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

• 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

party to :

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Nuclear Test Ban

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

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

total population:

68.62 years

male :

67.5 years

female:

69.79 years (1997 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

• 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976;
• revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996;
• note - referendum approving the revisions of 28 November 1996 was signed into law 7 December 1996

• 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)

head of government :

Prime Minister Ahmed OUYAHIA (since 31 December 1995)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
• election last held 16 November 1995 (next to be held NA 2000);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results :

Liamine ZEROUAL elected president; percent of vote - Liamine ZEROUAL 61.3%

• 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);
• Movement of a Peaceful Society (Hamas), Mahfoud NAHNAH, chairman;
• Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), Said SAADI, secretary general;
• Algerian Renewal Party (PRA), Noureddine BOUKROUH, chairman;
• Nahda Movement (Al Nahda), Abdallah DJABALLAH, president;
• Democratic National Rally (RND), Abdelkader BENSALAH, chairman;
• Movement for Democracy in Algeria (MDA), Ahmed Ben BELLA

note : the government established a multiparty system in September 1989 and, as of 31 December 1990, over 50 legal parties existed; a new party law was enacted in March 1997

chief of mission:

Ambassador Ramtane LAMAMRA

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, 69-12-55

• 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 value:

$11 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)

commodities:

petroleum and natural gas 97%

partners:

Italy 18.8%, US 14.8%, France 11.8%, Spain 8%, Germany 7.9% (1995 est.)

total value :

$10.5 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)

commodities:

capital goods, food and beverages, consumer goods

partners:

France 29%, Spain 10.5%, Italy 8.2%, US 8%, Germany 5.6% (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

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:

102,424 km

paved :

70,570 km (including 6,080 km of expressways)

unpaved:

31,854 km (1995 est.)

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

total :

78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 925,261 GRT/1,094,281 DWT

ships by type:

bulk 9, cargo 27, chemical tanker 7, liquefied gas tanker 11, oil tanker 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, short-sea passenger 5, specialized tanker 1 (1996 est.)