General
Information
|
Total Land
Area: |
2,381,741 km2 |
|
Land
boundaries: |
6,343 km |
|
Coastline: |
1216 km |
|
Capital: |
Algiers |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Oran, Annaba,
Constantine |
|
Official
Language: |
Arabic |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Algerian Dinar
(DZD) |
|
National Day: |
November 1 |
Location and
Geography
Algeria is
bordered by the
Mediterranean Sea
in the North;
Tunisia and Libya
in the East; Niger
and Mali in the
South, Mauritania
and the Western
Sahara in the
South-west and
Morocco in the
West. It is the
second largest
country in Africa
and is composed of
four successive
main reliefs, from
North to South. In
the North, along
the Mediterranean
coast, lies the
narrow
discontinuous
plain of the
Algerian Tell
containing the
majority of the
country’s arable
land. Higher
reliefs are
bordering the
coastal plain in
the South, with
two mountainous
chains enclosing
high desertic
plateaux. In the
South of the
Sahara Atlas lies
the great Sahara
Desert
representing 80%
of the country’s
total land area.
In the South of
the Sahara desert
lies the Hoggar
mountain composed
of high desertic
plateaux in
terraces. The only
river in Algeria
is the Cheliff
originating in the
Atlas and flowing
into the
Mediterranean. The
Tell region in the
North is
characterised by a
mediterranean
climate, with hot
and dry summers
and mild and rainy
winters. The
climate becomes
drier towards the
South. The Sahara
is a windy and
very arid region.
Demography
|
Population:
|
31.40 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
22 per
thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
5 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant
Mortality
Rate:
|
39 per
thousand
(2002) |
|
Life
Expectancy:
|
Male: 72
years, Female:
73 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
58.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult
Literacy:
|
67.80 percent
(2001) |
Economy
The economy is
based on the oil
and hydrocarbon
industry. Algeria
ranks fifth in
natural gas and
fourteenth in oil
reserves in the
world. It is also
the second largest
gas exporter.
Algeria’s
industrial sector
is dominated by
state-owned heavy
industries that
produce steel,
fertilisers,
petrochemicals and
cement. The other
natural resources
are iron ore,
phosphates,
uranium, gold,
mercury, lead and
zinc. Due to
desertification
the percentage of
arable land in
Algeria is very
low. The main
agricultural
products are
wheat, barley,
oats, grapes,
oranges, olives,
dates, tobacco,
sugar beets and
tomatoes.
Livestock,
farming, and
fishing are also
significant
components of the
primary sector.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
55902 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Per Capita
GDP:
|
1780 US$
(2002) |
|
Share of
Sectors in
GDP:
|
10.0%
Agriculture,
53.0%
Industry,
37.0%
Services,
(2002) |
|
Total Exports:
|
19253 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
13068 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Natural gas
and petroleum,
tobacco and
foodstuffs |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Capital goods,
food and
beverages and
consumer goods |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
Italy,
France,
Spain,
Germany,
Netherlands
and US |
|
