³1username³2³2name³2text_default³2version³21³2ts³2979866581³2ip³2216.7.146.114³2data³2newauthor³31³3minor³30³3text³3Algeria

                                        Introduction



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. FIS's armed
wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, dissolved itself in January 2000 and many armed insurgents surrendered under an amnesty
program designed to promote national reconciliation. Nevertheless, some residual fighting continues. Other concerns include
large-scale unemployment and the need to diversify the petroleum-based economy. 

                                         Geography

 

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

Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 3 00 E 

Map references: Africa 

Area: 
total: 2,381,740 sq km 
land: 2,381,740 sq km 
water: 0 sq km 

Area - comparative: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas 

Land boundaries: 
total: 6,343 km 
border countries: 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: 
exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm 
territorial sea: 12 nm 

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 

Elevation extremes: 
lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m 
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m 

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

Land use: 
arable land: 3% 
permanent crops: 0% 
permanent pastures: 13% 
forests and woodland: 2% 
other: 82% (1993 est.) 

Irrigated land: 5,550 sq km (1993 est.) 

Natural hazards: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mud slides 

Environment - current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw
sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters;
Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable
water 

Environment - international agreements: 
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands 
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban 

Geography - note: second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan) 

                                           People



Population: 31,193,917 (July 2000 est.) 

Age structure: 
0-14 years: 35% (male 5,591,044; female 5,389,046) 
15-64 years: 61% (male 9,582,864; female 9,381,088) 
65 years and over: 4% (male 577,875; female 672,000) (2000 est.) 

Population growth rate: 1.74% (2000 est.) 

Birth rate: 23.14 births/1,000 population (2000 est.) 

Death rate: 5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.) 

Net migration rate: -0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 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: 0.86 male(s)/female 
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2000 est.) 

Infant mortality rate: 41.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) 

Life expectancy at birth: 
total population: 69.65 years 
male: 68.34 years 
female: 71.02 years (2000 est.) 

Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born/woman (2000 est.) 

Nationality: 
noun: Algerian(s) 
adjective: Algerian 

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

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

Languages: Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects 

Literacy: 
definition: age 15 and over can read and write 
total population: 61.6% 
male: 73.9% 
female: 49% (1995 est.) 

                                        Government


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 

Data code: AG 

Government 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, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996;
note - referendum approving the revisions of 28 November 1996 was signed into law 7 December 1996 

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: 
chief of state: President Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (since 28 April 1999) 
head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed BENBITOUR (since 2 December 1999) 
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister 
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 15 April 1999 (next to be held NA April 2004);
prime minister appointed by the president 
election results: Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA elected president; percent of vote - Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA 70%; note - six of the
seven candidates withdrew sighting persistent electoral fraud 

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the National People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (380
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the Council of Nations (144 seats; one-third of the members
appointed by the president, two-thirds elected by indirect vote; members serve six-year terms; created as a result of the
constitutional revision of November 1996) 
elections: National People's Assembly - last held 5 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2001); elections for two-thirds of the Council of
Nations - last held 25 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2003) 
election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - RND 40.8%, MSP 18.2%, FLN 16.8%, Nahda Movement
8.9%, FFS 5%, RCD 5%, PT 1.1%, Republican Progressive Party 0.8%, Union for Democracy and Freedoms 0.3%, Liberal Social
Party 0.3%, independents 2.8%; seats by party - RND 156, MSP 69, FLN 62, Nahda Movement 34, FFS 20, RCD 19, PT 4, Republican
Progressive Party 3, Union for Democracy and Freedoms 1, Liberal Social Party 1, independents 11; Council of Nations - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RND 80, FLN 10, FFS 4, MSP 2 (remaining 48 seats appointed by the president, party
breakdown NA) 

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme) 

Political parties and leaders: Algerian Democratic Front or FAD [Sid-Ahmed GHOZALI]; Algerian National Front or ANF
[Moussa TOUATI]; Algerian Renewal Party or PRA [Noureddine BOUKROUH, chairman]; Democratic National Rally or RND
[Ahmed OUYAHIA, chairman]; Islamic Salvation Front or FIS (outlawed April 1992) [Ali BELHADJ, Dr. Abassi MADANI,
Rabeh KEBIR (self-exile in Germany)]; Liberal Social Party [Ahmed KHELIL]; Movement for Democracy in Algeria or MDA
[Ahmed Ben BELLA]; Movement for Loyalty and Justice [Ahmed Taleb IBRAHIMI, president; Movement of a Peaceful Society or
MSP [Mahfoud NAHNAH, chairman]; Nahda Movement or Al Nahda [Abdallah DJABALLAH, president]; National Liberation
Front or FLN [Boualem BENHAMOUDA, secretary general]; National Party for Solidarity and Development or PNSD [Rabah
BENCHERIF]; National Republican Alliance or ANR [Redha MALEK]; Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD [Said SAADI,
secretary general]; Republican Progressive Party [Khadir DRISS]; Social Democratic Movement or MDS [Hachemi CHERIF];
Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary general (self-exile in Switzerland)]; Union for Democracy and
Freedoms [Mouley BOUKHALAFA]; Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUN] 
note: the government established a multiparty system in September 1989 and, as of 31 December 1990, over 50 legal parties existed; a
new party law was enacted in March 1997 

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

Diplomatic representation in the US: 
chief of mission: Ambassador Idriss JAZAIRY 
chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 
telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800 
FAX: [1] (202) 667-2174 

Diplomatic representation from the US: 
chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron R. HUME 
embassy: 4 Chemin Cheikh Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers 
mailing address: B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers 
telephone: [213] (2) 69-11-86, 69-12-55, 69-18-54, 69-38-75 
FAX: [213] (2) 69-39-79 

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 are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion) 

                                          Economy


Economy - overview: The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 52% of budget revenues,
25% of GDP, and over 95% of export earnings. Algeria has the fifth-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the second
largest gas exporter; it ranks fourteenth for oil reserves. Algiers' efforts to reform one of the most centrally planned economies in the
Arab world stalled in 1992 as the country became embroiled in political turmoil. Burdened with a heavy foreign debt, Algiers
concluded a one-year standby arrangement with the IMF in April 1994 and the following year signed onto a three-year extended
fund facility which ended 30 April 1998. Some progress on economic reform, Paris Club debt reschedulings in 1995 and 1996, and oil
and gas sector expansion contributed to a recovery in growth since 1995. Still, the economy remains heavily dependent on volatile oil
and gas revenues. The government has continued efforts to diversify the economy by attracting foreign and domestic investment
outside the energy sector, but has had little success in reducing high unemployment and improving living standards. 

GDP: purchasing power parity - $147.6 billion (1999 est.) 

GDP - real growth rate: 3.9% (1999 est.) 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,700 (1999 est.) 

GDP - composition by sector: 
agriculture: 12% 
industry: 51% 
services: 37% (1997 est.) 

Population below poverty line: 23% (1999 est.) 

Household income or consumption by percentage share: 
lowest 10%: 2.8% 
highest 10%: 26.8% (1995) 

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.2% (1999 est.) 

Labor force: 9.1 million (2000 est.) 

Labor force - by occupation: government 29.5%, agriculture 22%, construction and public works 16.2%, industry 13.6%, commerce
and services 13.5%, transportation and communication 5.2% (1989) 

Unemployment rate: 30% (1999 est.) 

Budget: 
revenues: $15.5 billion 
expenditures: $15.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) 

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

Industrial production growth rate: 7% (1999 est.) 

Electricity - production: 21.38 billion kWh (1998) 

Electricity - production by source: 
fossil fuel: 99.77% 
hydro: 0.23% 
nuclear: 0% 
other: 0% (1998) 

Electricity - consumption: 19.882 billion kWh (1998) 

Electricity - exports: 313 million kWh (1998) 

Electricity - imports: 312 million kWh (1998) 

Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle 

Exports: $13.7 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.) 

Exports - commodities: petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97% 

Exports - partners: Italy 21.2%, US 15.0%, France 12.9%, Spain 10.3%, Brazil 5.9%, Netherlands 5.5% (1998) 

Imports: $9.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.) 

Imports - commodities: capital goods, food and beverages, consumer goods 

Imports - partners: France 29.5%, Italy 9.8%, US 7.2%, Spain 6.8%, Germany 6.2%, Canada 4.1% (1998) 

Debt - external: $30 billion (1999 est.) 

Economic aid - recipient: $897.5 million (1994) 

Currency: 1 Algerian dinar (DA) = 100 centimes 

Exchange rates: Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1 - 69.046 (January 2000), 66.574 (1999), 58.739 (1998), 57.707 (1997), 54.749
(1996), 47.663 (1995) 

Fiscal year: calendar year 

                                       Communications

] 

Telephones - main lines in use: 1.176 million (1995) 

Telephones - mobile cellular: 33,500 (1999) 

Telephone system: 
domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic earth
stations are planned) 
international: 5 submarine cables; microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and
Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik, and 1
Arabsat 

Radio broadcast stations: AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999) 

Radios: 7.1 million (1997) 

Television broadcast stations: 18 (not including low-power stations) (1999) 

Televisions: 3.1 million (1997) 

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999) 

                                        Transportation

 

Railways: 
total: 4,820 km (301 km electrified; 215 km double track) 
standard gauge: 3,664 km 1.435-m gauge (301 km electrified; 215 km double track) 
narrow gauge: 1,156 km 1.055-m gauge (1996) 

Highways: 
total: 104,000 km 
paved: 71,656 km (including 640 km of expressways) 
unpaved: 32,344 km (1996 est.) 

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

Ports and harbors: Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Beni Saf, Dellys, Djendjene, Ghazaouet, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda, Tenes

Merchant marine: 
total: 78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 940,196 GRT/1,094,104 DWT 
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 27, chemical tanker 7, liquified gas 11, petroleum tanker 5, roll-on/roll-off 13, short-sea passenger 5,
specialized tanker 1 (1999 est.) 

Airports: 137 (1999 est.) 

Airports - with paved runways: 
total: 51 
over 3,047 m: 8 
2,438 to 3,047 m: 25 
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 
914 to 1,523 m: 5 
under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.) 

Airports - with unpaved runways: 
total: 86 
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 
914 to 1,523 m: 41 
under 914 m: 19 (1999 est.) 

Heliports: 1 (1999 est.) 

                                          Military


Military branches: National Popular Army, Navy, Air Force, Territorial Air Defense, National Gendarmerie 

Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age 

Military manpower - availability: 
males age 15-49: 8,523,257 (2000 est.) 

Military manpower - fit for military service: 
males age 15-49: 5,220,318 (2000 est.) 

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: 
males: 373,547 (2000 est.) 

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.3 billion (FY94) 

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.7% (FY94) 

                                      Transnational Issues

 

Disputes - international: part of southeastern region claimed by Libya 
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