Coastal Defense Command, Air and Air Defense Force
Military manpower: males 15–49, 882,965; 729,635 fit for military service; 33,598 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures: 1.1 billion leks, 11.3% of total budget (FY88); note—conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results—————————————————————————— Country: 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: 3% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 13% meadows and pastures; 2% forest and woodland; 82% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; desertification
Note: second largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
- People
Population: 25,566,507 (July 1990), growth rate 2.8% (1990)
Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 87 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 64 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.4 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Algerian(s); adjective—Algerian
Ethnic divisions: 99% Arab-Berber, less than 1% European
Religion: 99% Sunni Muslim (state religion); 1% Christian and Jewish
Language: Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Literacy: 52%
Labor force: 3,700,000; 40% industry and commerce, 24% agriculture, 17% government, 10% services (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: 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
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 (Assemblee
Nationale Populaire)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State—President Chadli BENDJEDID (since 7 February 1979);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Mouloud HAMROUCHE (since 9 September 1989)
Political parties and leaders: 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: 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;
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
Communists: 400 (est.); Communist party banned 1962
Member of: 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
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abderrahmane BENSID;
Chancery at 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
