Algeria

• 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

• mostly high plateau and desert;
• some mountains;
• narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

lowest point:

Chott Melrhir -40 m

highest point:

Tahat 3,003 m

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; mud slides

international agreements:

• party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands;
• signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

0-14 years:

40% (male 5,910,543; female 5,701,647)

15-64 years:

56% (male 8,319,650; female 8,162,816)

65 years and over:

4% (male 510,308; female 578,068) (July 1996 est.)

at birth:

1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.88 male(s)/female

all ages:

1.02 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

noun:

Algerian(s)

adjective:

Algerian

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

• 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

chief of state:

• President Liamine ZEROUAL (appointed president 31 January 1994, elected president 16 November 1995) was elected for a five-year term by universal suffrage;
• election last held 16 November 1995 (next to be held NA);
• results - percent of vote NA

head of government:

Prime Minister Ahmed OUYAHIA (since 31 December 1995) was appointed by the president

cabinet:

Council of Ministers was appointed by the prime minister

• unicameral;
• note - suspended since 1992 National People's Assembly (Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani): first-round elections held 26 December 1991;
• second round canceled by the military after President BENDJEDID resigned 11 January 1992, effectively suspending the assembly (next election promised by late 1996 or early 1997);
• results - percent of vote by party NA;
• seats - (281 total) the fundamentalist FIS won 188 of the 231 seats contested in the first round

• Islamic Salvation Front (FIS, outlawed April 1992), Ali BELHADJ, Dr. Abassi MADANI, Rabeh KEBIR (self-exile in Germany);
• National Liberation Front (FLN), Boualem BENHAMOUDA, secretary general;
• Socialist Forces Front (FFS), Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary general (self-exile in Switzerland);
• Hamas, Mahfoud NAHNAH, chairman;
• Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), Said SAADI, secretary general;
• Algerian Renewal Party (PRA), Noureddine BOUKROUH, chairman

note: the government established a multiparty system in September 1989 and, as of 31 December 1990, over 50 legal parties existed

chief of mission:

Ambassador Osmane BENCHERIF

chancery:

2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 265-2800

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, 69-12-55

• 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)

total:

4,772 km

standard gauge:

3,616 km 1.435-m gauge (301 km electrified; 215 km double track)

narrow gauge:

1,156 km 1.055-m gauge

total:

95,576 km

paved:

63,080 km (including 400 km of expressways)

unpaved:

32,496 km (1992 est.)

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

total:

77 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 916,701 GRT/1,086,324 DWT

ships by type:

bulk 9, cargo 27, chemical tanker 7, liquefied gas tanker 10, oil tanker 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, short-sea passenger 5, specialized tanker 1 (1995 est.)

domestic:

excellent service in north but sparse in south; domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic earth stations are planned)

international:

• 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

males age 15-49:

7,391,946

males fit for military service:

4,534,267

males reach military age (19) annually:

326,229 (1996 est.)