1997 Edition

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

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

Coastline

998 km

Elevation extremes

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

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, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

Geographic coordinates

28 00 N, 3 00 E

Geography - note

second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)

Irrigated land

5,550 sq km (1993 est.)

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

Land use

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

Location

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

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural hazards

mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mud slides

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc

Terrain

mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Age structure

0-14 years : 39% (male 5,923,391; female 5,712,088) 15-64 years: 57% (male 8,619,009; female 8,450,774) 65 years and over: 4% (male 525,556; female 599,552) (July 1997 est.)

Birth rate

28.01 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate

5.76 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Ethnic groups

Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%

Infant mortality rate

47.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Languages

Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 68.62 years male : 67.5 years female: 69.79 years (1997 est.)

Literacy

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

Nationality

noun : Algerian(s) adjective: Algerian

Net migration rate

-0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Population

29,830,370 (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate

2.18% (1997 est.)

Religions

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

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 total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.48 children born/woman (1997 est.)

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

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

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald E. NEUMANN 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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Ramtane LAMAMRA chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800

Executive branch

chief of state: President Liamine ZEROUAL (appointed president 31 January 1994, elected president 16 November 1995) head of government : Prime Minister Ahmed OUYAHIA (since 31 December 1995) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 16 November 1995 (next to be held NA 2000); prime minister appointed by the president election results : Liamine ZEROUAL elected president; percent of vote - Liamine ZEROUAL 61.3%

FAX

[1] (202) 667-2174

[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)

Government type

republic

Independence

5 July 1962 (from France)

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 (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, 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)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

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

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; suspended since 1992) 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 - first-round held 26 December 1991; second round canceled by the military after President BENDJEDID resigned 11 January 1992, effectively suspending the assembly (next election scheduled for 5 June 1997) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - the fundamentalist FIS won 188 of the 231 seats contested in the first round of the 1991 elections

National capital

Algiers

National holiday

Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)

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); Movement of a Peaceful Society (Hamas), Mahfoud NAHNAH, chairman; Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), Said SAADI, secretary general; Algerian Renewal Party (PRA), Noureddine BOUKROUH, chairman; Nahda Movement (Al Nahda), Abdallah DJABALLAH, president; Democratic National Rally (RND), Abdelkader BENSALAH, chairman; Movement for Democracy in Algeria (MDA), Ahmed Ben BELLA 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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle

Budget

revenues : $14.3 billion expenditures: $17.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.)

Currency

1 Algerian dinar (DA) = 100 centimes

Debt - external

$32 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $420 million (1996)

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 is the second largest gas exporter; and it ranks fourteenth for oil reserves. 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, a robust harvest, and elevated oil prices, the economy experienced a strong recovery and key economic improvements. Recent and planned investments in developing hydrocarbon resources are likely to increase growth and export earnings.

Electricity - capacity

6.01 million kW (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

583 kWh (1995 est.)

Electricity - production

18.7 billion kWh (1994)

Exchange rates

Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1 - 57.136 (January 1997), 54.749 (1996), 47.663 (1995), 35.059 (1994), 23.345 (1993), 21.836 (1992)

Exports

total value: $11 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: petroleum and natural gas 97% partners: Italy 18.8%, US 14.8%, France 11.8%, Spain 8%, Germany 7.9% (1995 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $115.9 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 12% industry: 50% services: 38% (1995 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $4,000 (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4% (1996 est.)

Imports

total value : $10.5 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: capital goods, food and beverages, consumer goods partners: France 29%, Spain 10.5%, Italy 8.2%, US 8%, Germany 5.6% (1995 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

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

Inflation rate - consumer price index

19.8% (1996 est.)

Labor force

total: 7.8 million (1996 est.) 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

28% (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 26, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios

6 million (1991 est.)

Telephone system

domestic: excellent 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

Telephones

862,000 (1991 est.)

Television broadcast stations

18

Televisions

2 million (1993 est.)

Airports

119 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 66 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m : 24 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 17 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 53 2,438 to 3,047 m : 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 31 (1996 est.)

Heliports

1 (1996 est.)

Highways

total: 102,424 km paved : 70,570 km (including 6,080 km of expressways) unpaved: 31,854 km (1995 est.)

Merchant marine

total : 78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 925,261 GRT/1,094,281 DWT ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 27, chemical tanker 7, liquefied gas tanker 11, oil tanker 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, short-sea passenger 5, specialized tanker 1 (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

Railways

total : 4,772 km standard gauge: 3,616 km 1.435-m gauge (301 km electrified; 215 km double track) narrow gauge: 1,156 km 1.055-m gauge

Military branches

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$1.3 billion (1994)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.7% (1994)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 7,666,961 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males: 4,700,502 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - military age

19 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 337,630 (1997 est.)

Disputes - international

part of southeastern region claimed by Libya; land boundary dispute with Tunisia settled in 1993 ______________________________________________________________________ AMERICAN SAMOA (territory of the US)