1982 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1982 (Wikisource)
Geography
Area
2,460,500 km2; 3% cultivated, 16% pasture and meadows, 1% forested, 80% desert, waste, or urban
Coastline
1,183 km
Land boundaries
6,260 km WATER
Limits of territorial waters (claimed)
12 nm
People and Society
Ethnic divisions
99% Arab-Berbers, less than 1% Europeans
Labor force
4.0 million; 19% agriculture, 17% industry, 64% other (military, police, civil service, transportation workers, teachers, merchants, construction workers); at least 19% of urban labor unemployed
Language
Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Literacy
25% (5% Arabic, 9% French, 11% both)
Nationality
noun—Algerian(s); adjective—Algerian
Organized labor
25% of labor force claimed; General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) is the only labor organization and is subordinate to the National Liberation Front
Population
20,030,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 3.1%
Religion
99% Muslim; 1% Christian and Hebrew
Government
Branches
executive dominant; unicameral legislature; judiciary
Capital
Algiers
Communists
400 (est.); Communist Party illegal (banned 1962)
Elections (latest)
presidential 7 February 1979; departmental assemblies 2 June 1974; local assemblies 30 March 1975; legislative elections held 25 February 1977 Political parties and leaders: National Liberation Front (FLN), Secretary General Chadli Bendjedid
Government leader
President, Col. Chadli BENDJEDID, elected 7 February 1979 as successor to deceased President Boumediene
Legal system
based on French and Islamic law, with socialist principles; new constitution adopted by referendum November 1976; judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials, including several Supreme Court justices; Supreme Court divided into four chambers; legal education at Universities of Algiers, Oran, and Constantine; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Member of
AFDB, AlOEC, Arab League, ASSIMER, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMCO, IMF, IOOC, ISCON, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
National holiday
1 November
Official name
Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria
Political subdivisions
31 Wilayas (departments or provinces)
Suffrage
universal over age 19
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
main crops—wheat, barley, grapes, citrus fruits
Electric power
1,780,000 kW capacity (1980); 6,400 million kWh produced (1980), 336 kWh per capita
Exports
$14.0 billion (f.o.b., 1981 est.); major items—petroleum and gas 98.0%; US 52.0%, France 23.0%
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$41.0 billion (1981 est.), $1,720 per capita; 6.2% real growth in 1981
Imports
$11.0 billion (f.o.b., 1981 est.); major items—capital goods 32.0%, semifinished goods 25.0%, foodstuffs 19.0%; France 23.0%, US 7.4%
Major industries
petroleum, light industries, natural gas, mining, petrochemical, electrical, and automotive plants under construction
Major trade partners
US, West Germany, France, Italy
Monetary conversion rate
1 Algerian dinar (DA)=US$0.23
Communications
Airfields
185 total, 172 usable; 52 with permanent-surface runways; 27 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 85 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
35 major transport aircraft, including 4 leased in
Highways
78,410 km total; 45,070 km concrete or bituminous, 33,340 km gravel, crushed stone, unimproved earth
Ports
9 major, 8 minor Pipelines: crude oil, 6,612 km; refined products, 298 km; natural gas, 2,398 km
Railroads
3,950 km total; 2,690 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 1,140 km 1.055-meter gauge, 120 km meter gauge (1.000 m); 302 km electrified; 193 km double track
Military and Security
Military budget
for fiscal year ending 31 December 1981, $1,779 million; 11% of central government budget
Military manpower
males 15-49, 4,159,000; 2,568,000 fit for military service; 218,000 reach military age (19) annually