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Compare Laos (2005) - Algeria (2004)

Compare Laos (2005) z Algeria (2004)

 Laos (2005)Algeria (2004)
 LaosAlgeria
Administrative divisions 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural), 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural), and 1 special zone** (khetphiset, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xaisomboun**, Xekong, Xiangkhoang 48 provinces (wilayas, 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: 41.6% (male 1,300,094/female 1,289,227)


15-64 years: 55.2% (male 1,693,494/female 1,737,196)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 88,744/female 108,386) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 29.9% (male 4,893,971; female 4,705,933)


15-64 years: 65.5% (male 10,593,840; female 10,443,300)


65 years and over: 4.6% (male 703,420; female 788,860) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice, water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle
Airports 44 (2004 est.) 137 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 9


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 3 (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 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 35


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 13


under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
total: 85


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 26


914 to 1,523 m: 38


under 914 m: 19 (2004 est.)
Area total: 236,800 sq km


land: 230,800 sq km


water: 6,000 sq km
total: 2,381,740 sq km


land: 2,381,740 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than Utah slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas
Background Laos was under the control of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao took control of the government, ending a six-century-old monarchy. Initial closer ties to Vietnam and socialization were replaced with a gradual return to private enterprise, a liberalization of foreign investment laws, and the admission into ASEAN in 1997. 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 crack down 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 1992-1998 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. A number of 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. Algeria assumed a two-year seat on the UN Security Council in January 2004.
Birth rate 35.99 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 17.76 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $284.3 million


expenditures: $416.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $25.49 billion


expenditures: $22.87 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.8 billion (2003 est.)
Capital Vientiane Algiers
Climate tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April) 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 0 km (landlocked) 998 km
Constitution promulgated 14 August 1991 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996
Country name conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic


conventional short form: Laos


local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao


local short form: none
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 - Algerian dinar (DZD)
Death rate 11.83 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 4.61 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $2.49 billion (2001) $22.71 billion (2003 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia M. HASLACH


embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, B. P. 114, Vientiane


mailing address: American Embassy, Box V, APO AP 96546


telephone: [856] (21) 212581, 212582, 212585


FAX: [856] (21) 212584
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. ERDMAN


embassy: 4 Chemin Cheikh Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers


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


telephone: [213] (21) 691-425/255/186


FAX: [213] (21) 69-39-79
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador PHANTHONG Phommahaxay


chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416


FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)


chancery: 2137 Wyoming Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800


FAX: [1] (202) 667-2174
Disputes - international Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Laos and Thailand pledge to complete demarcation of boundaries in 2005, while ongoing disputes over squatters and boundary encroachment by Thailand including Mekong River islets persist; in 2004 Cambodian-Laotian boundary commission agrees to re-erect missing markers in two adjoining provinces; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels Algeria supports the exiled Sahrawi Polisario Front and rejects Moroccan administration of Western Sahara; Algeria's border with Morocco remains an irritant to bilateral relations; each nation has accused the other of harboring militants and arms smuggling; in an attempt to improve relations afer unilaterally imposing a visa requirement on Algerians in the early 1990s, Morocco lifted the requirement in mid-2004 - a gesture not reciprocated by Algeria; 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 $243 million (2001 est.) $182 million (2001 est.)
Economy - overview The government of Laos - one of the few remaining official Communist states - began decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely low base, were striking - growth averaged 6% in 1988-2004 except during the short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial crisis beginning in 1997. Despite this high growth rate, Laos remains a country with a primitive infrastructure; it has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, and limited external and internal telecommunications. The government has sponsored major improvements in the road system. Electricity is available in only a few urban areas. Subsistence agriculture accounts for half of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from aid from the IMF and other international sources and from new foreign investment in food processing and mining. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to face lower tariffs on their exports; this may help spur growth. 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 seventh-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the second-largest gas exporter; it ranks 14th in oil reserves. Economic policy reforms supported by the IMF and debt rescheduling from the Paris Club in the past decade have helped improve Algeria's financial and macroeconomic indicators. Because of sustained high oil prices in the past three years, Algeria's finances have further benefited from substantial trade surpluses and record foreign exchange reserves. 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 moves ahead slowly.
Electricity - consumption 3.036 billion kWh (2002) 22.9 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 400 million kWh (2002) 340 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 125 million kWh (2002) 275 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 3.56 billion kWh (2002) 24.69 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Mekong River 70 m


highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m


highest point: Tahat 3,003 m
Environment - current issues unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water 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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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 Lao Loum (lowland) 68%, Lao Theung (upland) 22%, Lao Soung (highland) including the Hmong and the Yao 9%, ethnic Vietnamese/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 Algeirs; 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 kips per US dollar - 10,820 (2004), 10,569 (2003), 10,056.3 (2002), 8,954.6 (2001), 7,887.6 (2000) Algerian dinars per US dollar - 77.395 (2003), 79.6819 (2002), 77.215 (2001), 75.2598 (2000), 66.5739 (1999)
Executive branch chief of state: President Gen. KHAMTAI Siphadon (since 26 February 1998) and Vice President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 27 March 2001)


head of government: Prime Minister BOUNGNANG Volachit (since 27 March 2001); First Deputy Prime Minister Bouasone BOUPHAVANH (since 3 October 2003) Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Deputy Prime Minister THONGLOUN Sisolit (since 27 March 2001), and Deputy Prime Minister SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the National Assembly


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007); prime minister appointed by the president with the approval of the National Assembly for a five-year term


election results: KHAMTAI Siphadon elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA%
chief of state: President Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (since 28 April 1999)


head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed OUYAHIA (since 9 May 2003)


cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 8 April 2004 (next to be held NA 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%, Abdallah DJABALLAH 5%
Exports NA NA (2001)
Exports - commodities garments, wood products, coffee, electricity, tin petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%
Exports - partners Thailand 19.3%, Vietnam 13.4%, France 8%, Germany 5.3%, UK 5% (2004) Italy 19.5%, US 18.5%, France 13.6%, Spain 11.2%, Canada 6.2%, Belgium 5.1%, Brazil 4.9% (2003)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September calendar year
Flag description three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band 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 - purchasing power parity - $196 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 49.5%


industry: 27.5%


services: 23% (2004 est.)
agriculture: 10.2%


industry: 56.5%


services: 33.4% (2003)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2004 est.) purchasing power parity - $6,000 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6% (2004 est.) 7.4% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 00 N, 105 00 E 28 00 N, 3 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
Heliports - 1 (2003 est.)
Highways total: 21,716 km


paved: 9,664 km


unpaved: 12,052 km (1999 est.)
total: 104,000 km


paved: 71,656 km (including 640 km of expressways)


unpaved: 32,344 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.2%


highest 10%: 30.6% (1997)
lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 26.8% (1995)
Illicit drugs estimated cultivation in 2004 - 10,000 hectares, a 45% decrease from 2003; estimated potential production in 2004 - 49 metric tons, a significant decrease from 200 metric tons in 2003 (2005) -
Imports NA NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners Thailand 60.5%, China 10.3%, Vietnam 7.1%, Singapore 4% (2004) France 30.9%, Italy 9.6%, Spain 6.1%, Germany 5.5%, China 4.6%, Turkey 4.1% (2003)
Independence 19 July 1949 (from France) 5 July 1962 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate 9.7% (2001 est.) 6% (2003 est.)
Industries tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing
Infant mortality rate total: 85.22 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 95.04 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 75.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
total: 32.16 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 36.06 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 28.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 12.3% (2004 est.) 3.5% (2003 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BIS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Irrigated land 1,640 sq km


note: rainy season irrigation - 2,169 sq km; dry season irrigation - 750 sq km (1998 est.)
5,600 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme Court is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National Assembly Standing Committee) Supreme Court or Court Supreme
Labor force 2.6 million (2001 est.) 9.6 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80% (1997 est.) agriculture 14%, industry 13.4%, construction and public works 10%, trade 14.6%, government 32%, other 16% (2003 est.)
Land boundaries total: 5,083 km


border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 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: 3.8%


permanent crops: 0.35%


other: 95.85% (2001)
arable land: 3.22%


permanent crops: 0.25%


other: 96.53% (2001)
Languages Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Legal system based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice 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 (109 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - total number of seats increased from 99 to 109 for the 2002 election)


elections: last held 24 February 2002 (next to be held in 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - LPRP or LPRP-approved (independent, non-party members) 109
bicameral Parliament consists of the National People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (389 seats - changed from 380 seats in the 2002 elections; 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; members serve six-year terms; the constitution requires half the council to be renewed every three years)


elections: National People's Assembly - last held 30 May 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); Council of Nations (Senate) - last held 30 December 2003 (next to be held NA 2009)


election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FLN 199, RND 48, Islah 43, MSP 38, PT 21, FNA 8, EnNahda 1, PRA 1, MEN 1, independents 29; Council of Nations - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party NA
Life expectancy at birth total population: 55.08 years


male: 53.07 years


female: 57.17 years (2005 est.)
total population: 72.74 years


male: 71.22 years


female: 74.34 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 66.4%


male: 77.4%


female: 55.5% (2002)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 70%


male: 78.8%


female: 61% (2003 est.)
Location Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
Map references Southeast Asia Africa
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm
Merchant marine total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT


by type: cargo 1 (2005)
total: 59 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 837,676 GRT/929,847 DWT


by type: bulk 9, cargo 16, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas 10, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 9, short-sea/passenger 4, specialized tanker 1


foreign-owned: United Kingdom 4


registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.)
Military - note Laos is one of the world's least developed countries; the Lao People's Armed Forces are small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; there is little political will to allocate sparse funding to the military, and the armed forces' gradual degradation is likely to continue; the massive drug production and trafficking industry centered in the Golden Triangle makes Laos an important narcotics transit country, and armed Wa and Chinese smugglers are active on the Lao-Burma border (2005) -
Military branches Lao People's Army (LPA; includes Riverine Force), Air Force People's National Army (ANP; includes Ground Forces), Algerian National Navy (ANN), Air Force (QJA), Territorial Air Defense
Military expenditures - dollar figure $10.7 million (2004) $2,196.6 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.5% (2004) 3.5% (2003)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 9,311,747 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 5,675,739 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 373,235 (2004 est.)
National holiday Republic Day, 2 December (1975) Revolution Day, 1 November (1954)
Nationality noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)


adjective: Lao or Laotian
noun: Algerian(s)


adjective: Algerian
Natural hazards floods, droughts mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season
Natural resources timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) -0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines refined products 540 km (2004) condensate 1,344 km; gas 85,946 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,213 km; oil 6,496 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [KHAMTAI Siphadon, party president]; other parties proscribed Algerian National Front or FNA [Moussa TOUATI]; Democratic National Rally or RND [Ahmed OUYAHIA, chairman]; Islamic Salvation Front or FIS (outlawed April 1992) [Ali BELHADJ and Dr. Abassi MADANI, Rabeh KEBIR (self-exiled in Germany)]; National Entente Movement or MEN [Ali BOUKHAZNA]; National Liberation Front or FLN [Abdelaziz BELKHADEM, secretary general (also serves as Foreign Minister)]; National Reform Movement or Islah (formerly MRN) [Abdellah DJABALLAH]; National Renewal Party or PRA [Yacine TERKMANE]; Progressive Republican Party [Khadir DRISS]; Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD [Said SAADI, secretary general]; Renaissance Movement or EnNahda Movement [Fatah RABEI]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Ahmed KHELIL]; Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary general (self-exiled in Switzerland)]; Society of Peace Movement or MSP [Boujerra SOLTANI]; Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUN]


note: a law banning political parties based on religion was enacted in March 1997
Political pressure groups and leaders noncommunist political groups proscribed; most opposition leaders fled the country in 1975 The Algerian Human Rights League or LADH or LADDH [Yahia Ali ABDENOUR]; SOS Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET]
Population 6,217,141 (July 2005 est.) 32,129,324 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 40% (2002 est.) 23% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate 2.42% (2005 est.) 1.28% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors - Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Beni Saf, Dellys, Djendjene, Ghazaouet, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda, Tenes
Radio broadcast stations AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 4 (1998) AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999)
Railways - 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 (2003)
Religions Buddhist 60%, animist and other 40% (including various Christian denominations 1.5%) Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female


total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: service to general public is poor but improving with over 20,000 telephones currently in service and an additional 48,000 expected by 2001; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas


domestic: radiotelephone communications


international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)
general assessment: telephone density in Algeria is very low, not exceeding five telephones per 100 persons; the number of fixed main lines increased in the last few years to a little more than 2,000,000, but only about two-thirds of these have subscribers; much of the infrastructure is outdated and inefficient


domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic earth stations are planned)


international: country code - 213; 5 submarine cables; microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat (1998)
Telephones - main lines in use 61,900 (2002) 2,199,600 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 55,200 (2002) 1,447,310 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 4 (1999) 46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Total fertility rate 4.77 children born/woman (2005 est.) 2.04 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 5.7% (1997 est.) 26.2% (2003 est.)
Waterways 4,600 km


note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2003)
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