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Algeria
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.
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 3 00 E Map references: Africa Area:
Area - comparative: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas Land boundaries:
Coastline: 998 km 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 Terrain: mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain Elevation extremes:
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc Land use:
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:
Geography - note: second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
Population: 31,193,917 (July 2000 est.) Age structure:
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:
Infant mortality rate: 41.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.) Life expectancy at birth:
Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born/woman (2000 est.) Nationality:
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:
Country name:
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:
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)
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]
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:
Diplomatic representation from the US:
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 - 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:
Population below poverty line: 23% (1999 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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:
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:
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
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.176 million (1995) Telephones - mobile cellular: 33,500 (1999) Telephone system:
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)
Railways:
Highways:
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:
Airports: 137 (1999 est.) Airports - with paved runways:
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)
Military branches: National Popular Army, Navy, Air Force, Territorial Air Defense, National Gendarmerie Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age Military manpower - availability:
Military manpower - fit for military service:
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.3 billion (FY94) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.7% (FY94)
Disputes - international: part of southeastern region claimed by Libya Please click here for a guide to the country profiles Click here for all other countries
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