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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Nuclear Test Ban

0-14 years:

35% (male 5,591,044; female 5,389,046)

15-64 years:

61% (male 9,582,864; female 9,381,088)

65 years and over:

4% (male 577,875; female 672,000) (2000 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:

0.86 male(s)/female

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (2000 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 Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (since 28 April 1999)

head of government:

Prime Minister Ahmed BENBITOUR (since 2 December 1999)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
• election last held 15 April 1999 (next to be held NA April 2004);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

• Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA elected president;
• percent of vote - Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA 70%;
• note - six of the seven candidates withdrew sighting persistent electoral fraud

• Algerian Democratic Front or FAD [Sid-Ahmed GHOZALI];
• Algerian National Front or ANF [Moussa TOUATI];
• Algerian Renewal Party or PRA [Noureddine BOUKROUH, chairman];
• Democratic National Rally or RND [Ahmed OUYAHIA, chairman];
• Islamic Salvation Front or FIS (outlawed April 1992) [Ali BELHADJ, Dr. Abassi MADANI, Rabeh KEBIR (self-exile in Germany)];
• Liberal Social Party [Ahmed KHELIL];
• Movement for Democracy in Algeria or MDA [Ahmed Ben BELLA];
• Movement for Loyalty and Justice [Ahmed Taleb IBRAHIMI, president; Movement of a Peaceful Society or MSP [Mahfoud NAHNAH, chairman]; Nahda Movement or Al Nahda [Abdallah DJABALLAH, president]; National Liberation Front or FLN [Boualem BENHAMOUDA, secretary general]; National Party for Solidarity and Development or PNSD [Rabah BENCHERIF]; National Republican Alliance or ANR [Redha MALEK]; Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD [Said SAADI, secretary general]; Republican Progressive Party [Khadir DRISS]; Social Democratic Movement or MDS [Hachemi CHERIF]; Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary general (self-exile in Switzerland)]; Union for Democracy and Freedoms [Mouley BOUKHALAFA]; Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUN]

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 Idriss JAZAIRY

chancery:

2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 265-2800

FAX:

[1] (202) 667-2174

chief of mission:

Ambassador Cameron R. HUME

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

FAX:

[213] (2) 69-39-79

• 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)

lowest 10%:

2.8%

highest 10%:

26.8% (1995)

domestic:

good 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:

4,820 km (301 km electrified; 215 km double track)

standard gauge:

3,664 km 1.435-m gauge (301 km electrified; 215 km double track)

narrow gauge:

1,156 km 1.055-m gauge (1996)

total:

104,000 km

paved:

71,656 km (including 640 km of expressways)

unpaved:

32,344 km (1996 est.)

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

total:

78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 940,196 GRT/1,094,104 DWT

ships by type:

bulk 9, cargo 27, chemical tanker 7, liquified gas 11, petroleum tanker 5, roll-on/roll-off 13, short-sea passenger 5, specialized tanker 1 (1999 est.)