ALGERIA                                                                         
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 2,381,740 km2; land area: 2,381,740 km2                             
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas                
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 6,343 km total; Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km,                   
Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km,              
Western Sahara 42 km                                                            
                                                                                
Coastline: 998 km                                                               
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Disputes: Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in southeastern Algeria                 
                                                                                
Climate: 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              
                                                                                
Terrain: mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,                
discontinuous coastal plain                                                     
                                                                                
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates,                
uranium, lead, zinc                                                             
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and                    
pastures 13%; forest and woodland 2%; other 82%; includes irrigated             
NEGL%                                                                           
                                                                                
Environment: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes;                   
desertification                                                                 
                                                                                
Note: second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)                            
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 26,022,188 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991)                     
                                                                                
Birth rate: 32 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                          
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 57 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                       
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 68 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 4.2 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Algerian(s); adjective--Algerian                             
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: Arab-Berber 99%, European less than                           
1%                                                                              
                                                                                
Religion: Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and                      
Jewish 1%                                                                       
                                                                                
Language: Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects                            
                                                                                
Literacy: 50% (male 63%, female 36%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1987)                                                           
                                                                                
Labor force: 3,700,000; industry and commerce 40%, agriculture                  
24%, government 17%, services 10% (1984)                                        
                                                                                
Organized labor: 16-19% of labor force claimed; General Union of                
Algerian Workers (UGTA) is the only labor organization and is                   
subordinate to the National Liberation Front                                    
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria                      
                                                                                
Type: republic                                                                  
                                                                                
Capital: Algiers                                                                
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: 48 provinces (wilayat, singular--wilaya);             
Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar,                 
Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef,            
Constantine, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma,             
Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila, Mostaganem,           
M'sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif,           
Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset, Tebessa, Tiaret,              
Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen                                
                                                                                
Independence: 5 July 1962 (from France)                                         
                                                                                
Constitution: 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976                      
                                                                                
Legal system: 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                                        
                                                                                
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)              
                                                                                
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers               
(cabinet)                                                                       
                                                                                
Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly                       
(Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani)                                                
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)                                   
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--President Chadli BENDJEDID (since 7 February 1979);             
                                                                                
Head of Government--Prime Minister Sid Ahmed GHOZALI (since                     
6 June 1991)                                                                    
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
National Liberation Front (FLN), Chadli BENDJEDID, president;                   
Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), Abassi MADANI;                                   
the government established a multiparty system in September 1989 and as         
of 31 December 1990 over 30 legal parties existed                               
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal at age 18                                                   
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
President--last held on 22 December 1988 (next to be held December              
1993); results--President BENDJEDID was reelected without opposition;           
                                                                                
National People's Assembly--last held on 26 February 1987 (next                 
were to be held 27 June 1991 but postponed indefinitely because                 
of civil unrest);                                                               
results--FLN was the only party;                                                
seats--(281 total) FLN 281; note--the government held multiparty                
elections (municipal and wilaya) in June 1990, the first in Algerian            
history; results--FIS 55%, FLN 27.5%, other 17.5%, with 65% of the voters       
participating                                                                   
                                                                                
Communists: 400 (est.); Communist party banned 1962                             
                                                                                
Member of: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-19,               
G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,          
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAS                       
(observer), OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,           
UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO                                                   
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abderrahmane BENSID;                      
Chancery at 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone               
(202) 328-5300;                                                                 
                                                                                
US--Ambassador Christopher W. S. ROSS; Embassy at 4 Chemin Cheich               
Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers (mailing address is B. P. Box 549,                  
Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers); telephone  213  (2) 601-425 or 255, 186;            
there is a US Consulate in Oran                                                 
                                                                                
Flag: 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)                                                                       
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
Overview: The exploitation of oil and natural gas products forms                
the backbone of the economy. Algeria depends on hydrocarbons for nearly         
all of its export receipts, about 30% of government revenues, and nearly        
25% of GDP. In 1973-74 the sharp increase in oil prices led to a booming        
economy and helped to finance an ambitious program of industrialization.        
Plunging oil and gas prices, combined with the mismanagement of Algeria's       
highly centralized economy, have brought the nation to its most serious         
social and economic crisis since independence. The government has               
promised far-reaching reforms, including giving public-sector companies         
more autonomy, encouraging private-sector activity, boosting gas and            
nonhydrocarbon exports, and proposing a major overhaul of the banking           
and financial systems, but to date has made little progress.                    
                                                                                
GDP: $54 billion, per capita $2,130; real growth rate 2.5%                      
(1990 est.)                                                                     
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16.6% (1990)                                  
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 26% (1990 est.)                                              
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $16.7 billion; expenditures $17.3 billion,                     
including capital expenditures of $6.6 billion (1990 est.)                      
                                                                                
Exports: $10.2 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                     
                                                                                
commodities--petroleum and natural gas 98%;                                     
                                                                                
partners--Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Italy, France, US               
                                                                                
Imports: $9.2 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);                                      
                                                                                
commodities--capital goods 29%, consumer goods 30%;                             
                                                                                
partners--France 25%, Italy 8%, FRG 8%, US 6-7%                                 
                                                                                
External debt: $26.6 billion (December 1990)                                    
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate -3% (1989 est.); accounts for                
30% of GDP, including petroleum                                                 
                                                                                
Electricity: 5,156,000 kW capacity; 14,900 million kWh                          
produced, 580 kWh per capita (1990)                                             
                                                                                
Industries: petroleum, light industries, natural gas, mining,                   
electrical, petrochemical, food processing                                      
                                                                                
Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GDP and employs 24% of labor                   
force; net importer of food--grain, vegetable oil, and sugar; farm              
production includes wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits,        
sheep,and cattle                                                                
                                                                                
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $1.4                   
billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments          
(1970-88), $8.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.8 billion;            
Communist countries (1970-89), $2.7 billion                                     
                                                                                
Currency: Algerian dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Algerian dinar                     
(DA) = 100 centimes                                                             
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1--13.581 (January                  
1991), 8.958 (1990), 7.6086 (1989), 5.9148 (1988), 4.8497 (1987), 4.7023        
(1986), 5.0278 (1985)                                                           
                                                                                
Fiscal year: calendar year                                                      
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: 4,146 km total; 2,632 km standard gauge (1.435 m),                   
1,258 km 1.055-meter gauge, 256 km 1.000-meter gauge; 300 km electrified;       
215 km double track                                                             
                                                                                
Highways: 80,000 km total; 60,000 km concrete or bituminous,                    
20,000 km gravel, crushed stone, unimproved earth                               
                                                                                
Pipelines: crude oil, 6,612 km; refined products, 298 km; natural               
gas, 2,948 km                                                                   
                                                                                
Ports: Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Jijel, Mers el Kebir,                    
Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda                                                        
                                                                                
Merchant marine: 75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 903,179                  
GRT/1,063,994 DWT; includes 5 short-sea passenger, 27 cargo, 2 vehicle          
carrier, 10 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 5 petroleum, oils, and lubricants           
(POL) tanker, 9 liquefied gas, 7 chemical tanker, 9 bulk, 1 specialized         
tanker                                                                          
                                                                                
Civil air: 42 major transport aircraft                                          
                                                                                
Airports: 145 total, 134 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways;             
3 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 66 with             
runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                           
                                                                                
Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international service in             
the north, sparse in the south; 693,000 telephones; stations--26 AM, no         
FM, 113 TV; 1,550,000 TV sets; 3,500,000 receiver sets; 6 submarine             
cables; coaxial cable or radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco,          
and Tunisia; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1             
Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, 1 ARABSAT, and 15 domestic               
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Territorial Air Defense,                       
National Gendarmerie                                                            
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 6,142,818; 3,780,873 fit for                
military service; 293,175 reach military age (19) annually                      
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $857 million, 1.8% of GDP (1991)                          
                                                                                
