|
Introduction |
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Background: |
After more than a century
of rule by France, Algerians fought through much of the 1950s to
achieve independence in 1962. Algeria's primary political party,
the National Liberation Front (FLN), has dominated politics ever
since. Many Algerians in the subsequent generation were not
satisfied, however, and moved to counter the FLN's centrality in
Algerian politics. The surprising first round success of the
Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991 balloting
spurred the Algerian army to intervene and postpone the second
round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared
would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. The
army began a crack down on the FIS that spurred FIS supporters
to begin attacking government targets. The government later
allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate
religious-based parties, but did not appease the activists who
progressively widened their attacks. The fighting escalated into
an insurgency, which saw intense fighting between 1992-98 and
which resulted in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to
indiscriminate massacres of villagers by extremists. The
government gained the upper hand by the late-1990s and FIS's
armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January
2000. However, small numbers of armed militants persist in
confronting government forces and conducting ambushes and
occasional attacks on villages. The army placed Abdelaziz
BOUTEFLIKA in the presidency in 1999 in a fraudulent election
but claimed neutrality in his 2004 landslide reelection victory.
Longstanding problems continue to face BOUTEFLIKA in his second
term, including the ethnic minority Berbers' ongoing autonomy
campaign, large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing,
unreliable electrical and water supplies, government
inefficiencies and corruption, and the continuing - although
significantly degraded - activities of extremist militants.
Algeria must also diversify its petroleum-based economy, which
has yielded a large cash reserve but which has not been used to
redress Algeria's many social and infrastructure problems.
Algeria assumed a two-year seat on the UN Security Council in
January 2004.
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Geography |
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Location: |
Northern Africa, bordering
the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
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Geographic coordinates: |
28 00 N, 3 00 E
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Map
references: |
Africa
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Area: |
total: 2,381,740 sq
km
land: 2,381,740 sq km
water: 0 sq km
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Area -
comparative: |
slightly less than 3.5
times the size of Texas
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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
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Coastline: |
998 km
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Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12
nm
exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm
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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
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Terrain: |
mostly high plateau and
desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Chott
Melrhir -40 m
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m
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Natural
resources: |
petroleum, natural gas,
iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
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Land
use: |
arable land: 3.22%
permanent crops: 0.25%
other: 96.53% (2001)
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Irrigated land: |
5,600 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural
hazards: |
mountainous areas subject
to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season
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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
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Environment - international agreements: |
party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note: |
second-largest country in
Africa (after Sudan)
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People |
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Population: |
32,531,853 (July 2005
est.)
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Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 29%
(male 4,811,086/female 4,626,271)
15-64 years: 66.3% (male 10,861,862/female 10,701,459)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 719,460/female 811,715)
(2005 est.)
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Median
age: |
total: 24.36 years
male: 24.18 years
female: 24.53 years (2005 est.)
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Population growth rate: |
1.22% (2005 est.)
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Birth
rate: |
17.13 births/1,000
population (2005 est.)
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Death
rate: |
4.6 deaths/1,000
population (2005 est.)
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Net
migration rate: |
-0.37 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2005 est.)
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Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 31
deaths/1,000 live births
male: 34.83 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 26.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population:
73 years
male: 71.45 years
female: 74.63 years (2005 est.)
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Total
fertility rate: |
1.92 children born/woman
(2005 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: |
0.1% ; note - no country
specific models provided (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: |
9,100 (2003 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths: |
less than 500 (2003 est.)
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Nationality: |
noun: Algerian(s)
adjective: Algerian
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Ethnic
groups: |
Arab-Berber 99%, European
less than 1%
note: almost all Algerians are Berber in origin, not
Arab; the minority who identify themselves as Berber live mostly
in the mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers; the
Berbers are also Muslim but identify with their Berber rather
than Arab cultural heritage; Berbers have long agitated,
sometimes violently, for autonomy; the government is unlikely to
grant autonomy but has offered to begin sponsoring teaching
Berber language in schools
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Religions: |
Sunni Muslim (state
religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
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Languages: |
Arabic (official), French,
Berber dialects
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Literacy: |
definition: age 15
and over can read and write
total population: 70%
male: 78.8%
female: 61% (2003 est.)
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Government |
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Country
name: |
conventional long form:
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
conventional short form: Algeria
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad
Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah
local short form: Al Jaza'ir
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Government type: |
republic
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Capital: |
Algiers
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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
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Independence: |
5 July 1962 (from France)
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National holiday: |
Revolution Day, 1 November
(1954)
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Constitution: |
19 November 1976,
effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February
1989, and 28 November 1996
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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
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Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch: |
chief of state:
President Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (since 28 April 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed OUYAHIA (since 9
May 2003)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a
five-year term; election last held 8 April 2004 (next to be held
NA April 2009); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA reelected
president for second term; percent of vote - Abdelaziz
BOUTEFLIKA 85%, Ali BENFLIS 6.4%, Abdellah DJABALLAH 5%
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Legislative branch: |
bicameral Parliament
consists of the National People's Assembly or Al-Majlis
Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (389 seats - changed from 380 seats in the
2002 elections; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms) and the Council of Nations (Senate) (144 seats;
one-third of the members appointed by the president, two-thirds
elected by indirect vote; members serve six-year terms; the
constitution requires half the council to be renewed every three
years)
elections: National People's Assembly - last held 30 May
2002 (next to be held NA 2007); Council of Nations (Senate) -
last held 30 December 2003 (next to be held NA 2006)
election results: National People's Assembly - percent of
vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FLN 199, RND 48, Islah 43,
MSP 38, PT 21, FNA 8, EnNahda 1, PRA 1, MEN 1, independents 29;
Council of Nations - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party NA%
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Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court or Court
Supreme
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Political parties and leaders: |
Algerian National Front or
FNA [Moussa TOUATI]; Democratic National Rally or RND [Ahmed
OUYAHIA, chairman]; Islamic Salvation Front or FIS (outlawed
April 1992) [Ali BELHADJ and Dr. Abassi MADANI, Rabeh KEBIR
(self-exiled in Germany)]; National Entente Movement or MEN [Ali
BOUKHAZNA]; National Liberation Front or FLN [Abdelaziz
BELKHADEM, secretary general (also serves as Foreign Minister)];
National Reform Movement or Islah (formerly MRN) [Abdellah
DJABALLAH]; National Renewal Party or PRA [Yacine TERKMANE];
Progressive Republican Party [Khadir DRISS]; Rally for Culture
and Democracy or RCD [Said SAADI, secretary general];
Renaissance Movement or EnNahda Movement [Fatah RABEI];
Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary
general (self-exiled in Switzerland)]; Social Liberal Party or
PSL [Ahmed KHELIL]; Society of Peace Movement or MSP [Boujerra
SOLTANI]; Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUN]
note: a law banning political parties based on religion
was enacted in March 1997
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Political pressure groups and leaders: |
The Algerian Human Rights
League or LADH or LADDH [Yahia Ali ABDENOUR]; SOS Disparus
[Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET]
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International organization participation: |
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF,
AMU, AU, BIS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM,
OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UN
Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)
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Flag
description: |
two equal vertical bands
of green (hoist side) and white; a red, five-pointed star within
a red crescent centered over the two-color boundary; the
crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam
(the state religion)
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Economy |
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Economy
- overview: |
The hydrocarbons sector is
the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 60% of
budget revenues, 30% of GDP, and over 95% of export earnings.
Algeria has the seventh-largest reserves of natural gas in the
world and is the second-largest gas exporter; it ranks 14th in
oil reserves. Sustained high oil prices in recent years, along
with macroeconomic policy reforms supported by the IMF, have
helped improve Algeria's financial and macroeconomic indicators.
Algeria is running substantial trade surpluses and building up
record foreign exchange reserves. Real GDP has risen due to
higher oil output and increased government spending. The
government's continued efforts to diversify the economy by
attracting foreign and domestic investment outside the energy
sector, however, has had little success in reducing high
unemployment and improving living standards. Structural reform
within the economy moves ahead slowly.
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GDP: |
purchasing power parity -
$212.3 billion (2004 est.)
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GDP -
real growth rate: |
6.1% (2004 est.)
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GDP -
per capita: |
purchasing power parity -
$6,600 (2004 est.)
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GDP -
composition by sector: |
agriculture: 10.3%
industry: 57.4%
services: 32.3% (2004 est.)
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Labor
force: |
9.91 million (2004 est.)
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Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture 14%, industry
13.4%, construction and public works 10%, trade 14.6%,
government 32%, other 16% (2003 est.)
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Unemployment rate: |
25.4% (2004 est.)
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Population below poverty line: |
23% (1999 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 26.8% (1995)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index: |
35.3 (1995)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): |
3.1% (2004 est.)
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Investment (gross fixed): |
26.2% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Budget: |
revenues: $31.47
billion
expenditures: $29.3 billion, including capital
expenditures of $5.8 billion (2004 est.)
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Public
debt: |
37.4% of GDP (2004 est.)
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Agriculture - products: |
wheat, barley, oats,
grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle
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Industries: |
petroleum, natural gas,
light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food
processing
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Industrial production growth rate: |
6% (2004 est.)
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Electricity - production: |
25.76 billion kWh (2002)
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Electricity - production by source: |
fossil fuel: 99.7%
hydro: 0.3%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
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Electricity - consumption: |
23.61 billion kWh (2002)
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Electricity - exports: |
500 million kWh (2002)
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Electricity - imports: |
150 million kWh (2002)
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Oil -
production: |
1.2 million bbl/day (2004
est.)
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Oil -
consumption: |
209,000 bbl/day (2001
est.)
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Oil -
exports: |
NA
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Oil -
imports: |
NA
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Oil -
proved reserves: |
11.87 billion bbl (2004
est.)
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Natural
gas - production: |
80.3 billion cu m (2001
est.)
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Natural
gas - consumption: |
22.32 billion cu m (2001
est.)
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Natural
gas - exports: |
57.98 billion cu m (2001
est.)
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Natural
gas - imports: |
0 cu m (2001 est.)
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Natural
gas - proved reserves: |
4.739 trillion cu m (2004)
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Current
account balance: |
$11.9 billion (2004 est.)
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Exports: |
$32.16 billion f.o.b.
(2004 est.)
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Exports
- commodities: |
petroleum, natural gas,
and petroleum products 97%
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Exports
- partners: |
US 22.5%, Italy 17.8%,
France 11.8%, Spain 10.2%, Canada 7.8%, Belgium 4.8% (2004)
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Imports: |
$15.25 billion f.o.b.
(2004 est.)
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Imports
- commodities: |
capital goods, foodstuffs,
consumer goods
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Imports
- partners: |
France 31.6%, Italy 8.5%,
Germany 6.3%, Spain 5.6%, China 5.3%, US 4.9%, Turkey 4.5%
(2004)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: |
$43.55 billion (2004 est.)
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Debt -
external: |
$21.9 billion (2004 est.)
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Currency (code): |
Algerian dinar (DZD)
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Currency code: |
DZD
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Exchange rates: |
Algerian dinars per US
dollar - 72.061 (2004), 77.395 (2003), 79.682 (2002), 77.215
(2001), 75.26 (2000)
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Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
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Communications |
|
Telephones - main lines in use: |
2,199,600 (2003)
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Telephones - mobile cellular: |
1,447,310 (2003)
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Telephone system: |
general assessment:
telephone density in Algeria is very low, not exceeding five
telephones per 100 persons; the number of fixed main lines
increased in the last few years to a little more than 2,000,000,
but only about two-thirds of these have subscribers; much of the
infrastructure is outdated and inefficient
domestic: good service in north but sparse in south;
domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional
domestic earth stations are planned)
international: country code - 213; 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 (1998)
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Radio
broadcast stations: |
AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8
(1999)
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Radios: |
7.1 million (1997)
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Television broadcast stations: |
46 (plus 216 repeaters)
(1995)
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Televisions: |
3.1 million (1997)
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Internet country code: |
.dz
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Internet hosts: |
897 (2004)
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs): |
2 (2000)
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Internet users: |
500,000 (2002)
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Transportation |
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Railways: |
total: 3,973 km
standard gauge: 2,888 km 1.435-m gauge (283 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2004)
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Highways: |
total: 104,000 km
paved: 71,656 km (including 640 km of expressways)
unpaved: 32,344 km (1999)
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Pipelines: |
condensate 1,344 km; gas
85,946 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,213 km; oil 6,496 km (2004)
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Ports
and harbors: |
Algiers, Annaba, Arzew,
Bejaia, Djendjene, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda
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Merchant marine: |
total: 56 ships
(1,000 GRT or over) 837,676 GRT/929,847 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 14, chemical tanker 4,
liquefied gas 10, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 6, roll
on/roll off 9
foreign-owned: 3 (United Kingdom 3)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005)
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Airports: |
137 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with paved runways: |
total: 52
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 27
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
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Airports - with unpaved runways: |
total: 85
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 26
914 to 1,523 m: 38
under 914 m: 19 (2004 est.)
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Heliports: |
1 (2004 est.)
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Military |
|
Military branches: |
People's National Army
(ANP; includes Land Forces), Algerian National Navy (MRA), Air
Force (QJJ), Territorial Air Defense Force (2005)
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Military manpower - military age and obligation: |
19-30 years of age for
compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18
months (October 2003)
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Military manpower - availability: |
males age 19-49:
8,033,049 (2005 est.)
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Military manpower - fit for military service: |
males age 19-49:
6,590,079 (2005 est.)
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Military manpower - reaching military age annually: |
males: 374,639
(2005 est.)
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Military expenditures - dollar figure: |
$2.48 billion (2004)
|
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP: |
3.2% (2004)
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Transnational Issues |
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Disputes - international: |
Algeria supports the
exiled Sahrawi Polisario Front and rejects Moroccan
administration of Western Sahara; Algeria's border with Morocco
remains an irritant to bilateral relations, each nation has
accused the other of harboring militants and arms smuggling; in
an attempt to improve relations after unilaterally imposing a
visa requirement on Algerians in the early 1990s, Morocco lifted
the requirement in mid-2004 - a gesture not reciprocated by
Algeria; Algeria remains concerned about armed bandits operating
throughout the Sahel who sometimes destabilize southern Algerian
towns; dormant disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq
km still reflected on its maps of southeastern Algeria and the
FLN's assertions of a claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern
Morocco
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Refugees and internally displaced persons:: |
refugees (country of
origin): 165,000 (Western Saharan Sahrawi, mostly living in
Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern Algerian town of
Tindouf)
IDPs: 100,000 - 200,000 (conflict between government
forces, Islamic insurgents) (2004)
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