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:

32.8% (male 5,485,197; female 5,285,434)

15-64 years:

63% (male 10,460,475; female 10,224,389)

65 years and over:

4.2% (male 624,839; female 738,166) (2003 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:

0.85 male(s)/female

total population:

1.02 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

noun:

Algerian(s)

adjective:

Algerian

conventional long form:

People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

conventional short form:

Algeria

local short form:

Al Jaza'ir

local long form:

Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah

• 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 OUYAHIA (since 9 May 2003)

cabinet:

Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president

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 over 70%;
• note - his six opposing candidates withdrew on the eve of the election citing electoral fraud

• Algerian National Front or FNA [Moussa TOUATI];
• Democratic National Rally or RND [Ahmed OUYAHIA, chairman];
• Islamic Salvation Front or FIS (outlawed April 1992) [Ali BELHADJ and Dr. Abassi MADANI, Rabeh KEBIR (self-exile in Germany)];
• Society of Peace Movement or MSP [Boujerra SOLTANI];
• National Entente Movement or MEN [Ali BOUKHAZNA];
• National Liberation Front or FLN [Ali BENFLIS, secretary general];
• National Reform Movement or MRN [Abdellah DJABALLAH];
• National Renewal Party or PRA [leader NA];
• Progressive Republican Party [Khadir DRISS];
• Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD [Said SAADI, secretary general];
• Renaissance Movement or EnNahda Movement [Lahbib ADAMI];
• Social Liberal Party or PSL [Ahmed KHELIL];
• Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary general (self-exile in Switzerland)];
• Union for Democracy and Liberty [Mouley BOUKHALAFA];
• Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUN]

note: a law banning political parties based on religion was enacted in March 1997

chief of mission:

Ambassador Idriss JAZAIRY

chancery:

2137 Wyoming Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008

FAX:

[1] (202) 667-2174

telephone:

[1] (202) 265-2800

chief of mission:

Ambassador Richard W. ERDMAN (as of 10 July 2003)

embassy:

4 Chemin Cheikh Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers

mailing address:

B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers

telephone:

[213] (21) 691-425/255/186

FAX:

[213] (21) 69-39-79

• two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white;
• a red, five-pointed star within a red crescent centered over the two-color boundary;
• the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion)

lowest 10%:

2.8%

highest 10%:

26.8% (1995)

general assessment:

• telephone density in Algeria is very low, not exceeding five telephones per 100 persons;
• the number of fixed main lines increased in the last few years to a little more than 2,000,000, but only about two-thirds of these have subscribers;
• much of the infrastructure is outdated and inefficient

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 (1998)

total:

3,973 km

standard gauge:

2,888 km 1.435-m gauge (283 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2002)

total:

104,000 km

paved:

71,656 km (including 640 km of expressways)

unpaved:

32,344 km (1999)

• condensate 1,344 km;
• gas 87,347 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 2,213 km;
• oil 6,496 km (2003)

total:

69 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 884,032 GRT/1,010,777 DWT

ships by type:

bulk 9, cargo 23, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas 10, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 12, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 1, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: United Arab Emirates 2 (2002 est.)

• Libya claims about 32,000 sq km in a dormant dispute still reflected on its maps in southeastern Algeria;
• armed bandits based in Mali attack southern Algerian towns;
• border with Morocco remains closed over mutual claims of harboring militants, arms smuggling;
• Algeria supports the exiled Sahrawi Polisario Front and rejects Moroccan administration of Western Sahara