Algeria

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

Civil air

42 major transport aircraft

Highways

80,000 km total; 60,000 km concrete or bituminous, 20,000 km gravel, crushed stone, unimproved earth

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

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

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

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

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Territorial Air Defense, National Gendarmerie

Defense expenditures

$857 million, 1.8% of GDP (1991)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 6,142,818; 3,780,873 fit for military service; 293,175 reach military age (19) annually

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

Budget

revenues $16.7 billion; expenditures $17.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $6.6 billion (1990 est.)

Currency

Algerian dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Algerian dinar (DA) = 100 centimes

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

Electricity

5,156,000 kW capacity; 14,900 million kWh produced, 580 kWh per capita (1990)

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)

Exports

$10.2 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.); commodities--petroleum and natural gas 98%; partners--Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Italy, France, US

External debt

$26.6 billion (December 1990)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

$54 billion, per capita $2,130; real growth rate 2.5% (1990 est.)

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%

Industrial production

growth rate -3% (1989 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP, including petroleum

Industries

petroleum, light industries, natural gas, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

16.6% (1990)

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.

Unemployment rate

26% (1990 est.)

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

Coastline

998 km Territorial sea: 12 nm

Comparative area

slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas

Disputes

Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in southeastern Algeria

Environment

mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; desertification

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

Land use

arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 13%; forest and woodland 2%; other 82%; includes irrigated NEGL%

Natural resources

crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc

Note

second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)

Terrain

mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Total area

2,381,740 km2; land area: 2,381,740 km2

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

Capital

Algiers

Communists

400 (est.); Communist party banned 1962

Constitution

19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976

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

Executive branch

president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

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)

Independence

5 July 1962 (from France)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme) Chief of State--President Chadli BENDJEDID (since 7 February 1979); Head of Government--Prime Minister Sid Ahmed GHOZALI (since 6 June 1991) 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

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

Legislative branch

unicameral National People's Assembly (Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani)

Long-form name

Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria

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

National holiday

Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)

Suffrage

universal at age 18 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

Type

republic

Birth rate

32 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate

7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic divisions

Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%

Infant mortality rate

57 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force

3,700,000; industry and commerce 40%, agriculture 24%, government 17%, services 10% (1984)

Language

Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

Life expectancy at birth

66 years male, 68 years female (1991)

Literacy

50% (male 63%, female 36%) age 15 and over can read and write (1987)

Nationality

noun--Algerian(s); adjective--Algerian

Net migration rate

0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

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

Population

26,022,188 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991)

Religion

Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%

Total fertility rate

4.2 children born/woman (1991)