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Compare Cuba (2004) - Algeria (2008)

Compare Cuba (2004) z Algeria (2008)

 Cuba (2004)Algeria (2008)
 CubaAlgeria
Administrative divisions 14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara 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% (male 1,163,741; female 1,102,391)


15-64 years: 69.8% (male 3,949,197; female 3,948,196)


65 years and over: 10.1% (male 528,162; female 617,077) (2004 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 sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle
Airports 170 (2003 est.) 150 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 79


over 3,047 m: 7


2,438 to 3,047 m: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 20


914 to 1,523 m: 6


under 914 m: 37 (2004 est.)
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: 91


914 to 1,523 m: 29


under 914 m: 62 (2004 est.)
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: 110,860 sq km


land: 110,860 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 2,381,740 sq km


land: 2,381,740 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Pennsylvania slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas
Background The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule was severe and exploitative and occasional rebellions were harshly suppressed. It was US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the regime together since then. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. Some 2,500 Cubans attempted the crossing of the Straits of Florida in 2003; the US Coast Guard apprehended about 60% of the individuals. 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 activities of extremist militants. The 2006 merger of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) with al-Qaida (followed by a change of name to al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb) signaled an increase in bombings, including high-profile, mass-casualty suicide attacks targeted against the Algerian government and Western interests. 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 12.18 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 17.11 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $17.21 billion


expenditures: $18.28 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
revenues: $58.5 billion


expenditures: $41.35 billion (2007 est.)
Capital Havana name: Algiers


geographic coordinates: 36 45 N, 3 03 E


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October) 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 3,735 km 998 km
Constitution 24 February 1976, amended July 1992 and June 2002 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: Republic of Cuba


conventional short form: Cuba


local long form: Republica de Cuba


local short form: Cuba
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
Currency Cuban peso (CUP) -
Death rate 7.17 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 4.62 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $12.52 billion (convertible currency); another $15 billion -$20 billion owed to Russia (2003 est.) $3.358 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer James C. CASON; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado, Havana; telephone: [53] (7) 833-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: [53] (7) 833-3700; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland chief of mission: Ambassador Robert S. FORD


embassy: 5 Chemin Cheikh Bachir, El-Ibrahimi, El-Biar 16000 Algiers


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


telephone: [213] 70-08-2000


FAX: [213] 21-60-7355
Diplomatic representation in the US none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Dagoberto RODRIGUEZ Barrera; address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518 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 US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease 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 $68.2 million (1997 est.) $370.6 million (2005 est.)
Economy - overview The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a desire for firm political control. It has undertaken limited reforms to increase enterprise efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services. A major feature of the economy is the dichotomy between relatively efficient export enclaves and inefficient domestic sectors. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the depression of the 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. The government reluctantly allows a large dollar market sector, fueled by tourism and remittances from Cubans abroad. 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 14th in oil reserves. Sustained high oil prices in recent years 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 13.38 billion kWh (2001) 27.52 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 275 million kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 359 million kWh (2005 est.)
Electricity - production 14.38 billion kWh (2001) 31.91 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m
lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m


highest point: Tahat 3,003 m
Environment - current issues air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation 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 Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
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 mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 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 Cuban pesos per US dollar - 1.0000 (nonconvertible, official rate, for international transactions, pegged to the US dollar); convertible peso sold for domestic use at a rate of 27 pesos per US dollar by the Government of Cuba (2002) Algerian dinars per US dollar - 69.9 (2007), 72.647 (2006), 73.276 (2005), 72.061 (2004), 77.395 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State and appointed by the National Assembly or the 31-member Council of State, elected by the Assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session


elections: president and vice presidents elected by the National Assembly for a term of five years; election last held 6 March 2003 (next to be held in 2008)


election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz reelected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100%
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 NA (2001) 1.724 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%
Exports - partners Netherlands 21.8%, Canada 16.2%, Russia 10.7%, Spain 8.7%, China 7.3% (2003) US 27.2%, Italy 17%, Spain 9.7%, France 8.8%, Canada 8.1%, Belgium 4.3% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center; design influenced by the US flag 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


note: the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion)
GDP purchasing power parity - $32.13 billion (2003 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 5.5%


industry: 26.9%


services: 67.6% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 8.1%


industry: 61%


services: 30.9% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $2,900 (2003 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 2.6% (2003 est.) 4.6% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 21 30 N, 80 00 W 28 00 N, 3 00 E
Geography - note largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
Heliports - 2 (2007)
Highways total: 60,858 km


paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway)


unpaved: 31,038 km (1999 est.)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 26.8% (1995)
Illicit drugs territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for cocaine and heroin bound for the US and Europe; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999 -
Imports NA (2001) 12,390 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners Spain 16.6%, Venezuela 12.5%, Italy 8.6%, US 8.5%, China 7.7%, Canada 5.4%, Mexico 5.3%, France 4.9% (2003) France 22%, Italy 8.6%, China 8.5%, Germany 5.9%, Spain 5.9%, US 4.8%, Turkey 4.5% (2006)
Independence 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902) 5 July 1962 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 2.4% (2003 est.) 5% (2007 est.)
Industries sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing
Infant mortality rate total: 6.45 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 7.25 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 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) 4.1% (2003 est.) 4.6% (2007 est.)
International organization participation ACP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO 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, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land 870 sq km (1998 est.) 5,690 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice president, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly) Supreme Court
Labor force 4.58 million


note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2003 est.)
9.38 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 24%, industry 25%, services 51% (1999) agriculture 14%, industry 13.4%, construction and public works 10%, trade 14.6%, government 32%, other 16% (2003 est.)
Land boundaries total: 29 km


border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km


note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part of Cuba
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: 33.05%


permanent crops: 7.6%


other: 59.35% (2001)
arable land: 3.17%


permanent crops: 0.28%


other: 96.55% (2005)
Languages Spanish Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Legal system based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; 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 Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (609 seats, elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions; members serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 19 January 2003 (next to be held in NA 2008)


election results: percent of vote - PCC 97.6%; seats - PCC 609
bicameral Parliament consists of the National People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Al-Shabi 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 - NA; 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: 77.04 years


male: 74.77 years


female: 79.44 years (2004 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: 97%


male: 97.2%


female: 96.9% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 69.9%


male: 79.6%


female: 60.1% (2002 est.)
Location Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Africa
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm
Merchant marine total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 54,818 GRT/81,850 DWT


by type: bulk 3, cargo 4, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2


registered in other countries: 35 (2004 est.)
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 - note Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993 -
Military branches Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR): Revolutionary Army (ER), Revolutionary Navy (MGR), Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Territorial Militia Troops (MTT), Youth Labor Army (EJT) National Popular Army (ANP; includes Land Forces), Algerian National Navy (MRA), Air Force (QJJ), Territorial Air Defense Force (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $572.3 million (2003) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.8% (2003) 3.3% (2006)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 3,134,622


females age 15-49: 3,075,534 (2004 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 1,929,370


females age 15-49: 1,888,498 (2004 est.)
-
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 83,992


females: 91,901 (2004 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 10 December (1898); note - 10 December 1898 is the date of independence from Spain, 20 May 1902 is the date of independence from US administration; Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953) Revolution Day, 1 November (1954)
Nationality noun: Cuban(s)


adjective: Cuban
noun: Algerian(s)


adjective: Algerian
Natural hazards the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season
Natural resources cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
Net migration rate -1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
People - note illicit migration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; some 2,500 Cubans took to the Straits of Florida in 2002; the US Coast Guard interdicted about 60% of these migrants; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US; some 1,500 Cubans arrived overland via the southwest border and direct flights to Miami in 2002 -
Pipelines gas 49 km; oil 230 km (2004) condensate 1,532 km; gas 13,861 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,408 km; oil 6,878 km (2007)
Political parties and leaders only party - Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary] 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) [Mohamed BOULAHIA]; 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 NA The Algerian Human Rights League or LADDH [Hocine ZEHOUANE]; SOS Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET]
Population 11,308,764 (July 2004 est.) 33,333,216 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 25% (2005 est.)
Population growth rate 0.34% (2004 est.) 1.216% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Cienfuegos, Havana, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas, Santiago de Cuba -
Radio broadcast stations AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999)
Railways total: 4,226 km


standard gauge: 4,226 km 1.435-m gauge (140 km electrified)


note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar plantations; about 65% of this track is standard gauge; the rest is narrow gauge (2003)
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 nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 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 16 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system; cellular service, initially restricted, was opened to public access in 2003


domestic: national fiber-optic system scheduled to be completed by end of 2003; 85% of switches digitized by end of 2002 with entire system by end 2003; telephone line density remains low; cellular service expanding


international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
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 574,400 (2002) 2.841 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 17,900 (2002) 20.998 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 58 (1997) 46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Total fertility rate 1.66 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.86 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 2.6% (2003 est.) 14.1% (2007 est.)
Waterways 240 km (2004) -
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