Map of Algeria | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | More stats

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Background: After a century of rule by France Algeria became independent in 1962. The surprising first round success of the fundamentalist FIS (Islamic Salvation Front) party in December 1991 balloting caused the army to intervene crack down on the FIS and postpone the subsequent elections. The FIS response has resulted in a continuous low-grade civil conflict with the secular state apparatus which nonetheless has allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate religious-based parties.


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Location: Northern Africa, along the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Africa, Europe

Area
Total: 2,381,740 km²
Land: 2,381,740 km²

Land boundaries: total 6,343 km, Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km

Coastline: 998 km
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Maritime claims

Climate: arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer discontinuous coastal plain

Terrain

Elevation

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc

Land use
Arable land: 3%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 13%
Forest and woodland: 2%
Other: 82%

Irrigated land: 3,360 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 27,256,252 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 2.34% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Algerian(s)
Adjective: Algerian

Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%

Languages: Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Total population: 57%
Male: 70%
Female: 46%

Religions: Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.34% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 30.38 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 6.41 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.53 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; desertification
Current issues note: second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 54 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 67.35 years
Male: 66.32 years
Female: 68.41 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.96 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria
Conventional short form: Algeria
Local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Shabiyah
Local short form: Al Jaza'ir

Government type: republic

Capital: Algiers

Administrative divisions:

Dependent areas

Independence: 5 July 1962 (from France)

National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)

Constitution:

Legal system: socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials, including several Supreme Court justices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage

Executive branch: President of the High State Committee, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly (Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation:

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed ZARHOUNI
In the us chancery: 2,118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: (202) 265-2,800
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Ann CASEY
From the us embassy: 4 Chemin Cheikh Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers
From the us mailing address: B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16,000 Algiers
From the us telephone: 213 (2) 601-425 or 255, 186
From the us fax: 213 (2) 603,979
From the us consulate: Oran

Flag description: two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white with a red five-pointed star within a red crescent; the crescent, star, and color green

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: The oil and natural gas sector forms the backbone of the economy, hydrocarbons accounting for nearly all export receipts, about 30% of government revenues, and nearly 25% of GDP. In 1973-74 the sharp increase in oil prices led to a booming economy and helped to finance an ambitious program of industrialization. Plunging oil and gas prices, combined with the mismanagement of Algeria's highly centralized economy, has brought the nation to its most serious social and economic crisis since full independence in 1988. The current government has put reform, including privatization of some public sector companies and an overhaul of the banking and financial system, on hold, but has continued efforts to admit private enterprise to the hydrocarbon industry.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 2.8% (1992 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 10.8% of GDP (1991) and employs 22% of labor force; products- wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits, sheep, cattle; net importer of food - grain, vegetable oil, sugar

Industries: petroleum, light industries, natural gas, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate NA%

Labor force: 6.2 million (1992 est.)
By occupation government: 29.5%
By occupation agriculture: 22%
By occupation constructionandpublicworks: 16.2%
By occupation industry: 13.6%
By occupation commerceand services: 13.5%
By occupation transportationandcommunication: 5.2% (1989)

Unemployment rate: 35% (1992 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $14.4 billion; expenditures $14.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.5 billion (1992 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $11.6 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: petroleum and natural gas 97%
Partners: Italy, France, US, Germany, Spain

Imports: $8.2 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
Commodoties: capital goods 39.7%, food and beverages 21.7%, consumer goods 11.8% (1990)
Partners: France, Italy, Germany, US, Spain

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1 - 22.787 (January 1993), 21.836 (1992), 18.473 (1991), 8.958 (1990), 7.6086 (1989), 5.9148 (1988)


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 6,380,000 kW capacity; 16,834 million kWh produced, 630 kWh per capita (1992)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp:

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 141
Usable: 124
With permanentsurface runways: 53
With runways over 3659 m: 2
With runways 2440-3659 m: 32
With runways 1220-2439 m: 65

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 6,612 km; petroleum products 298 km; natural gas 2,948 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine:

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Libya claims part of southeastern Algeria; land boundary disputes with Tunisia under discussion

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs