Geography

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and
Tunisia.

Area: Total--2,381,740 sq. km. Land--2,381,740 sq.
km.; water--0 sq. km. More than three times the size of Texas.


Cities: Capital--Algiers; Oran, Constantine, Annaba.

Terrain: Mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous
coastal plain. Mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes, mud slides.

Climate: Arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast;
drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; a hot, dust/sand-laden
wind called sirocco is especially common in summer.

Land use: Arable land--3%; permanent crops--0%,
permanent pastures--13%; forests and woodland--2%.



People

Nationality: Noun--Algerian(s); adjective--Algerian.


Population (July 2009 official government est.): 34,178,188.

Annual growth rate (2009 est.): 1.196%. Birth rate (2009
est.)--16.9 births/1,000 population; death rate (2009 est.)--4.64
deaths/1,000 population.

Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%.

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

Languages: Arabic (official), Berber (national language), French.

Education: Literacy (age 15 and over can read and write)--total
population 69.9% (2004 est.); female 60.1% (2004 est.); male 79.6%.

Health (2009 est.): Infant mortality rate--27.73
deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth--total
population 74.02 years; male 72.35 years; female 75.77 years.

Work force (2008): 9.464 million.

Unemployment rate (2009 est.): 27%; Algerian Government estimate 11.8% in
February 2009.



Government

Type: Republic.

Independence: July 5, 1962 (from France).

Constitution: September 8, 1963; revised November 19, 1976, November 3, 1988,
February 23, 1989, November 28, 1996, April 10, 2002, and November 12, 2008.

Legal system: 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; Algeria has not accepted
compulsory International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction.

Administrative divisions: 48 provinces (wilayat; singular, wilaya).

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal.

National holiday: Independence Day, July 5, 1962; Revolution Day, November 1,
1954.

Major parties represented in parliament: National Liberation Front (FLN),
National Democratic Rally (RND), Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), Workers'
Party (PT), Algerian National Front (FNA), Movement for National Reform (MRN),
Islamic Renaissance Movement (MNI), Party of Algerian Renewal (PRA), Movement of
National Understanding (MEN).



Economy

GDP (2008): $159.7 billion.

GDP growth rate (2009 est.): 3.5%.

Per capita GDP (2008 est.): $6,900.

Agriculture: Products--wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus,
fruits; sheep, cattle.

Industry: Types--petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining,
electrical, petrochemical, food processing, pharmaceuticals, cement, seawater
desalination.

Sector information as % GDP (2008 est.): Agriculture 8.1%, services 29.4%,
industry 62.5%.

Monetary unit: Algerian dinar.

Inflation (2008 est.): 4.4%.

Trade: Exports (2008)--$78.23 billion: petroleum, natural gas, and
petroleum products 97.58%. Partners (2008 est.)--U.S. 23.9%, Italy
15.5%, Spain 11.4%, France 8%, Netherlands 7.8%, Canada 6.8%. Imports
(2008)--$39.16 billion: capital goods, food and beverages, consumer goods.
Partners (2008)--France 16.5%, Italy 11%, China 10.3%, Spain 7.4%,
Germany 6.1%, U.S. 5.5%.

Budget (2008): Revenues--$70.06 billion, expenditures--$56.04
billion. (2008 est.)

Debt (external, December 31, 2008): $3.753 billion.

U.S. economic assistance (2005 est.): $1.70 million (Development Assistance
(DA); International Military Education and Training (IMET); Nonproliferation,
Anti-Terrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR)).