food and beverages, consumer goods
Imports - partners: France 29%, US 9%, Italy 8%, Germany 6%, Spain 5% (2000)
Debt - external: $24.7 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $100 million (1999 est.)
Currency: Algerian dinar (DZD)
Currency code: DZD
Exchange rates: Algerian dinars per US dollar - 77.889 (January 2002), 77.215 (2001), 75.260 (2000), 66.574 (1999), 58.739 (1998), 57.707 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Algeria
Telephones - main lines in use: 2.3 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 33,500 (1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: telephone density in Algeria is very low, not exceeding five telephones per 100 persons; the number of fixed main lines increased in the last few years to a little more than 2,000,000, but only about two-thirds of these have subscribers; much of the infrastructure is outdated and inefficient domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic earth stations are planned) international: 5 submarine cables; microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat (1998)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999)
Radios: 7.1 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions: 3.1 million (1997)
Internet country code: .dz
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 180,000 (2001)
Transportation Algeria
Railways: total: 4,820 km standard gauge: 3,664 km 1.435-m gauge (301 km electrified; 215 km double-track) narrow gauge: 1,156 km 1.055-m gauge (1999 est.)
Highways: total: 104,000 km paved: 71,656 km (including 640 km of expressways) unpaved: 32,344 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 6,612 km; petroleum products 298 km; natural gas 2,948 km
Ports and harbors: Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Beni Saf, Dellys,
Djendjene, Ghazaouet, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda, Tenes
Merchant marine: total: 73 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 903,944 GRT/1,051,433 DWT ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 25, chemical tanker 7, liquefied gas 10, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 12, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 1, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: United Arab Emirates 2 (2002 est.)
Airports: 136 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 52 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2001) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 84 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 under 914 m: 18 (2001) 914 to 1,523 m: 40
Heliports: 1 (2001)
Military Algeria
Military branches: Peoples National Army (ANP), Algerian National Navy
(ANN), Air Force, Territorial Air Defense, National Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 9,016,048 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 5,513,317 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 388,939 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.87 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4.1% (FY99)
Transnational Issues Algeria
Disputes - international: part of southeastern region claimed by Libya; Algeria supports exiled West Saharan Polisario Front and rejects Moroccan administration of Western Sahara
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Azerbaijan
Introduction
Azerbaijan
Background: Azerbaijan - a nation of Turkic Muslims - has been an independent republic since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a 1`994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost almost 20% of its territory and must support some 750,000 refugees and internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous and the promise of widespread wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources remains largely unfulfilled.
Geography Azerbaijan
Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 40 30 N, 47 30 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 86,600 sq km note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan
Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy
was abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991 water:
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries: total: 2,013 km border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km, est.)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: dry, semiarid steppe
Terrain: large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it
below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag
Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi
(Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point:
