Algeria

Democratic and Popular Republic of AlgeriaAl Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash

republicIndependence 5 July 1962 (from France)

Algeria as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 78 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 sq km

LocationNorthern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between

Populationas each edition published it

28.54 million July 1995 est. · 25.57m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.25% 1995 est. · 2.34% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 22.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

68.01 years 1995 est. · 67.35 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.7 children per woman 1995 est. · 5.4 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

50.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 87 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$3,480 1994 est. · $1,570 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

0.2% 1994 est. · 2.8% in 1993

Geography

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

14 fields

Land useshare of 2,381,740 sq km

arable land 3%permanent crops 0%meadows and pastures 13%forest and woodland 2%other 82%irrigated 3,360 sq km (1989 est.)

Area

2,381,740sq km

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

Coastline

998km

exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nmterritorial 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

Location

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

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

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
natural hazards:: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides
international agreements:: party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands;
signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Note

second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)

People

15 fields

Population

28,539,321

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 2.25% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

29.02Death

6.05Net migration

-0.49

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years68.01

66.94 · 69.13

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy57%

70% · 46%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Labor force

6.2million

(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)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 41% (female 5,678,879; male 5,885,246)
15-64 years:: 56% (female 7,887,885; male 8,033,508)
65 years and over:: 3% (female 557,636; male 496,167) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

50.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Algerian(s)
adjective:: Algerian

Religions

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

Languages

Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

Government

Republic; President Lamine ZEROUAL (since 31 January 1994); Prime Minister Mokdad SIFI (since 11 April 1994)

19 fields

Names

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

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

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 by the end of 1995
head of government:: Prime Minister Mokdad SIFI (since 11 April 1994)
cabinet:: Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister

Legislative branch

unicameral;
note - suspended since 1992 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 (provincial and municipal) 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, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIH, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

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

US diplomatic representation

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, 69-18-54, 69-38-75

FAX

[213] (2) 69-39-79; consulate(s): none (Oran closed June 1993)

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

18 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$3,480

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

0.2%

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate NA%; accounts for 35% of GDP (including hydrocarbons)

Inflation, consumer prices

30%

(1994 est.)

Unemployment rate

30%

(1994 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$14.3 billionExpenditures

$17.9 billion (1995 est.)

Installed generating capacity, 5,370,000 kW

Electricity production

18.3 billionElectricity consumption per capita

587 (1993)

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, 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.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $97.1 billion (1994 est.)

Exports

$9.1 billion (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities:: petroleum and natural gas 97%
partners:: Italy 21%, France 16%, US 14%, Germany 13%, Spain 9%

Imports

$9.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 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)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 12% of GDP (1993) 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 - 42.710 (January 1995), 35.059 (1994), 23.345 (1993), 21.836 (1992), 18.473 (1991), 8.958 (1990)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

6 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 139 in all

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

1,524 to 2,438 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

95,576Railroads

4,733

Highways: paved: concrete, bituminous 57,346 km · unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, earth 38,230 km · Railroads: standard gauge: 3,576 km 1.435-m gauge (299 km electrified; 215 km double track) · narrow gauge: 1,157 km 1.055-m gauge

Railroads

total:: 4,733 km
standard gauge:: 3,576 km 1.435-m gauge (299 km electrified; 215 km double track)
narrow gauge:: 1,157 km 1.055-m gauge

Highways

total:: 95,576 km
paved:: concrete, bituminous 57,346 km
unpaved:: gravel, crushed stone, earth 38,230 km

Pipelines

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

Ports

Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Beni Saf, Dellys, Djendjene, Ghazaouet, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda, Tenes

Merchant marine

total:: 75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 903,179 GRT/1,064,211 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 9, cargo 27, chemical tanker 7, liquefied gas tanker 9, oil tanker 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 12, short-sea passenger 5, specialized tanker 1

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

822,000 telephones; excellent domestic and international service in the north, sparse in the south

local:: NA
intercity:: 12 domestic satellite links; 20 additional satellite links are planned
international:: 5 submarine cables;
microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia;
coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia;
2 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik, 1 ARABSAT earth station