Algeria – Facts and figures
Last update: October 2010
Country: The Democratic Republic of Algeria (El-djumhuriya el-djazairiya ed dimukratiya esch-shaâbiya)
Climate: Mediterranean climate in the coastal zone, otherwise desert climate
Location: 1,200 km long Mediterranean coast, 6,000 km border to Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Western Sahara and Morocco
Size: 2.38 million square kilometers (7 times the size of Germany)
Capital: Algiers (over 3 million inhabitants)
Population: about 33 million Arabs and Berbers, growth rate about 1.8% pA (declining), 70% under 30 years (Germany: 33%)
Country language: Arabic, Mazir; Traffic language also French
Religion: Islam, Sunni (state religion), under 3% Christians
National Day: 1 November (beginning of the independence struggle in 1954)
Independence: 5 July 1962
Government: Republic
Parliament: two chambers: National Assembly and Senate
Head of state: Abdelaziz Bouteflika (since 1999, re-elected on 9 April 2009 for 5 years)
Head of government: Ahmed Ouyahia (since 23.06.2008)
Foreign Minister: Mourad Medelci (since 4 June 2007)
President of the Parliament: Abdelaziz Ziari (FLN, since 31.05.2007)
Senate President: Abdelkader Bensalah (RND)
Government Sections: FLN – Front de Libération Nationale (136 seats), former unitary unit of the Liberation Army; RND – Rassemblement National Démocratique (62 seats), republican rallying movement close to the President; MSP – Mouvement de la Société pour la Paix (51 seats), ex-Hamas, moderate Islamic;
Opposition in Parliament: Independent (33 seats); PT – Parti des Travailleurs (26), spiteful; RCD – Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie (19); FNA – Front National Algérien (15); MNND – Mouvement national pour la nature et le développement (7); MN – Mouvement Ennahda (5), islamistic; MJD – Mouvement pour la jeunesse et la démocratie (5); ANR – Alliance national républicaine (4); MEN – Mouvement de l’Entente National (4); PRA – Parti du renouveau algérien (4); MRN – Mouvement de la Réforme National (El Islah) (3), islamistic; MEI – Mouvement El Infitah (3); FNIC – front national des indépendants pour la concorde (3); AHD 54 (2); MNE – Mouvement nationale d’espérance (2); RPR – Rassemblement patriotique républicain (2); RA – Rassemblement algérien (1); FND – Front national démocratique (1);
Trade unions: UGTA (Générale des Travailleurs Algériens), as well as independent trade unions
Administrative structure: 48 administrative areas (Wilayate), divided into 1541 municipalities
Membership in international organizations: the United Nations and its specialized agencies, the World Bank, the IMF, the AU (African Union), the Arab League, the OIC (Organization of the Islamic Conference), the OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting States), the UMA (Union of the Arab Maghreb) ) ”
Main media: radio and television (only state): ENTV (Entreprise Nationale de la Télévision); ENRS (Entreprise Nationale de la Radio Sonore);
Daily newspapers (selection): French: Le Quotidien d’Oran, Liberté, El Watan, L’Expression, El Moudjahid, La Tribune, La Nouvelle République, Le Jeune Indépendant, Le Soir d’Algérie; Arabic: El Khabar, El Youm, El Ennahar, Echourouk El Yaoumi
Currency: 1 euro equals (13 September 2010) about 96.12 Algerian Dinar (DZD)
Gross domestic product (GDP): 160 billion USD
GDP per capita: 4,064.39 USD according to Algerian statistics
According to the World Development Report 2009 of the UNDP (Development Program of the United Nations), Algeria is ranked 104th among 182 countries, Germany (22nd)