The official language of Algeria is (literary) Arabic, as specified in its constitution since 1963.
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.
Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations.