Algeria had a long history of colonization by the French. It won its independence in the famous revolution of the First November 1954, quite a bloody war that left scars. In spite of the brutality of the fighting and French attempts to suppress the independence movement, Algeria and France still maintain close ties, with many Algerians and people of Algerian descent in France and French still commonly spoken as a second or third language in Algeria today.
Algeria's fantastic diversity of landscapes and extremely rich cultural legacy (boasting no less than 7 World Heritage sites), combined with its high level of economical and social development (at least by African standards), could easily make it one of the most popular tourist spots in Africa. Unfortunately, the country still has a number of security issues, such as armed terrorist groups, which often target foreigners.