Algeria

Algeria 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia

Area

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

Maritime Claims

International Disputes

Libya claims part of southeastern Algeria; land boundary dispute with Tunisia settled in 1993

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

Terrain

Mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

3,360 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

Note: Second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)

PEOPLE

Population

29,183,032 (July 1996 est.)
28,539,321 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

40% (male 5,910,543; female 5,701,647) (July 1996 est.)
41% (male 5,885,246; female 5,678,879) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

56% (male 8,319,650; female 8,162,816) (July 1996 est.)
56% (male 8,033,508; female 7,887,885) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

4% (male 510,308; female 578,068) (July 1996 est.)
3% (male 496,167; female 557,636) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

2.21% (1996 est.)
2.25% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

28.51 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
29.02 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

5.9 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
6.05 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.02 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

48.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
50.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

3.59 children born/woman (1996 est.)
3.7 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1990 est.)

Labor Force

6.2 million (1992 est.)

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

AG

Type

Republic

Capital

Algiers

Administrative Divisions

48 provinces (wilayas, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen

Independence

5 July 1962 (from France)

National Holiday

Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)

Constitution

19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988 and 23 February 1989

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

Unicameral; note - suspended since 1992

National People's Assembly (Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani)

First-round elections held 26 December 1991; second round canceled by the military after President BENDJEDID resigned 11 January 1992, effectively suspending the assembly (next election promised by late 1996 or early 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (281 total) the fundamentalist FIS won 188 of the 231 seats contested in the first round

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Political Parties and Leaders

Islamic Salvation Front (FIS, outlawed April 1992), Ali BELHADJ, Dr. Abassi MADANI, Rabeh KEBIR (self-exile in Germany); National Liberation Front (FLN), Boualem BENHAMOUDA, secretary general; Socialist Forces Front (FFS), Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary general (self-exile in Switzerland); Hamas, Mahfoud NAHNAH, chairman; Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), Said SAADI, secretary general; Algerian Renewal Party (PRA), Noureddine BOUKROUH, chairman

Note: The government established a multiparty system in September 1989 and, as of 31 December 1990, over 50 legal parties existed

Member of

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIH, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

National Anthem

Flag

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 are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion)

ECONOMY

Overview

The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 57% of government revenues, 25% of GDP, and almost all export earnings; Algeria has the fifth-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and ranks fourteenth for oil. Algiers' efforts to reform one of the most centrally planned economies in the Arab world began after the 1986 collapse of world oil prices plunged the country into a severe recession. In 1989, the government launched a comprehensive, IMF-supported program to achieve economic stabilization and to introduce market mechanisms into the economy. Despite substantial progress toward economic adjustment, in 1992 the reform drive stalled as Algiers became embroiled in political turmoil. In September 1993, a new government was formed, and one priority was the resumption and acceleration of the structural adjustment process. Buffeted by the slump in world oil prices and burdened with a heavy foreign debt, Algiers concluded a one-year standby arrangement with the IMF in April 1994. Following a Paris Club debt rescheduling in 1995 and a robust harvest, the economy experienced a strong recovery and key economic improvements.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $108.7 billion (1995 est.), $97.1 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

3.5% (1995 est.)
0.2% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$3,800 (1995 est.)
$3,480 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

28% (1995 est.)
30% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

25% (1995 est.)
30% (1994 est.)

Budget

Exports

$9.5 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$9.1 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$10.6 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
$9.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$26 billion (1994)

Industrial Production

Growth rate NA; accounts for 35% of GDP (including hydrocarbons)

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Accounts for 12% of GDP (1993) and employs 22% of labor force; products- wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits, sheep, cattle; net importer of food - grain, vegetable oil, sugar

Economic Aid

Currency

1 Algerian dinar (DA) = 100 centimes

Exchange Rates

Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1 - 53.003 (January 1996), 47.663 (1995), 35.059 (1994), 23.345 (1993), 21.836 (1992), 18.473 (1991), 8.958 (1990)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Pipelines

Crude oil 6,612 km; petroleum products 298 km; natural gas 2,948 km

Ports

Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Beni Saf, Dellys, Djendjene, Ghazaouet, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda, Tenes

Merchant Marine

Airports

Heliports

1 (1995 est.)

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

862,000 telephones (1991 est.); excellent domestic and international service in the north, sparse in the south

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

National Popular Army, Navy, Air Force, Territorial Air Defense, National Gendarmerie

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 7,391,946; males fit for military service 4,534,267; males reach military age (19) annually 326,229 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

Exchange rate conversion - $1.3 billion, 2.7% of GDP (1994)

History
World Atlas