By 1200 BC the Phoenicians had colonized the site and set up a coastal trading post. Following the Punic Wars, Algiers, then called Icosium, became (146 BC) part of the Roman Empire and remained Roman until the middle of the 5th century, when it was overrun by the Vandals. Next, it was ruled by the Byzantines, who, in turn, were ousted in 650 by Arabs. The present city was founded about 950 by Berbers. During the next five centuries control of the city was gained and lost by various European, Arabian, and Berber warlords. In 1510 Spain captured and fortified the islet in front of the harbor, known as the Peñón. In 1518 Algiers proclaimed itself part of the Ottoman Empire, and the Spanish were driven out. While ruled by the Ottomans, it became the capital of the infamous Barbary Coast. For 300 years Barbary pirates preyed upon European, and later United States, shipping. In 1815 the American naval captain Stephen Decatur led an expedition against Algiers, forcing its governor to sign a peace treaty promising to end attacks on U.S. ships. The piracy continued, however, and in 1816 the combined Dutch and British navies almost completely destroyed the Algerian fleet. Algiers remained a pirate port until 1830, when France, retaliating against attacks on its vessels, captured the city and, in time, the entire country. They retained control until 1962, when Algeria won independence. During World War II, Algiers served (1942-44) as the headquarters of Allied forces in North Africa and of the Free French government of General Charles de Gaulle. Population (1987) 1,483,000.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Algiers Information info
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