The dinar is the official currency used in Algeria. Each dinar is worth 100 santeem, which is sometimes written as centimes.
The dinar is a relatively new currency. It replaced the Algerian franc that had been the official currency between the years 1848 to 1964. Prior to the Algerian franc, the official currency had been the budju.
When France occupied Algeria it introduced the Algerian franc, which was equivalent to the French franc. Then the dinar came into being in 1964. The word dinar is actually derived from the ancient Roman currency system, which included the denarius.
The denarius was quite a small silver coin, that was the most commonly circulated coin in Roman times, so it had quite a long-standing history and was used as a currency name, throughout various countries.
The coins are issued in the following denominations: ¼, ½, 1, 2, 5, 10,20, 50 and 100 dinar. Usually you will only see coins of 5 dinar and above in circulation. The smaller coins are really not used. It is ironic in some ways that although the santeem is now defunct and santeem coins are not in circulation, traders will often display prices in santeems, so that something can read 1,000 santeem, which is actually 10 dinar.
The notes are issued in 200, 500 and 1000 dinar denominations. They have also been amended over recent years to ensure that they cannot easily be counterfeited.
If you are travelling to Algeria please be aware that you will not be able to use your credit or debit card in an ATM machine. Financially Algeria is not a developed country. This means that credit cards and debit cards can only be used in hotels and a very few businesses in some of the larger cities. Moreover, even if you find an ATM, you may find that you aren't able to use your credit card in the ATM, so it is not worth relying on the use of a card.
So before you travel to Algeria, make sure that you have obtained some Algerian dinars. You can do this by going to a bank or a bureau de change. Note that Algerian dinars may need to be ordered in advance since many banks and even a bureau de change will not actually keep them in stock, since not many people travel to this country.
It is also advisable to take some traveller's cheques which can then be cashed at a bank or in some of the larger hotels, but be advised that you may have to accept a much lower exchange rate if you cash your traveller's cheques at the hotel.
Be aware that you should never change money on the street. People may approach you and ask you whether you wish to buy dinars and exchange dinars for US Dollars or British pounds. This is really not advisable and you may find that you have been taken advantage of.
Algeria is very strict with regard to its currency and it is against the law to export its dinar. So you may not take out a significant amount of money in dinars, when you leave the country.
You can take US dollars or British pounds into Algeria, then these can be exchanged at a bank or a bureau de change.
Generally Algeria has few problems with street crime. In some of the larger cities people may have their bag snatched or they may be subject to pick pocketing. The thefts from motor vehicles are also not uncommon. Recently there have been increased reports of incidents involving car jacking.
Travel advice also recently reported incidents where criminals have posed as police offices in order to carry out robberies.
But if you make sure that you are careful and that you do not carry round large sums of money or valuables, particularly at night, then you should be relatively safe from street crime. In fact street crime may be the least of your worries!
Algeria is not a safe place to visit. There is a very high risk of a terrorist attack when you are in Algeria. You need to be extremely cautious at all times wherever you are in Algeria. Terrorist attacks have been described as being indiscriminate and they could take place at any location but particularly in any area where foreigners may be or where foreign business people own businesses.
Travellers are warned that travel to Algeria should not be undertaken unless it is deemed necessary. So only essential travel should be undertaken. Algeria is a particularly high-risk destination. If you intend to travel to Algeria ensure that you have fully assessed the local situation prior to your visit. It is really important to ensure that you have taken every precaution to maximise your personal security throughout your visit. You should also seek advice from the Foreign Office or from your government, as to the safety of visiting Algeria.
If you need to travel within Algeria it is recommended that you travel by air, since this will be the safest means of travel.
Bomb attacks have been carried out on quite a regular basis throughout 2007. Many people have been killed in these bomb attacks and literally hundreds have been injured. In particular, foreign workers have been the targets for bomb attacks, in 2007, 3 roadside bomb attacks on vehicles were carried out against foreign workers.
In addition to the risks of bomb attacks and terrorist attacks there is also a risk of kidnap from terrorists who operate in Algeria and indeed throughout North Africa. The British government has quite a long-standing policy that it will not make concessions to hostage takers, therefore the British government will only provide emotional support and advice to your loved ones, if you have been kidnapped. They will not provide your family with money to pay the ransom.
If you are travelling near to the border with Tunisia, be aware that bandits often operate within this area and in 2008 two Austrian tourists were kidnapped in the very south of Tunisia just near the border with Algeria.
This makes Algeria a very unsafe place to visit. You should only visit Algeria if it is absolutely necessary and you have taken every conceivable measure to ensure your own personal safety. You should also seek government advice and make sure that during your time in Algeria you are extremely vigilant and do not place yourself in a situation where you may find that you are at risk from being kidnapped or subject to a terrorist or a bomb attack.
Due to the risks involved in travelling to Algeria, you may well find that you need very comprehensive and very expensive medical insurance in order to be able to travel. This is due to the higher risk to your personal safety that travel to Algeria incurs.
However, it is very important to ensure that your insurance policy will pay out if you are injured as a result of either or a terrorist attack or a kidnapping. You may well find that standard insurance policies will not pay out because the terrorist threat is simply so great in Algeria. Since the cost of medical assistance can be significant this is something that you would need to check out thoroughly, prior to your visit.
It may well be the case that you will need to buy a very particular insurance policy, which will certainly not come cheap. You should check out the implications of any small print within the insurance policy and seek guidance on when payouts will be made and when the insurance company will refuse to pay.
Algeria is not a country, therefore, that should be visited without a very good reason. It is extremely volatile and any time violence can erupt.
Algeria is no stranger to violence, since it began its struggle for independence in the 1960s. Indeed, such was the struggle for its independence that over 1 million people died fighting for independence.
Algeria is the country that contains the Sahara Desert, with over 4/5ths of its landmass being covered by the Sahara desert. This means that it is a very inhospitable country and most people live and work along the north coastline of Algeria.
It is indeed a beautiful country, but one which is experiencing a great deal of turmoil and political unrest. The growing political unrest stems from the growth of Islam fundamentalists and the mainstream opposition from the main political parties. Yet this is only the most recent terror threat, Algeria has faced many threats and problems of terrorism throughout its relatively short history.
Algeria sustains its economy through exporting oil and gas. However it is not a wealthy country and many people live in poverty or on the edges of poverty.
The major languages spoken in Algeria are French and Arabic, with Arabic being the most predominant language, and French viewed as a hangover from the days of French occupation. The Berber language is also a major language in Algeria but its recognition as a language dates back as recently as 2001.
Despite the recognition of Berbers as a significant minority group within Algeria, this has not stemmed the rise of political violence, which is now based within the realms of Muslim fundamentalism.
Consequently it is a country to which few people dare to travel, because the threats are very real and safety cannot be guaranteed. For those who do risk travelling here, it is often a very stressful experience. There is no way of knowing when a bomb attack or a terrorist attack may take place. This means that people have to be constantly vigilant and ensure that they are always aware of what is going on around them. Travel within Algeria is also exceptionally dangerous for travellers and at best can be described as extremely stressful, so it is not recommended.
Algeria is not currently somewhere that travellers will wish to visit for a relaxing holiday. It really is somewhere that should be visited by foreigners only if that visit is absolutely necessary. No one knows when this situation is likely to change, which leaves Algeria a place that is far from welcoming for tourists and makes it something of a mystery to Western travellers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algerian_dinar
http://www.algerianembassy.org.uk