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Modern states /
Algeria
The Algerian republic
Arabic:
'al-jumhūriyyatu l-jazā'iriyya
Independent republic in North Africa with 33 million inhabitants (2003 estimate) and an area of 2.4 million km². Its capital is Algiers, and the country is divided into 48 provinces.
Algeria is a democracy, the president has the most power, with the prime minister acting with more limited powers. Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been president since 1999, Abdelaziz Belkhadem prime minister since May 25, 2006.
Algeria is a country that has seen two decades of unrest and even today certain pockets in the northern mountains and a few empty regions in the desert are under great influence, even direct control, of Islamist rebels. Furthermore, many areas in the south are close to autonomous with little control from the national government. Still, most of Algeria is now safe, and well above 90% of the population has lives completely unaffected by the conflict.
Algeria is one of the largest countries of Africa, the largest in North Africa. Its history is defined by geography, the modern state consists of regions with unique identities.
Algeria has great potential for economic growth, but has not succeeded with its structures of state control and socialist mechanisms.
Considering its diverse and spectacular nature and its historical monuments, Algeria has all it needs to attract tourists, but this sector has been deliberately ignored by central authorities.
Algeria has two national days. Independence Day on July 5, in remembrance of actual independence from France in 1962, while Revolution Day on November 1, celebrates the beginning of the fight against France in 1954.
Geography
Water surface: 0 km²
Density: 14 per km²
Borders: A total of 6,643 km. Of this, 1,559 km to Morocco, to Western Sahara 42 km, to Mauritania 463 km, to Mali 1,376 km, Niger 956 km, Libya 982 km, and Tunisia 965 km.
Coastline: 998 km, to the Mediterranean Sea.
Highest point: Tahat 3,003 m
Arable land: 3.2%
Algeria's north is fairly fertile with agricultural land between forested mountains. There are two mountain ranges dominating this region, Atlas and Kabylia.
The desert starts quickly after one leaves the coastal area, at first only as rocky desert, but soon there are large sandy areas. Desert dominates large parts of Algeria's vast territory, and Algeria is among the countries filling most of the world's largest desert, Sahara. There are some settlements all over the desert region. In the south of Algeria the large massif Hoggar is found.
Algeria has been through a troublesome decade, involving civil unrest, terrorism against the population from both the government and from militant Islamists. This has strongly effected the economy and, today, living conditions are not as good as they were in the early 1990's.
Life
Algeria does not perform too well on the Human Development Index where it comes in as no. 102 of the 177 states that are ranked in the world. On a scale with 1 as maximum, Algeria gains 0.728 points.
The currency of Algeria is the dinar (DZD), technically divided to 100 centimes, but due to its value, centimes are not used. It is today a fairly stable currency, exchanging at 73 dinars to US$1 (Apr. 2009).
Algeria's GDP/capita is fairly good at US$7,000 (2008 estimate), with a acceptable 13% unemployment rate and more than half its population below the poverty line.
Algeria's population growth rate is fairly high at 1.2%, which is considerably lower than before. This is exptected to go down in future, as fertility rate is below the ideal 2.1/woman and there is a net-emigration.
Algeria has a well-developed health care system, and life expectancy is high at 74 years.
Algeria is a country of strong identities between its peoples, Arabs and Berbers represent 99% of the population.
The official language of Algeria is Arabic, Berber is spoken by a quarter of the population. French is the main foreign language, the language of much of higher learning and the media, and is still the daily language among a small minority.
Islam is today by all means the dominating religion of Algeria. Some 99% of them are Sunni, but Algeria is also home of the third branch of Islam, the Ibadis.
Algeria never was a region creating expanding empires, but its history stretch deep into the 1st millennium BCE.
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By: Tore Kjeilen
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