Algeria Economy, Population, History and Maps

Algeria is a north African country. Located in the Maghreb, on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, it covers an area of ​​2,381,740 km2, being the second largest country on the African continent, after Sudan. The country is bathed by the Mediterranean Sea, to the north, and borders , to the east, with Tunisia and Libya; to the southeast, with Niger; to the southwest, with Mali and Mauritania; and in the northwest, with Morocco. The main cities are Algiers, the capital, with 1 790 700 residents (2004), Oran (772 900 residents) (2004), Constantina (544 700 residents) (2004), Annaba (253 500 residents) (2004) and Bâtna (258,800 residents) (2004). More than 85% of the south of the country is occupied by the Sahara desert and is completely uninhabited.

Climate

The coastal strip has a temperate Mediterranean climate and the rest of the territory has a warm desert climate, progressively more harsh as it progresses south.

Economy
The economy of Algeria is based mainly on the exploitation of oil and natural gas, products that dominate exports. The remaining wealth of the country corresponds to the extractive industry of iron ore, mineral phosphate and mercury.

Arable land covers only 3% of Algerian territory and only a small part of arable land is irrigable. The dominant crops are wheat, barley, potatoes, tomatoes, grapes, onions, dates, oranges and olives. Algeria’s main trading partners are France, Italy, Spain, the United States of America and Germany. Environmental indicator: the value of carbon dioxide emissions, per capita (metric tons, 1999), is 3.0.

Population
The population of Algeria is 32 930 091 residents (est. 2006), which corresponds to a density of 13.66 residents/km 2 . It is estimated that in 2025 the population will be about 44 million residents. The birth rate is 17.14% o and the mortality rate is 4.61%o . Average life expectancy reaches 73.26 years. The value of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.704 and the value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) is 0.687 (2001). In terms of ethnic composition, Arabs (80%) and Berbers (20%) dominate. The mostly practiced religion is the Sunni Muslim. The official language is Arabic.

History
In 1962, after Algeria became independent from France, after an eight-year war, the National Liberation Front (FLN) seized power and instituted a socialist system, under the leadership of Ahmed Ben Bella. However, corruption and maladministration have created political instability. The FLN was forced to call multi-party elections. The Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), a fundamentalist-inspired party, emerged as an important political force. In 1991, a military group seized power. Algeria became a political-military regime whose prime minister ruled with a provisional legislative chamber. From there, the FIS launched a campaign of terrorist violence. For Algeria democracy and rights, please check getzipcodes.

On April 15, 1999 M. Abdelaziz Bouteflika was elected President of the Democratic and People’s Republic of Algeria.

  • Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Algeria, sorted by city location and acronyms.
  • Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Algeria. Listed by popularity.

1UpTravel.com – Maps of Algeria

Check out the city, country, political and shaded relief maps of this Northern African country, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. View the city maps of Algiers and Oran.

Website: http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/algeria.html

Algeria – Arab.net Geography

Provides a relief map that reveals the locations of the African nation’s major cities. Includes links to history, culture, and business.

Website: http://www.arab.net/algeria/geography/aa_map.html

Algeria – University of Texas Library

Offers a political and a shaded-relief map of the African country. Also includes a couple from the US State Department.

Website: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/algeria.ht

Algiers – Expedia Map

Features a dynamic color map with zooming and printing abilities. Locate key population centers and geographic features.

Website: http://maps.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=mmvw&msds=6605CCE

MSN Encarta Maps – Algeria

Access a high-end graphical map of Algeria and study the country’s key cities and villages, land features, and bordering nations.

Website: http://encarta.msn.com/maps/mapview.asp?mi=T630038A&ms=0