Algeria

republicIndependence 5 July 1962 (from France)

Algeria as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 70 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalAlgiers

Area2,381,740 km2

Populationas each edition published it

25.57 million July 1990 · 47.74m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.34% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 22.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 67.35 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

5.4 children per woman 1990 · 2.91 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

87 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 18.6 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $1,570 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.8% in 1993

Geography

12 fields

Land useshare of 2,381,740 km2

arable land 3%meadows and pastures 13%forest and woodland 2%other 82%NEGL% permanent crops; includes NEGL% irrigated

Total area

2,381,740km2

land area: 2,381,740 km2Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas

Coastline

998km

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

6,343km total

Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km

Disputes

Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in southeastern Algeria

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

crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc

Environment

mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; desertification

Note

second largest country in Africa (after Sudan)

People

14 fields

Population

25,566,507

(July 1990), growth rate 2.8% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

37Death

9Net migration

Religion

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

Literacy

52%

Language

Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

Labor force

3,700,000; 40% industry and commerce, 24% agriculture, 17% government, 10% services (1984)

Organized labor

16-19% of labor force claimed; General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) is the only labor organization and is subordinate to the National Liberation Front

Government

Republic

17 fields

People's National Assembly, 281 seats, elected 26 February 1987one dot, one seat

FLN 281

Long-form name

Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria

Administrative divisions

31 provinces (wilayat, singular--wilaya);
Adrar, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bouira, Constantine, Djelfa, El Asnam, Guelma, Jijel, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mostaganem, M'sila, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Tamanrasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen;
note--there may now be 48 provinces with El Asnam abolished, and the addition of 18 new provinces named Ain Delfa, Ain Temouchent, Bordjbou, Boumerdes, Chlef, El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Mila, Naama, Relizane, Souk Ahras, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt

Constitution

19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976

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

National holiday

Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)

Executive branch

president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

unicameral National People's Assembly (Assemblee Nationale Populaire)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme) Chief of State--President Chadli BENDJEDID (since 7 February 1979);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Mouloud HAMROUCHE (since 9 September 1989)

National Liberation Front (FLN), Col. Chadli Bendjedid, chairman; Abdelhamid Mehri, secretary general; the government established a multiparty system in September 1989 and as of 1 February 1990 19 legal parties existed

Suffrage

universal at age 18 President--last held on 22 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993);
results--President Bendjedid was reelected without opposition;
People's National Assembly--last held on 26 February 1987 (next to be held by February 1992);
results--FLN was the only party;
seats--(281 total) FLN 281;
note--the government has promised to hold multiparty elections (municipal and wilaya) in June 1990, the first in Algerian history

Communists

400 (est.); Communist party banned 1962

Member of

AfDB, AIOEC, Arab League, ASSIMER, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, ILZSG, INTERPOL, IOOC, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Abderrahmane BENSID;
Chancery at 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 328-5300;
US--Ambassador Christopher W. S. ROSS;
Embassy at 4 Chemin Cheich Bachir Brahimi, Algiers (mailing address is B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers);
telephone [213] (2) 601-425 or 255, 186;
there is a US Consulate in 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

The exploitation of oil and natural gas products forms the backbone of the economy.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$54.1billion

per capita $2,235; real growth rate - 1.8% (1988)

Inflation, consumer prices

5.9%

(1988)

Unemployment rate

19%

(1988)

External debt

$26.2billion

(December 1989)

Imports $7.8 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.)commodities, where a share is given

capital goods

35%consumer goods

36%food

20%

; partners--France 25%, Italy 8%, FRG 8%, US 6-7%

Budget

Revenues

$17.4 billionExpenditures

$22.0 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $8.0 billion (1988)

Overview

The exploitation of oil and natural gas products forms the backbone of the economy. Algeria depends on hydrocarbons for nearly all of its export receipts, about 30% of government revenues, and nearly 25% of GDP. In 1973-74 the sharp increase in oil prices led to a booming economy that helped to finance an ambitious program of industrialization.

Plunging oil and gas prices, combined with the mismanagement of Algeria's highly centralized economy, have brought the nation to its most serious social and economic crisis since independence. The government has promised far-reaching reforms, including giving public sector companies more autonomy, encouraging private-sector activity, boosting gas and nonhydrocarbon exports, and a major overhaul of the banking and financial systems. In 1988 the government started to implement a new economic policy to dismantle large state farms into privately operated units.

Exports

$9.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--petroleum and natural gas 98%;
partners--Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Italy, France, US

Industrial production

growth rate 5.4% (1986)

Electricity

4,333,000 kW capacity; 14,370 million kWh produced, 580 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 8% of GDP and employs 24% of labor force;
net importer of food--grain, vegetable oil, and sugar;
farm production includes wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits, sheep, and cattle

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $1.4 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $8.2 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.8 billion;
Communist countries (1970-88), $2.7 billion

Currency

Algerian dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Algerian dinar (DA) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates

Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1--8.0086 (January 1990), 7.6086 (1989), 5.9148 (1988), 4.8497 (1987), 4.7023 (1986), 5.0278 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Merchant marine, 75 ships by typeone square, one ship

passenger 5cargo 27vehicle carrier 2roll-on/roll-off cargo 10petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 5liquefied gas 9chemical tanker 7bulk 9specialized liquid cargo 175 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 900,957 GRT/1,063,994 DWT

Airports, 147 total, 136 usable

permanent-surface runways

53runways over 3,660 m

2runways 2,440-3,659 m

29runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

80,000Railroads

4,146

Highways: ; 60,000 km concrete or bituminous, 20,000 km gravel, crushed stone, unimproved earth · Railroads: ; 2,632 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 1,258 km 1.055-meter gauge, 256 km 1.000-meter gauge; 300 km electrified; 215 km double track

Railroads

4,146 km total;
2,632 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 1,258 km 1.055-meter gauge, 256 km 1.000-meter gauge;
300 km electrified;
215 km double track

Highways

80,000 km total; 60,000 km concrete or bituminous, 20,000 km gravel, crushed stone, unimproved earth

Pipelines

crude oil, 6,612 km;
refined products, 298 km;
natural gas, 2,948 km

excellent domestic and international service in the north, sparse in the south;
693,000 telephones;
stations--26 AM, no FM, 113 TV;
1,550,000 TV sets;
3,500,000 receiver sets;
6 submarine cables;
coaxial cable or radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia;
satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, 1 ARABSAT, and 15 domestic

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49

5,886,334fit for military service

3,638,458reach military age (19) annually

293,476

Defense expenditures

1.8%of GDP

or $974 million (1989 est.)

Branches