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

agricultural land:

17.3%;

• arable land 3.1%;
• permanent crops 0.4%;
• permanent pasture 13.8%

forest:

0.6%

other:

82% (2011 est.)

total:

5.72 cu km/yr (26%/16%/58%)

per capita:

182 cu m/yr (2005)

• 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

noun:

Algerian(s)

adjective:

Algerian

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.02 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.86 male(s)/female

total population:

1.03 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

total number:

304,358

percentage:

5% (2006 est.)

conventional long form:

People's Democratic Republic of Algeria

conventional short form:

Algeria

local long form:

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

local short form:

Al Jaza'ir

note: the country name derives from the city of Algiers

name:

Algiers

geographic coordinates:

36 45 N, 3 03 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

• mixed legal system of French civil law and Islamic law;
• judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials including several Supreme Court justices

chief of state:

President Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (since 28 April 1999)

head of government:

Prime Minister Abdelmalek SELLAL (since 28 April 2014)

cabinet:

Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits);
• election last held on 17 April 2014 (next to be held in April 2019);
• prime minister appointed by the president

election results:

• Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA reelected president for a fourth term;
• percent of vote - Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (FLN) 81.5%, Ali BENFLIS (FLN) 12.2%, Abdelaziz BELAID (Future Front) 3.4%, other 2.9%

description:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Council of the Nation (144 seats; one-third of members appointed by the president, two-thirds indirectly elected by simple majority vote by an electoral college composed of local council members; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years) and the National People's Assembly (462 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)

elections:

• Council of the Nation - last held on 29 December 2012 (next to be held in December 2017);
• National People's Assembly - last held on 10 May 2012 (next to be held in 2017)

election results:

• Council of the Nation election of 29 December 2009 - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - NA;
• National People's Assembly election of 10 May 2012 - percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - FLN 221, RND 70, AAV 47, FFS 21, PT 17, FNA 9, El Adala 7, MPA 6, PFJ 5, FC 4, PNSD 4, other 32, independent 19

highest court(s):

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of 150 judges organized into 4 divisions: civil and commercial; social security and labor; criminal; and administrative; Constitutional Council (consists of 9 members including the court president); note - Algeria's judicial system does not include sharia courts

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Council of Magistracy, an administrative body presided over by the president of the republic, and includes the republic vice-president and several members;
• judge tenure NA;
• Constitutional Council members - 3 appointed by the president of the republic, 2 each by the 2 houses of the Parliament, 1 by the Supreme Court, and 1 by the Council of State;
• Council president and members appointed for single 6-year terms with half the membership renewed every 3 years

subordinate courts:

appellate or wilaya courts; first instance or daira tribunals

• Algerian National Front or FNA [Moussa TOUATI];
• Algerian Popular Movement or MPA [Amara BENYOUNES];
• Algerian Rally [Ali ZAGHDOUD];
• Algeria's Hope Rally or TAJ [Amar GHOUL];
• Dignity or El Karama [Mohamed BENHAMOU];
• Front for Change or FC [Abdelmadjid MENASRA];
• Front for Justice and Development or El Adala [Abdallah DJABALLAH];
• Future Front or El Mostakbel [Abdelaziz BELAID];
• Green Algeria Alliance or AAV (includes Movement for National Reform, Islamic Renaissance Movement, and Movement of the Society of Peace or Hamas);
• Islamic Renaissance Movement or EnNahda Movement [Mohamed DHOUIBI];
• Movement of the Society of Peace or MSP [Abderrazak MOKRI];
• National Democratic Rally (Rassemblement National Democratique) or RND [Bensalah ABDELKADER];
• National Liberation Front or FLN [Amar SAIDANI];
• National Party for Solidarity and Development or PNSD;
• National Reform Movement or Islah [Djahid YOUNSI] (see Green Algeria Alliance);
• New Dawn Party or PFJ;
• New Generation or Jil Jadid [Soufiane DJILALI];
• New Light Party [Bedreddine BELBAZ];
• Oath of 1954 or Ahd 54 [Ali Fawzi REBAINE];
• Party of Justice and Liberty [Mohammed SAID];
• Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD [Mohcine BELABBAS];
• Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Mustafa BOUCHACHI];
• Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUNE]

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

• Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights or LADDH [Noureddine BENISSAD]
• SOS Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]
• Youth Action Rally or RAJ

chief of mission:

Ambassador Madjid BOUGUERRA (since 23 February 2015)

chancery:

2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 265-2800

FAX:

[1] (202) 986-5906

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Joan A. POLASCHIK (since 22 September 2014)

embassy:

05 Chemin Cheikh Bachir, El-Ibrahimi, El-Biar 16030 Algiers

mailing address:

B. P. 408, Alger-Gare, 16030 Algiers

telephone:

[213] (0) 770-08-2000

FAX:

[213] (0) 770-08-2064

• 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 colors represent Islam (green), purity and peace (white), and liberty (red);
• the crescent and star are also Islamic symbols, but the crescent is more closed than those of other Muslim countries because Algerians believe the long crescent horns bring happiness

name:

"Kassaman" (We Pledge)

lyrics/music:

Mufdi ZAKARIAH/Mohamed FAWZI

note: adopted 1962; ZAKARIAH wrote "Kassaman" as a poem while imprisoned in Algiers by French colonial forces

agriculture:

14%

industry:

13.4%

construction and public works:

10%

trade:

14.6%

government:

32%

other:

16% (2003 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.8%

highest 10%:

26.8% (1995)

general assessment:

• privatization of Algeria's telecommunications sector began in 2000;
• three mobile cellular licenses have been issued and, in 2005, a consortium led by Egypt's Orascom Telecom won a 15-year license to build and operate a fixed-line network in Algeria;
• the license will allow Orascom to develop high-speed data and other specialized services and contribute to meeting the large unfulfilled demand for basic residential telephony;
• Internet broadband services began in 2003

domestic:

• a limited network of fixed lines with a teledensity of less than 10 telephones per 100 persons has been offset by the rapid increase in mobile-cellular subscribership;
• in 2011, mobile-cellular teledensity was roughly 100 telephones per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 213;
• landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia;
• microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia;
• coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia;
• participant in Medarabtel;
• satellite earth stations - 51 (Intelsat, Intersputnik, and Arabsat) (2011)

• state-run Radio-Television Algerienne operates the broadcast media and carries programming in Arabic, Berber dialects, and French;
• use of satellite dishes is widespread, providing easy access to European and Arab satellite stations;
• state-run radio operates several national networks and roughly 40 regional radio stations (2007)

• condensate 2,600 km;
• gas 16,415 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 3,447 km;
• oil 7,036 km;
• refined products 144 km (2013)

total:

3,973 km

standard gauge:

2,888 km 1.432-m gauge (283 km electrified)

narrow gauge:

1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 45

total:

113,655 km

paved:

87,605 km (includes 645 km of expressways)

unpaved:

26,050 km (2010)

country comparison to the world: 42

total:

38

by type:

bulk carrier 6, cargo 8, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas 11, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 3

foreign-owned:

15 (UK, 15) (2010)

country comparison to the world: 78

major seaport(s):

Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Djendjene, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda

LNG terminal(s) (export):

Arzew, Bethioua, Skikida

• 17 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service;
• 19-30 years of age for compulsory service;
• conscript service obligation is 18 months (6 months basic training, 12 months civil projects) (2012)

males age 16-49:

10,273,129

females age 16-49:

10,114,552 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

8,622,897

females age 16-49:

8,626,222 (2010 est.)

male:

342,895

female:

330,098 (2010 est.)

• Algeria and many other states reject Moroccan administration of Western Sahara;
• the Polisario Front, exiled in Algeria, represents the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic;
• Algeria's border with Morocco remains an irritant to bilateral relations, each nation accusing the other of harboring militants and arms smuggling;
• dormant disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km still reflected on its maps of southeastern Algeria and the National Liberation Front's (FLN) assertions of a claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco

refugees (country of origin):

90,000 (Western Saharan Sahrawi, mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf) (2014)

IDPs:

undetermined (civil war during 1990s) (2013)

current situation:

• Algeria is a transit and, to a lesser extent, a destination and source country for women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking and, to a lesser extent, men subjected to forced labor;
• criminal networks, sometimes extending to sub-Saharan Africa and to Europe, are involved in human smuggling and trafficking in Algeria;
• sub-Saharan adults enter Algeria voluntarily but illegally, often with the aid of smugglers, for onward travel to Europe, but some of the women are forced into prostitution, domestic service, and begging;
• some sub-Saharan men, mostly from Mali, are forced into domestic servitude;
• some Algerian women and children are also forced into prostitution domestically

tier rating:

• Tier 3 - Algeria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so: some officials denied human trafficking despite evidence;
• no efforts were made to investigate, prosecute, or convict perpetrators of human trafficking or forced labor;
• victim identification remained weak, and no system existed to provide victims with protection and assistance;
• no anti-trafficking public awareness or educational campaigns were conducted (2014)