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Communications

Airports [time series]

147 total, 136 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,660 m; 29 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 68 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

42 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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

Merchant marine [time series]

75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 900,957 GRT/1,063,994 DWT; includes 5 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 liquid cargo

Pipelines [time series]

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

Ports [time series]

Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Jijel, Mers el Kebir, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

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

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

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

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

1.8% of GDP, or $974 million (1989 est.)

Military manpower [time series]

males 15-49, 5,886,334; 3,638,458 fit for military service; 293,476 reach military age (19) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for 8% 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

Aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $1.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $8.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.8 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $2.7 billion

Budget [time series]

revenues $17.4 billion; expenditures $22.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $8.0 billion (1988)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

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

Electricity [time series]

4,333,000 kW capacity; 14,370 million kWh produced, 580 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates [time series]

Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1--8.0086 (January 1990), 7.6086 (1989), 5.9148 (1988), 4.8497 (1987), 4.7023 (1986), 5.0278 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$9.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--petroleum and natural gas 98%; partners--Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Italy, France, US

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$26.2 billion (December 1989)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

$54.1 billion, per capita $2,235; real growth rate - 1.8% (1988)

Imports [time series]

$7.8 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--capital goods 35%, consumer goods 36%, food 20%; partners--France 25%, Italy 8%, FRG 8%, US 6-7%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 5.4% (1986)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

5.9% (1988)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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 that 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 a major overhaul of the banking and financial systems. In 1988 the government started to implement a new economic policy to dismantle large state farms into privately operated units.

Unemployment rate [time series]

19% (1988)

Geography

Climate [time series]

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 [time series]

998 km

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in southeastern Algeria

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; desertification

Land boundaries [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

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

Note [time series]

second largest country in Africa (after Sudan)

Terrain [time series]

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

Maritime claims (Territorial sea) [time series]

12 nm

Area (Total area) [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

31 provinces (wilayat, singular--wilaya); Adrar, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bouira, Constantine, Djelfa, El Asnam, Guelma, Jijel, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mostaganem, M'sila, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Tamanrasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen; note--there may now be 48 provinces with El Asnam abolished, and the addition of 18 new provinces named Ain Delfa, Ain Temouchent, Bordjbou, Boumerdes, Chlef, El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Mila, Naama, Relizane, Souk Ahras, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt

Capital [time series]

Algiers

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

400 (est.); Communist party banned 1962

Constitution [time series]

19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

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 Brahimi, 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 [time series]

president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Flag [time series]

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 [time series]

5 July 1962 (from France)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court (Cour Supreme) Chief of State--President Chadli BENDJEDID (since 7 February 1979); Head of Government--Prime Minister Mouloud HAMROUCHE (since 9 September 1989)

Legal system [time series]

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 [time series]

unicameral National People's Assembly (Assemblee Nationale Populaire)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

AfDB, AIOEC, Arab League, ASSIMER, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, ILZSG, INTERPOL, IOOC, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

National holiday [time series]

Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

National Liberation Front (FLN), Col. Chadli Bendjedid, chairman; Abdelhamid Mehri, secretary general; the government established a multiparty system in September 1989 and as of 1 February 1990 19 legal parties existed

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 President--last held on 22 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--President Bendjedid was reelected without opposition; People's National Assembly--last held on 26 February 1987 (next to be held by February 1992); results--FLN was the only party; seats--(281 total) FLN 281; note--the government has promised to hold multiparty elections (municipal and wilaya) in June 1990, the first in Algerian history

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

People

Birth rate [time series]

37 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate [time series]

9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

99% Arab-Berber, less than 1% European

Infant mortality rate [time series]

87 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force [time series]

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

Languages (Language) [time series]

Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

61 years male, 64 years female (1990)

Literacy [time series]

52%

Nationality [time series]

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

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor [time series]

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 [time series]

25,566,507 (July 1990), growth rate 2.8% (1990)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

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

Total fertility rate [time series]

5.4 children born/woman (1990)