Education is officially compulsory for children between the ages of six and fifteen. Approximately 5% of the adult population of the country is illiterate.
Algeria’s culture is strongly influenced by its religion, Islam, although in the past it was mainly influenced by the French culture.
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.