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Ethnic groups in Algeria

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Ethnic groups of Algeria
Ethnic groups percent
Arabs
 
 85%
Berbers
 
 15%
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Ethnic groups in Algeria include Arabs and Berbers, who represent 99% of the population, of which 75–85% are Arab and about 15–25% are Berber. Algeria also has a minority population of Europeans that represents less than 1% of the population.[1] The minority European population is predominantly of French, Spanish, and Italian descent.[2]

Arabs

Main articles: Arabs and Arab migrations to the Maghreb

The majority of the population of Algeria is ethnically Arab, constituting between 75%[3][4][5][6] and 80%[7][8][9] to 85%[10][11] of the population.[12] The Arabs of Algeria are primarily descended from the Arabian conquerors and migrants who arrived in the region between the 7th and 17th centuries during the Arab migrations to the Maghreb.[13][14] As a result of the migrations, these Arab tribes have contributed to the Arabization of many indigenous Berber tribes that were native to the region, resulting in their adoption of Islam as a religion, and the replacement of their local languages with the more socially and culturally dominant Arabic.[15] In addition to these two aforementioned processes, the intermingling between Arabs and Berbers has also contributed to the formation of the Algerian Arab identity.

The Arab population of Algeria is concentrated mainly in the northern and coastal regions of the country, where they make up a majority of the population. They are predominantly Sunni Muslim although there is also a minority of Shia Muslims along with others, and their language is the Algerian dialect of Arabic, although there are many regional variations of the dialect.[12]

Throughout the years there has been a growing movement among Algerians to reclaim their Arabic cultural and linguistic identity, which has been suppressed under the French colonization of Algeria.[16]

Berbers

Main article: Berbers

The Berber minority who make up between 15%[17] and 20%[18][19][20] to 24%[21][22][23] of the population are divided into many groups with varying languages. The largest Berber group in Algeria is the Kabyle people, who are concentrated in the Kabylia region of the country. The Berbers of Algeria have a long and complex history, dating back to ancient times. They were originally a tribal people, organized into clans and confederations, and they were known for their fierce resistance to foreign invaders. They have interacted with Phoenicians and Romans for centuries. Christianized in Late Antiquity during the Christianization of the Roman Empire, the Berbers became Arabized and Islamized after the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb under the Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphate.

From western Egypt to the Canary Islands (a region called Tamazgha by Amazigh), Amazigh languages were first spoken. Estimates of Tamazight speakers in Algeria range widely, from 17% to 45–55% of the population when bi/trilingual speakers are taken into account.[14]

Due to the growth of Arabic as the official language of culture and religion, the rise of French as a prestige language during colonization, and assimilationist laws that forbade the use of this language, Tamazight in Algeria experienced a decline.[14]

Previous Roman-Berber cities gradually began to become Arabo-Berber cities where an Arabo-Islamic culture was involved. Arabization was considered as a low phenomenon, mostly due to cultural and economical exchanges between the new Maghreb and the old Mashreq of the Arab world until the 12th century with the immigration of the Bedouin tribe Banu Hilal expanded their cultural influence towards the inland areas. Within the few centuries later, the linguistical Arabization of the Maghreb became much more important and dominant.

Berbers have played an important role in the struggle for Algerian independence, and they continue to be an important political and cultural force in the country while keeping their identity and distinct language, customs, and traditions.[14]

Other ethnic groups

Europeans

Main article: Pied-Noir

A small percentage of Algerians are of French, Spanish, or Italian heritage.[24] They represent the faction that persisted following Algeria's 1962 declaration of independence from France. While Algeria was ruled by France, these European immigrants had sizable farms and companies.[24] They had greater economic benefits than Algeria's native population, despite being a minority.[24] The majority of Europeans are Christians or Jews, as opposed to most Algerians, who are Muslims.[24]

Jewish

Further information: History of the Jews in Algeria

Algeria was the home of a significant Jewish community, most of which fled after Algeria's independence.[25] The number of Jewish people in Algeria is estimated to be only around 200 by 2020.[25] Jewish people have lived in Algeria from the early centuries of the Common Era.[25] Following the expulsion of Jews from Spain in the fourteenth century, a large number of them relocated to Algeria, greatly expanding the Jewish population there.[26] Under the French rule, Jewish people were given French nationalities and their situations were very good until the Algerian independence when around 130,000 Jews fled to France.[26] It is also estimated that around 25,681 Jews left for Israel since 1948.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ Central Intelligence Agency (2 June 2020). The CIA World Factbook 2020-2021. Skyhorse. p. 158. ISBN 978-1-5107-5826-1.
  2. ^ UNESCO (2009). "Diversité et interculturalité en Algérie" (PDF). UNESCO. p. 9. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2013.
  3. ^ "Algeria – Drainage". Britannica. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-25. More than three-fourths of the country is ethnically Arab
  4. ^ DK (2016-08-01). Reference World Atlas: Everything You Need to Know About Our Planet Today. Dorling Kindersley Limited. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-241-28679-1. Ethnic groups: Arab 75%, Berber 24%, European and Jewish 1%
  5. ^ Seddon, David (2013-01-11). A Political and Economic Dictionary of the Middle East. Routledge. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-135-35561-6. The population was estimated at 32,277,942 in July 2002, of which 75% were Arabs, 24% Berbers, and 1% others (mostly Europeans).
  6. ^ DK (2005-01-27). FT World Desk Reference 2005. Dorling Kindersley Limited. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-4053-6726-4. Arab 75%, Berber 24%, European and Jewish 1%. The population is predominantly Arab, under 30 years of age and urban; some 24% are Berber. More than 85% speak Arabic and 99% are Sunni Muslim.
  7. ^ "Algeria - History Background". education.stateuniversity.com. Retrieved 2024-08-18. The combined Arab-Berber people comprise more than 99 percent of the population (Arabs approximately 80 percent; Berbers 20 percent), with Europeans less than one percent.
  8. ^ Laaredj-Campbell, Anne (2015-12-10). Changing Female Literacy Practices in Algeria: Empirical Study on Cultural Construction of Gender and Empowerment. Springer. ISBN 978-3-658-11633-0. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023. Ethnically the population is made up of about 80% Arabic and 20% Berber.
  9. ^ Bouherar, Salim; Ghafsi, Abderrezzaq (2022-01-03). Algerian Languages in Education: Conflicts and Reconciliation. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-89324-8. In Algeria, on the other hand, Berberists supported by France ask to expand the use of Tamazight even on Arabs who represent 80% of Algerian population.
  10. ^ Naylor, Phillip C. (2015-05-07). Historical Dictionary of Algeria. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-8108-7919-5. Most Algerians, approximately 85 percent of the population, today claim an Arab background.
  11. ^ "Algeria Ethnic Groups". study.com. Retrieved 2024-08-18. Partly due to the strong association between Islam and Arab identity, there is a fair amount of social pressure in Algeria to identify with Arab ancestry. In fact, roughly 85% of the nation identifies much more strongly with their Arab heritage than their Berber heritage.
  12. ^ a b Agency, Central Intelligence (2020-06-02). The CIA World Factbook 2020-2021. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-5107-5826-1.
  13. ^ Morrow, James (2014-10-21). Algeria. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-63355-981-3.
  14. ^ a b c d "Algeria - World Directory of Minorities & Indigenous Peoples". Minority Rights Group. 2015-06-19. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  15. ^ Abu-Haidar, F. (2000). Arabisation in Algeria. International Journal of Francophone Studies, 3(3).
  16. ^ Mehri, Abdelhamid (1972-01-01). "La langue arabe reprend sa place". Le Monde diplomatique (in French). Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  17. ^ "Algeria". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 24 December 2013. (Archived 2013 edition.)
  18. ^ Laaredj-Campbell, Anne (2015-12-10). Changing Female Literacy Practices in Algeria: Empirical Study on Cultural Construction of Gender and Empowerment. Springer. ISBN 978-3-658-11633-0. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023. Ethnically the population is made up of about 80% Arabic and 20% Berber.
  19. ^ "Algeria - History Background". education.stateuniversity.com. Retrieved 2024-08-18. The combined Arab-Berber people comprise more than 99 percent of the population (Arabs approximately 80 percent; Berbers 20 percent), with Europeans less than one percent.
  20. ^ Tschudin, Alain; Moffat, Craig; Buchanan-Clarke, Stephen; Russell, Susan; Coutts, Lloyd (2019-06-18). Extremisms in Africa Volume 2. Jonathan Ball Publishers. ISBN 978-0-6399928-3-9. The majority of Algerians are Arab, but around 20% are Berbers.
  21. ^ DK (2016-08-01). Reference World Atlas: Everything You Need to Know About Our Planet Today. Dorling Kindersley Limited. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-241-28679-1. Ethnic groups: Arab 75%, Berber 24%, European and Jewish 1%
  22. ^ Seddon, David (2013-01-11). A Political and Economic Dictionary of the Middle East. Routledge. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-135-35561-6. The population was estimated at 32,277,942 in July 2002, of which 75% were Arabs, 24% Berbers, and 1% others (mostly Europeans).
  23. ^ DK (2005-01-27). FT World Desk Reference 2005. Dorling Kindersley Limited. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-4053-6726-4. Arab 75%, Berber 24%, European and Jewish 1%. The population is predominantly Arab, under 30 years of age and urban; some 24% are Berber. More than 85% speak Arabic and 99% are Sunni Muslim.
  24. ^ a b c d "Ethnic Groups In Algeria". WorldAtlas. 2019-07-18. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  25. ^ a b c d "Jews of Algeria". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  26. ^ a b Congress, World Jewish. "World Jewish Congress". World Jewish Congress. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
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