Algeria




                                 Geography


Location:
     Northern Africa, along the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and
     Tunisia
Map references:
     Africa, Europe
Area:
total area:
     2,381,740 sq km
land area:
     2,381,740 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas
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:
territorial sea:
     12 nm
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
Natural resources:
     petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
Land use:
arable land:
     3%
permanent crops:
     0%
meadows and pastures:
     13%
forest and woodland:
     2%
other:
     82%
Irrigated land:
     3,360 sq km (1989 est.)




Environment:
current issues:
     soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices;
     desertification; dumping of untreated 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; limited
     supply of potable water
natural hazards:
     mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes
international agreements:
     party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
     Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands;
     signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test
     Ban
Note:
     second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)


                                  People


Population:
     27,895,068 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     2.29% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     29.71 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     6.22 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     -0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     52.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     67.68 years
male:
     66.63 years
female:
     68.77 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     3.83 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Algerian(s)
adjective:
     Algerian
Ethnic divisions:
     Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%
Religions:
     Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
Languages:
     Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)




total population:
     57%
male:
     70%
female:
     46%
Labor force:
     6.2 million (1992 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)


                                Government


Names:
conventional long form:
     Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Shabiyah
local short form:
     Al Jaza'ir
Digraph:
     AG
Type:
     republic
Capital:
     Algiers
Administrative divisions:
     48 provinces (wilayast, 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:
chief of state:
     President Lamine ZEROUAL (since 31 January 1994); next election to be
     held after a three-year transition period which began on 31 January
     1994
head of government:
     Prime Minister Mokdad SIFI (since 11 April 1994)
cabinet:
     Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister
Legislative branch:
     unicameral
National People's Assembly (Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani):
     elections first round held on 26 December 1991 (second round canceled
     by the military after President BENDJEDID resigned 11 January 1992,
     effectively suspending the Assembly); results - percent of vote by
     party NA; seats - (281 total); the fundamentalist FIS won 188 of the
     231 seats contested in the first round; note - elections (municipal
     and wilaya) were held in June 1990, the first in Algerian history;
     results - FIS 55%, FLN 27.5%, other 17.5%, with 65% of the voters
     participating
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Political parties and leaders:
     Islamic Salvation Front (FIS, outlawed April 1992), Ali BELHADJ, Dr.
     Abassi MADANI, Abdelkader HACHANI (all under arrest), Rabeh KEBIR
     (self-exile in Germany); National Liberation Front (FLN), Abdelhamid
     MEHRI, Secretary General; Socialist Forces Front (FFS), Hocine Ait
     AHMED, Secretary General
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, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
     INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer),
     OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTAC,
     UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Nourredine Yazid ZERHOUNI
chancery:
     2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
     (202) 265-2800
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
     Ambassador Mary Ann CASEY
embassy:
     4 Chemin Cheikh Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers
mailing address:
     B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers
telephone:
     [213] (2) 601-425, 255, 186
FAX:
     [213] (2) 603979




consulate(s):
     Oran
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 macroeconomic stabilization and to
     introduce market mechanisms into the economy. Despite substantial
     progress toward macroeconomic adjustment, in 1992 the reform drive
     stalled as Algiers became embroiled in political turmoil. In September
     1993, a new government was formed, one of whose priorities 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 in 1993 resumed negotiations with the IMF and is
     on track to conclude a standby arrangement with the Fund in 1994.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $89 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     1% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $3,300 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     22% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
     22% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
     $14.4 billion
expenditures:
     $14.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.5 billion (1992
     est.)
Exports:
     $11.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     petroleum and natural gas 97%
partners:
     Italy 21%, France 16%, US 14%, Germany 13%, Spain 9%
Imports:
     $9 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
     capital goods 39.7%, food and beverages 21.7%, consumer goods 11.8%
     (1990)
partners:
     France 29%, Italy 14%, Spain 9%, US 9%, Germany 7%




External debt:
     $26 billion (1994)
Industrial production:
     growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
     6,380,000 kW
production:
     16.384 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     630 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     petroleum, light industries, natural gas, mining, electrical,
     petrochemical, food processing
Agriculture:
     accounts for 12.8% of GDP (1993 est.) 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:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $1.4 billion; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $925
     million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.8 billion; Communist
     countries (1970-89), $2.7 billion; net official disbursements
     (1985-89), $375 million
Currency:
     1 Algerian dinar (DA) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
     Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1 - 36.008 (April 1994), 23.345 (1993),
     21.836 (1992), 18.473 (1991), 8.958 (1990), 7.6086 (1989)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year


                              Communications


Railroads:
     4,060 km total; 2,616 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 1,188 km
     1.055-meter gauge, 256 km 1.000-meter gauge; 300 km electrified; 215
     km double track
Highways:
total:
     90,031 km
paved:
     concrete, bituminous 58,868 km
unpaved:
     gravel, crushed stone, earth 31,163 km (1990)
Pipelines:
     crude oil 6,612 km; petroleum products 298 km; natural gas 2,948 km
Ports:
     Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Djendjene, Ghazaouet, Jijel, Mers el
     Kebir, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda
Merchant marine:
     75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 903,179 GRT/1,064,211 DWT, bulk
     9, cargo 27, chemical tanker 7, liquefied gas 9, oil tanker 5,
     roll-on/roll-off cargo 12, short-sea passenger 5, specialized tanker 1




Airports:
total:
     140
usable:
     124
with permanent-surface runways:
     53
with runways over 3,659 m:
     2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
     32
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
     65
Telecommunications:
     excellent domestic and international service in the north, sparse in
     the south; 822,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 26 AM, no FM, 18
     TV; 1,600,000 TV sets; 5,200,000 radios; 5 submarine cables; microwave
     radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial
     cable to Morocco and Tunisia; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic
     Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, l ARABSAT,
     and 12 domestic; 20 additional satellite earth stations are planned


                              Defense Forces


Branches:
     National Popular Army, Navy, Air Force, Territorial Air Defense
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 6,863,378; fit for military service 4,215,767; reach
     military age (19) annually 301,945 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $1.36 billion, 2.5% of GDP (1993 est.)