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Compare China (2006) - Algeria (2007)

Compare China (2006) z Algeria (2007)

 China (2006)Algeria (2007)
 ChinaAlgeria
Administrative divisions 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural)


provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan)


autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Xizang (Tibet)


municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin


note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau
48 provinces (wilayat, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen
Age structure 0-14 years: 20.8% (male 145,461,833/female 128,445,739)


15-64 years: 71.4% (male 482,439,115/female 455,960,489)


65 years and over: 7.7% (male 48,562,635/female 53,103,902) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 27.2% (male 4,627,479/female 4,447,468)


15-64 years: 67.9% (male 11,413,121/female 11,235,096)


65 years and over: 4.8% (male 752,058/female 857,994) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle
Airports 486 (2006) 150 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 403


over 3,047 m: 56


2,438 to 3,047 m: 127


1,524 to 2,437 m: 138


914 to 1,523 m: 22


under 914 m: 60 (2006)
total: 52


over 3,047 m: 10


2,438 to 3,047 m: 27


1,524 to 2,437 m: 10


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 83


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 13


914 to 1,523 m: 25


under 914 m: 39 (2006)
total: 98


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 26


914 to 1,523 m: 44


under 914 m: 25 (2007)
Area total: 9,596,960 sq km


land: 9,326,410 sq km


water: 270,550 sq km
total: 2,381,740 sq km


land: 2,381,740 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than the US slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas
Background For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962. Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), has dominated politics ever since. Many Algerians in the subsequent generation were not satisfied, however, and moved to counter the FLN's centrality in Algerian politics. The surprising first round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991 balloting spurred the Algerian army to intervene and postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. The army began a crackdown on the FIS that spurred FIS supporters to begin attacking government targets. The government later allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate religious-based parties, but did not appease the activists who progressively widened their attacks. The fighting escalated into an insurgency, which saw intense fighting between 1992-98 and which resulted in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate massacres of villagers by extremists. The government gained the upper hand by the late-1990s and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000. However, small numbers of armed militants persist in confronting government forces and conducting ambushes and occasional attacks on villages. The army placed Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA in the presidency in 1999 in a fraudulent election but claimed neutrality in his 2004 landslide reelection victory. Longstanding problems continue to face BOUTEFLIKA in his second term, including the ethnic minority Berbers' ongoing autonomy campaign, large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing, unreliable electrical and water supplies, government inefficiencies and corruption, and the continuing - although significantly degraded - activities of extremist militants. Algeria must also diversify its petroleum-based economy, which has yielded a large cash reserve but which has not been used to redress Algeria's many social and infrastructure problems.
Birth rate 13.25 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 17.11 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $392.1 billion


expenditures: $424.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $49.91 billion


expenditures: $33.49 billion (2006 est.)
Capital name: Beijing


geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 116 24 E


time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


note: despite its size, all of China falls within one time zone
name: Algiers


geographic coordinates: 36 45 N, 3 03 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer
Coastline 14,500 km 998 km
Constitution most recent promulgation 4 December 1982 8 September 1963; revised 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996
Country name conventional long form: People's Republic of China


conventional short form: China


local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo


local short form: Zhongguo


abbreviation: PRC
conventional long form: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria


conventional short form: Algeria


local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah


local short form: Al Jaza'ir
Death rate 6.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 4.62 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $252.8 billion (2005 est.) $4.413 billion (2006 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr.


embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing


mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002


telephone: [86] (10) 6532-3831


FAX: [86] (10) 6532-3178


consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau, Shanghai, Shenyang
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert S. FORD


embassy: 04 Chemin Cheikh Bachir Ibrahimi El-Biar 16030, Algiers


mailing address: B. P. 408, Alger-Gare, 16030 Algiers


telephone: [213] (021) 69-12-55


FAX: [213] (021) 69-39-79
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador ZHOU Wenzhong


chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500


FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco
chief of mission: Ambassador Amine KHERBI


chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800


FAX: [1] (202) 667-2174
Disputes - international in 2005, China and India began drafting principles to resolve all aspects of their extensive boundary and territorial disputes together with a security and foreign policy dialogue to consolidate discussions related to the boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, and other matters; recent talks and confidence-building measures have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; about 90,000 ethnic Tibetan exiles reside primarily in India as well as Nepal and Bhutan; China asserts sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the Spratlys but is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties; Vietnam and China continue to expand construction of facilities in the Spratlys and in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord on marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; China and Taiwan have become more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared equidistance line in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting; certain islands in the Yalu and Tumen rivers are in an uncontested dispute with North Korea and a section of boundary around Mount Paektu is considered indefinite; China seeks to stem illegal migration of tens of thousands of North Koreans; China and Russia prepare to demarcate the boundary agreed to in October 2004 between the long-disputed islands at the Amur and Ussuri; demarcation of the China-Vietnam boundary proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004, implementation has been delayed; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand remain concerned about China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province Algeria supports the Polisario Front exiled in Algeria and who represent the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic; Algeria rejects Moroccan administration of Western Sahara; most of the approximately 90,000 Western Saharan Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria; Algeria's border with Morocco remains an irritant to bilateral relations, each nation accusing the other of harboring militants and arms smuggling; Algeria remains concerned about armed bandits operating throughout the Sahel who sometimes destabilize southern Algerian towns; dormant disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km still reflected on its maps of southeastern Algeria and the FLN's assertions of a claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco
Economic aid - recipient $NA $370.6 million (2005 est.)
Economy - overview China's economy during the last quarter century has changed from a centrally planned system that was largely closed to international trade to a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly growing private sector and is a major player in the global economy. Reforms started in the late 1970s with the phasing out of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, the foundation of a diversified banking system, the development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment. China has generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion. The process continues with key moves in 2005 including the sale of equity in China's largest state banks to foreign investors and refinements in foreign exchange and bond markets. The restructuring of the economy and resulting efficiency gains have contributed to a more than tenfold increase in GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, China in 2005 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US, although in per capita terms the country is still lower middle-income and 150 million Chinese fall below international poverty lines. Economic development has generally been more rapid in coastal provinces than in the interior, and there are large disparities in per capita income between regions. The government has struggled to: (a) sustain adequate job growth for tens of millions of workers laid off from state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new entrants to the work force; (b) reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) contain environmental damage and social strife related to the economy's rapid transformation. From 100 to 150 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, many subsisting through part-time, low-paying jobs. One demographic consequence of the "one child" policy is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world. Another long-term threat to growth is the deterioration in the environment - notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table, especially in the north. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. China has benefited from a huge expansion in computer Internet use, with more than 100 million users at the end of 2005. Foreign investment remains a strong element in China's remarkable expansion in world trade and has been an important factor in the growth of urban jobs. In July 2005, China revalued its currency by 2.1% against the US dollar and moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies. Reports of shortages of electric power in the summer of 2005 in southern China receded by September-October and did not have a substantial impact on China's economy. More power generating capacity is scheduled to come on line in 2006 as large scale investments are completed. Thirteen years in construction at a cost of $24 billion, the immense Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze River will be essentially completed in 2006 and will revolutionize electrification and flood control in the area. The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2005 approved the draft 11th Five-Year Plan and the National People's Congress is expected to give final approval in March 2006. The plan calls for a 20% reduction in energy consumption per unit of GDP by 2010 and an estimated 45% increase in GDP by 2010. The plan states that conserving resources and protecting the environment are basic goals, but it lacks details on the policies and reforms necessary to achieve these goals. The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of GDP, and over 95% of export earnings. Algeria has the eighth-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the fourth-largest gas exporter; it ranks 18th in oil reserves. Sustained high oil prices in recent years, along with macroeconomic policy reforms supported by the IMF, have helped improve Algeria's financial and macroeconomic indicators. Algeria is running substantial trade surpluses and building up record foreign exchange reserves. Algeria has decreased its external debt to less than 10% of GDP after repaying its Paris Club and London Club debt in 2006. Real GDP has risen due to higher oil output and increased government spending. The government's continued efforts to diversify the economy by attracting foreign and domestic investment outside the energy sector, however, has had little success in reducing high unemployment and improving living standards. Structural reform within the economy, such as development of the banking sector and the construction of infrastructure, moves ahead slowly hampered by corruption and bureaucratic resistance.
Electricity - consumption 2.17 trillion kWh (2004) 27.52 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - exports 10.6 billion kWh (2003) 275 million kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - imports 1.546 billion kWh (2003) 359 million kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - production 2.19 trillion kWh (2004) 31.91 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m


highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m
lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m


highest point: Tahat 3,003 m
Environment - current issues air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in endangered species soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1% Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%


note: almost all Algerians are Berber in origin, not Arab; the minority who identify themselves as Berber live mostly in the mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers; the Berbers are also Muslim but identify with their Berber rather than Arab cultural heritage; Berbers have long agitated, sometimes violently, for autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has offered to begin sponsoring teaching Berber language in schools
Exchange rates yuan per US dollar - 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004), 8.277 (2003), 8.277 (2002), 8.2771 (2001) Algerian dinars per US dollar - 72.647 (2006), 73.276 (2005), 72.061 (2004), 77.395 (2003), 79.682 (2002)
Executive branch chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) and Vice President ZENG Qinghong (since 15 March 2003)


head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003); Executive Vice Premier HUANG Ju (since 17 March 2003), Vice Premiers WU Yi (17 March 2003), ZENG Peiyan (since 17 March 2003), and HUI Liangyu (since 17 March 2003)


cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC)


elections: president and vice president elected by the National People's Congress for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 15-17 March 2003 (next to be held mid-March 2008); premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National People's Congress


election results: HU Jintao elected president by the 10th National People's Congress with a total of 2,937 votes (four delegates voted against him, four abstained, and 38 did not vote); ZENG Qinghong elected vice president by the 10th National People's Congress with a total of 2,578 votes (177 delegates voted against him, 190 abstained, and 38 did not vote); two seats were vacant
chief of state: President Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (since 28 April 1999)


head of government: Prime Minister Abdelaziz BELKHADEM


cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA reelected president for second term; percent of vote - Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA 85%, Ali BENFLIS 6.4%, Abdellah DJABALLAH 5%
Exports 340,300 bbl/day (2004) 1.724 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, plastics, optical and medical equipment, iron and steel petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%
Exports - partners US 21.4%, Hong Kong 16.3%, Japan 11%, South Korea 4.6%, Germany 4.3% (2005) US 27.3%, Italy 17.1%, Spain 9.4%, France 8.8%, Canada 8.2%, Belgium 4.3% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white; a red, five-pointed star within a red crescent centered over the two-color boundary; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 12.5%


industry: 47.3%


services: 40.3%


note: industry includes construction (2005 est.)
agriculture: 8.4%


industry: 60.6%


services: 31% (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 10.2% (official data) (2005 est.) 2.9% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 35 00 N, 105 00 E 28 00 N, 3 00 E
Geography - note world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
Heliports 32 (2006) 2 (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.4%


highest 10%: 30.4% (1998)
lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 26.8% (1995)
Illicit drugs major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors and methamphetamine -
Imports 3.226 million bbl/day (2004) 12,390 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, oil and mineral fuels, plastics, optical and medical equipment, organic chemicals, iron and steel capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners Japan 15.2%, South Korea 11.6%, Taiwan 11.2%, US 7.4%, Germany 4.6% (2005) France 22.1%, Italy 8.6%, China 8.6%, Germany 5.9%, Spain 5.6%, US 4.8%, Turkey 4.5% (2006)
Independence 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Manchu Dynasty replaced by a Republic); 1 October 1949 (People's Republic established) 5 July 1962 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 29.5% (2005 est.) 10% (2006 est.)
Industries mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products, including footwear, toys, and electronics; food processing; transportation equipment, including automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing
Infant mortality rate total: 23.12 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 20.6 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 25.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total: 28.78 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 32.45 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 24.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.8% (2005 est.) 2.6% (2006 est.)
International organization participation AfDB, APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BCIE, BIS, CDB, EAS, FAO, G-24 (observer), G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BIS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land 545,960 sq km (2003) 5,690 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local Peoples Courts (comprise higher, intermediate, and local courts); Special Peoples Courts (primarily military, maritime, and railway transport courts) Supreme Court
Labor force 791.4 million (2005 est.) 9.31 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 49%


industry: 22%


services: 29% (2003 est.)
agriculture 14%, industry 13.4%, construction and public works 10%, trade 14.6%, government 32%, other 16% (2003 est.)
Land boundaries total: 22,117 km


border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km


regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km
total: 6,343 km


border countries: Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km
Land use arable land: 14.86%


permanent crops: 1.27%


other: 83.87% (2005)
arable land: 3.17%


permanent crops: 0.28%


other: 96.55% (2005)
Languages Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry) Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Legal system based on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continental civil code legal principles; legislature retains power to interpret statutes; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials, including several Supreme Court justices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,985 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held December 2002-February 2003 (next to be held late 2007-February 2008)


election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - NA
bicameral Parliament consists of the National People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (389 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Council of Nations (Senate) (144 seats; one-third of the members appointed by the president, two-thirds elected by indirect vote; to serve six-year terms; the constitution requires half the council to be renewed every three years)


elections: National People's Assembly - last held 17 May 2007 (next to be held in 2012); Council of Nations (Senate) - last held 28 December 2006 (next to be held in 2009)


election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - FLN 23%, RND 10.3%, MSP 9.6%, PT 5.1%, RCD 3.4%, FNA 4.2%, other 34.6%, independents 9.8%; seats by party - FLN 136, RND 61, MSP 52, PT 26, RCD 19, FNA 13, other 49, independents 33; Council of Nations - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FLN 29, RND 12, MSP 3, RCD 1, independents 3, presidential appointees (unknown affiliation) 24; note - Council seating reflects the number of replaced council members rather than the whole Council
Life expectancy at birth total population: 72.58 years


male: 70.89 years


female: 74.46 years (2006 est.)
total population: 73.52 years


male: 71.91 years


female: 75.21 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 90.9%


male: 95.1%


female: 86.5% (2002)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 69.9%


male: 79.6%


female: 60.1% (2002 est.)
Location Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
Map references Asia Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm
Merchant marine total: 1,723 ships (1000 GRT or over) 21,405,633 GRT/32,411,260 DWT


by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 387, cargo 695, chemical tanker 45, combination ore/oil 1, container 152, liquefied gas 31, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 83, petroleum tanker 261, refrigerated cargo 30, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier 14


foreign-owned: 13 (Hong Kong 7, Japan 3, South Korea 2, Norway 1)


registered in other countries: 1,191 (Bahamas 3, Bangladesh 1, Belize 103, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 128, Cyprus 11, Georgia 2, Honduras 3, Hong Kong 274, India 2, North Korea 1, Liberia 35, Malaysia 1, Malta 14, Mongolia 4, Norway 3, Panama 420, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 103, Sierra Leone 2, Singapore 23, Thailand 1, Tuvalu 23, unknown 33) (2006)
total: 35 ships (1000 GRT or over) 694,686 GRT/707,251 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 8, chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas 9, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1


foreign-owned: 12 (UK 12) (2007)
Military branches People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines and naval aviation), Air Force (includes airborne forces), and II Artillery Corps (strategic missile force); People's Armed Police (PAP); Reserve and Militia Forces (2006) National Popular Army (ANP; includes Land Forces), Algerian National Navy (MRA), Air Force (QJJ), Territorial Air Defense Force (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $81.48 billion (2005 est.) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.3% (2005 est.) 3.3% (2006)
National holiday Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1 October (1949) Revolution Day, 1 November (1954)
Nationality noun: Chinese (singular and plural)


adjective: Chinese
noun: Algerian(s)


adjective: Algerian
Natural hazards frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season
Natural resources coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest) petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
Net migration rate -0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines gas 22,664 km; oil 15,256 km; refined products 6,106 km (2006) condensate 1,344 km; gas 85,946 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,213 km; oil 6,496 km (2005)
Political parties and leaders Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao]; eight registered small parties controlled by CCP Ahd 54 [Ali Fauzi REBAINE]; Algerian National Front or FNA [Moussa TOUATI]; National Democratic Rally (Rassemblement National Democratique) or RND [Ahmed OUYAHIA]; Islamic Salvation Front or FIS (outlawed April 1992) [Ali BELHADJ, Dr. Abassi MADANI, Rabeh KEBIR]; National Entente Movement or MEN [Ali BOUKHAZNA]; National Liberation Front or FLN [Abdelaziz BELKHADEM, secretary general]; National Reform Movement or Islah (formerly MRN) [Abdellah DJABALLAH]; National Renewal Party or PRA [Mohamed BENSMAIL]; Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD [Said SADI]; Renaissance Movement or EnNahda Movement [Fatah RABEI]; Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait AHMED]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Ahmed KHELIL]; Society of Peace Movement or MSP [Boudjerra SOLTANI]; Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUNE]


note: a law banning political parties based on religion was enacted in March 1997
Political pressure groups and leaders no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the Falungong spiritual movement and the China Democracy Party as subversive groups The Algerian Human Rights League or LADDH [Hocine ZEHOUANE]; SOS Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET]
Population 1,313,973,713 (July 2006 est.) 33,333,216 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 10% (2001 est.) 25% (2005 est.)
Population growth rate 0.59% (2006 est.) 1.216% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998) AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999)
Railways total: 74,408 km


standard gauge: 74,408 km 1.435-m gauge (19,303 km electrified) (2004)
total: 3,973 km


standard gauge: 2,888 km 1.435-m gauge (283 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2006)
Religions Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%


note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.016 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.877 male(s)/female


total population: 1.015 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns


domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place


international: country code - 86; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); several international fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and Germany (2000)
general assessment: a weak network of fixed-main lines, which remains low at less than 10 telephones per 100 persons, is partially offset by the rapid increase in mobile cellular subscribership; in 2006, combined fixed-line and mobile telephone density surpassed 70 telephones per 100 persons


domestic: privatization of Algeria's telecommunications sector began in 2000; three mobile cellular licenses have been issued and, in 2005, a consortium led by Egypt's Orascom Telecom won a 15-year license to build and operate a fixed-line network in Algeria; the license will allow Orascom to develop high-speed data and other specialized services and contribute to meeting the large unfulfilled demand for basic residential telephony; internet broadband services began in 2003 with approximately 200,000 subscribers in 2006


international: country code - 213; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber- optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East and Asia; microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 51 (Intelsat, Intersputnik, and Arabsat) (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use 350.433 million (2005) 2.841 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 393.428 million (2005) 20.998 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31 are provincial TV stations, and nearly 3,000 are local city stations) (1997) 46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Total fertility rate 1.73 children born/woman (2006 est.) 1.86 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 9% official registered unemployment in urban areas in 2004; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas; an official Chinese journal estimated overall unemployment (including rural areas) for 2003 at 20% (2005 est.) 15.7% (2006 est.)
Waterways 123,964 km (2003) -
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