Education is officially compulsory for children between the ages of six and fifteen. Approximately 5% of the adult population of the country is illiterate.
While extremely strong coffee is popular in Algeria, tea with a hint of mint is the popular drink among locals.
Northern Algeria is in the temperate zone and enjoys a mild, Mediterranean climate. It lies within approximately the same latitudes as southern California and has somewhat similar climatic conditions. Its broken topography, however, provides sharp local contrasts in both prevailing temperatures and incidence of rainfall. Year-to-year variations in climatic conditions are also common.