516 to 1830, it was also home to famous pirates who would prey on non-islamic ships passing through the Mediterranean. You know the statistic about how many years America has been at war? Well its 222 of 239 years.  Two of these wars occurred in Algeria in reins to piracy.

Officially due to a slight on their Consul, the French invaded in 1830 finally colonizing the whole of modern day Algeria in 1875.

French colonization was to become and extremely controversial affair. Unlike other French colonies the French proclaimed “Algeria is France”. There was a huge European population and for a time Algiers was truly a party capital. Algeria was even the biggest exporter of wine in the world.

What followed was a brutal war for independence. Fighting was severe and the affair so controversial that it brought down the French 4th republic.

Independence was finally granted in 1962, but it was not exactly plain sailing afterwards. On independence Algeria became a one party socialist state.

This would continue until 1991 when the country planned to move to a multi-party system, instead they got civil war. With the Islamic Salvation Front on the brink on winning the elections the authorities intervened. The country was thus thrust into a deadly 11 year civil war and mostly military rule.

From 1999 to 2019 the country was run under the iron fist of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, but he managed to end the civil war in 2002 and at least bring back some form of normality to the country.

Nowadays Algeria is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance and is enjoying its biggest period of stability in modern history. Previously one of the hardest countries to get a visa for, the country is now slowly opening its doors much more to tourism.

This is our ultimate guide to traveling to Algeria, come before everyone else does!