ALGERIA is a country located in North Africa. It is the largest country of the Mediterranean sea, the second largest on the African continent and the eleventh-largest country in the world in terms of land area. 

Algeria is bordered by Tunisia in the northeast, Libya in the east, Niger in the southeast, Mali and Mauritania in the southwest, a few kilometers of the Western Sahara in the west, Morocco in the northwest, and the Mediterranean Sea in the north.

Algeria is a member of the Arab League, United Nations, African Union and OPEC. It also contributed towards the creation of the Arab Maghreb Union.

BASIC FACTS

Official name

People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria

Capital

Algiers

Area

2,381,741 sq km
919,595 sq mi

Largest cities (population)

Algiers 3,060,000 (2003 estimate)
Oran 655,852 (1998)
Constantine 462,187 (1998)

Population 

33,739,635 (2008 estimate)

Population growth rate

1.21 per cent (2008 estimate)

Population density 

14 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)
37 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)

Urbanisation

Per cent urban 60 per cent (2005 estimate)
Per cent rural 40 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total 73.8 years (2008 estimate)
Female 75.5 years (2008 estimate)
Male 72.1 years (2008 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

28 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total 72.2 per cent (2005 estimate)
Female 63.6 per cent (2005 estimate)
Male 80.6 per cent (2005 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Arab 83 per cent
Berber 16 per cent
European Less than 1 per cent

Languages

Standard Arabic (official), Algerian Spoken Arabic, Kabyle, Tachawit, French, Algerian Saharan Spoken Arabic, Tamazight, and other Berber languages

Religions

Sunni Muslim (state religion), Christian, Jewish, others

Type of government

Republic

Independence 

July 5 1962 (from France)

Constitution 

November 19, 1976, effective November 22, 1976; revised 1988, 1989, 1996

Voting rights 

Universal at age 18

Economy

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)115 billion (2006)
GDP per capita (US$) 3,440 (2006)
GDP by economic sector
GDP, agriculture 8.5 per cent (2005)
GDP, industry 61.5 per cent (2005)
GDP, services 30.1 per cent (2005)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue 49.76 billion (2006)
Total expenditure 20.21 billion (2006)

Monetary unit

1 Algerian dinar (AD) consisting of 100 centimes

Exports

Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates

Imports

Food items, cereals, consumer goods, machinery, coal

Major trading partners for exports

Italy, United States, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain

Major trading partners for imports

France, Italy, United States, Germany, Spain, Japan

Industries

Petroleum, light industries, natural gas, electrical items, petrochemical products, paper, food processing, cement, iron and steel, carpets, textiles

Agriculture

Wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus fruits, tobacco, sheep, goats, cattle

Natural resources

Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc

Croatia - Montenegro - Albania - Greece - Turkey - Cyprus - Israel
Egypt - Libya - Algeria - Tunisia - Morocco - Spain - France - Italy - Malta