Algeria

republicIndependence 5 July 1962 (from France)

Algeria as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 73 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

26.67 million July 1992 · 25.57m in 1990

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

4.1 children per woman 1992 · 5.4 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

56 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 87 in 1990

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

13 fields

Total area

2,381,740km2

Comparative 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; land boundary disputes with Tunisia under discussion

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

Land use

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

Environment

mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; desertification

Note

second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)

People

14 fields

Population

26,666,921

(July 1992), growth rate 2.5% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

31Death

7Net migration

Literacy

50%

(male 63%, female 36%) age 15 and over can read and write (1987)

Nationality

noun - Algerian(s); adjective - Algerian

Religions

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

Languages

Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

Labor force

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

19 fields

Long-form name

Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria

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)

Constitution

19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 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

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 (Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Leaders

Chief of State:: President Mohamed BOUDIAF; assassinated 29 June 1992
Head of Government:: Interim Prime Minister Sid Ahmed GHOZALI (since 6 June 1991)

Political parties and leaders

National Liberation Front (FLN);
Socialist Forces Front (FFS), Hocine Ait AHMED, Secretary General;
the government established a multiparty system in September 1989, and, as of 31 December 1990, over 30 legal parties existed

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Elections

National People's Assembly:: first round held on 26 December 1991 (second round canceled by the military after President BENJEDID resigned 11 January 1992);
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
President:: next election to be held December 1993

Communists

400 (est.); Communist party banned 1962

Member of

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Abderrahmane BENSID;
Chancery at 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008;
telephone (202) 265-2800

US:: Ambassador Mary Ann CASEY;
Embassy at 4 Chemin Cheich Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers (mailing address is B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers);
telephone [213] (2) 601-425 or 255, 186;
FAX [213] (2) 603979;
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 oil and natural gas sector forms the backbone of the economy.

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

30%

(1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

30%

(1991 est.)

External debt

$26.4billion

Budget

Revenues

$16.7 billionExpenditures

$17.3 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $6.6 billion (1990 est.)

Overview

The oil and natural gas sector 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 and helped to finance an ambitious program of industrialization.

Plunging oil and gas prices, combined with the mismanagement of Algeria's highly centralized economy, has brought the nation to its most serious social and economic crisis since independence in 1988. The government has promised far-reaching reforms, including privatization of some public- sector companies, encouraging private-sector activity, boosting gas and nonhydrocarbon exports, and proposing a major overhaul of the banking and financial systems, but to date it has made only limited progress.

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $54 billion, per capita $2,130; real growth rate 2.5% (1990 est.)

Exports

$11.7 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)

commodities:: petroleum and natural gas 97%
partners:: Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Italy, France, US

Imports

$9 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)

commodities:: capital goods 29%, consumer goods 30%
partners:: France 25%, Italy 8%, FRG 8%, US 6-7%

Industrial production

growth rate --3% (1989 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP, including petroleum

Electricity

6,380,000 kW capacity; 16,700 million kWh produced, 640 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 11% 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

Economic aid

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

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

Exchange rates

Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1 - 21.862 (January 1992), 18.473 (1991), 8.958 (1990), 7.6086 (1989), 5.9148 (1988), 4.8497 (1987)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Merchant marine, 75 ships by typeone square, one ship

short-sea passenger 5cargo 27roll-on/roll-off cargo 12petroleum tanker 5liquefied gas 9chemical tanker 7bulk 9specialized tanker 175 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 903,179 GRT/1,064,246 DWT

Airports, 141 total, 124 usable

permanent-surface runways

53runways | over 3,659 m

2runways 2,440-3,659 m

32runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

80,000Railroads

4,060

Highways: ; 60,000 km concrete or bituminous, 20,000 km gravel, crushed stone, unimproved earth · Railroads: ; 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

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

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

Pipelines

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

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;
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 15 domestic