Nepal (2001) | Algeria (2006) | |
Administrative divisions | 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti | 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:
40.35% (male 5,267,234; female 4,933,910) 15-64 years: 56.16% (male 7,264,575; female 6,934,384) 65 years and over: 3.49% (male 437,813; female 446,547) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 28.1% (male 4,722,076/female 4,539,713)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 11,133,802/female 10,964,502) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 735,444/female 834,554) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat | wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle |
Airports | 45 (2000 est.) | 142 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
8 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2000 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 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
37 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 29 (2000 est.) |
total: 90
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 39 under 914 m: 23 (2006) |
Area | total:
140,800 sq km land: 136,800 sq km water: 4,000 sq km |
total: 2,381,740 sq km
land: 2,381,740 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Arkansas | slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas |
Background | In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. The refugee issue of some 100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of these displaced persons are housed in seven United Nations Offices of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps. | 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 1992-98 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 | 33.4 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 17.14 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$536 million expenditures: $818 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY96/97 est.) |
revenues: $42.05 billion
expenditures: $30.75 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.8 billion (2005 est.) |
Capital | Kathmandu | name: Algiers
geographic coordinates: 36 47 N, 2 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south | 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 | 9 November 1990 | 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:
Kingdom of Nepal conventional short form: Nepal |
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 | Nepalese rupee (NPR) | - |
Death rate | 10.22 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 4.61 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | $2.4 billion (1997) | $19.45 billion (2005 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Ralph FRANK embassy: Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [977] (1) 411179, 410531 FAX: [977] (1) 419963 |
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 Damodar Prasad GAUTAM chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534 consulate(s) general: New York |
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 | refugee issue over the presence in Nepal of approximately 98,700 Bhutanese refugees, 90% of whom are in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps | Algeria supports the exiled Sahrawi Polisario Front and rejects Moroccan administration of Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 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; in an attempt to improve relations, Morocco, in mid-2004, unilaterally lifted the requirement that Algerians visiting Morocco possess entry visas - 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 | $411 million (FY97/98) | $122.8 million (2002 est.) |
Economy - overview | Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with nearly half of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting for 41% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Production of textiles and carpets has expanded recently and accounted for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in the past three years. Agricultural production is growing by about 5% on average as compared with annual population growth of 2.3%. Since May 1991, the government has been moving forward with economic reforms, particularly those that encourage trade and foreign investment, e.g., by reducing business licenses and registration requirements in order to simplify investment procedures. The government has also been cutting expenditures by reducing subsidies, privatizing state industries, and laying off civil servants. More recently, however, political instability - five different governments over the past few years - has hampered Kathmandu's ability to forge consensus to implement key economic reforms. Nepal has considerable scope for accelerating economic growth by exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, and its susceptibility to natural disaster. The international community's role of funding more than 60% of Nepal's development budget and more than 28% of total budgetary expenditures will likely continue as a major ingredient of 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. 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. 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. The population is becoming increasingly restive due to the lack of jobs and housing and frequently stages protests, which have resulted in arrests and injuries, including some deaths as government forces intervened to restore order. 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 | 1.309 billion kWh (1999) | 24.9 billion kWh (2003 est.) |
Electricity - exports | 68 million kWh (1999) | 400 million kWh (2003 est.) |
Electricity - imports | 210 million kWh (1999) | 200 million kWh (2003 est.) |
Electricity - production | 1.255 billion kWh (1999) | 26.99 billion kWh (2003 est.) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
9.56% hydro: 90.44% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Kanchan Kalan 70 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.) |
lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions | 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, 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 | Brahman, Chetri, Newar, Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Sherpa, Tharu, and others (1995) | 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 | Nepalese rupees per US dollar - 74.129 (January 2001), 71.104 (2000), 68.239 (1999), 65.976 (1998), 58.010 (1997), 56.692 (1996) | Algerian dinars per US dollar - 73.276 (2005), 72.061 (2004), 77.395 (2003), 79.682 (2002), 77.215 (2001) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
King GYANENDRA Bir Bikram Shah (succeeded to the throne 4 June 2001 following the death of his nephew King DIPENDRA Bir Bikram Shah) head of government: Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 22 March 2000) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch note: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev died in a bloody shooting at the royal palace on 1 June 2001 that also claimed the lives of most of the royal family; King BIRENDRA's son, Crown Price DIPENDRA, is believed to have been responsible for the shootings before fatally wounding himself; immediately following the shootings and while still clinging to life, DIPENDRA was crowned king; he died three days later and was succeeded by his uncle |
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 | $485 million (f.o.b., 1998), but does not include unrecorded border trade with India | 1.127 million bbl/day (2004 est.) |
Exports - commodities | carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain | petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97% |
Exports - partners | India 33%, US 26%, Germany 25% (FY97/98) | US 22.8%, Italy 16.2%, Spain 10.4%, France 10%, Canada 8%, Brazil 6.1%, Belgium 4.4%, Germany 4.2% (2005) |
Fiscal year | 16 July - 15 July | calendar year |
Flag description | red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun | 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 - $33.7 billion (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
41% industry: 22% services: 37% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 10.1%
industry: 60% services: 29.8% (2005 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,360 (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.7% (2000 est.) | 5.5% (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 28 00 N, 84 00 E | 28 00 N, 3 00 E |
Geography - note | landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks | second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan) |
Heliports | - | 1 (2006) |
Highways | total:
13,223 km paved: 4,073 km unpaved: 9,150 km (April 1999) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
3.2% highest 10%: 29.8% (1995-96) |
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 26.8% (1995) |
Illicit drugs | illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West | - |
Imports | $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998) | 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
Imports - commodities | gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer | capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods |
Imports - partners | India 31%, China/Hong Kong 16%, Singapore 14% (FY97/98) | France 28.2%, Italy 7.8%, Spain 7.1%, China 6.6%, Germany 6.3%, US 5.5% (2005) |
Independence | 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah) | 5 July 1962 (from France) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 8% (2005 est.) |
Industries | tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette; cement and brick production | petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing |
Infant mortality rate | 74.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 29.87 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 33.62 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.94 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.3% (FY99/00 est.) | 1.9% (2005 est.) |
International organization participation | AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (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, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 6 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 8,500 sq km (1993 est.) | 5,690 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (chief justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the other judges are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Judicial Council) | Supreme Court |
Labor force | 10 million (1996 est.)
note: severe lack of skilled labor |
10.15 million (2005 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 81%, services 16%, industry 3% | agriculture 14%, industry 13.4%, construction and public works 10%, trade 14.6%, government 32%, other 16% (2003 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
2,926 km border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 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:
17% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 15% forests and woodland: 42% other: 26% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 3.17%
permanent crops: 0.28% other: 96.55% (2005) |
Languages | Nepali (official; spoken by 90% of the population), about a dozen other languages and about 30 major dialects; note - many in government and business also speak English (1995) | Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects |
Legal system | based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; 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 | bicameral Parliament consists of the National Council (60 seats; 35 appointed by the House of Representatives, 10 by the king, and 15 elected by an electoral college; one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (205 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 3 and 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2004) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NC 37.3%, CPN/UML 31.6%, NDP 10.4%, NSP 3.2%, Rastriya Jana Morcha 1.4%, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 0.8%, NWPP 0.5%, others 14.8%; seats by party - NC 113, CPN/UML 69, NDP 11, NSP 5, Rastriya Jana Morcha 5, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 1, NWPP 1 |
bicameral Parliament consisting of the National People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (389 seats - formerly 380 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; 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 in 2007); Council of Nations (Senate) - last held 30 December 2003 (next to be held in 2006) election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FLN 199, RND 47, Islah 43, MSP 38, PT 21, FNA 8, EnNahda 1, PRA 1, MEN 1, independents 30; Council of Nations - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party NA |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
58.22 years male: 58.65 years female: 57.77 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 73.26 years
male: 71.68 years female: 74.92 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 27.5% male: 40.9% female: 14% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70% male: 78.8% female: 61% (2003 est.) |
Location | Southern Asia, between China and India | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia |
Map references | Asia | Africa |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm |
Merchant marine | - | total: 41 ships (1000 GRT or over) 744,406 GRT/766,764 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 10, chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas 9, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 13 (UK 13) (2006) |
Military branches | Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service), Nepalese Police Force | National Popular Army (ANP; includes Land Forces), Algerian National Navy (MRA), Air Force (QJJ), Territorial Air Defense Force (2005) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $44 million (FY96/97) | $3 billion (2005 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.9% (FY96/97) | 3.2% (2005 est.) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
6,295,990 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
3,272,077 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - military age | 17 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
292,589 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Birthday of King GYANENDRA, 7 July (1946) | Revolution Day, 1 November (1954) |
Nationality | noun:
Nepalese (singular and plural) adjective: Nepalese |
noun: Algerian(s)
adjective: Algerian |
Natural hazards | severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons | mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season |
Natural resources | quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Pipelines | - | condensate 1,344 km; gas 85,946 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,213 km; oil 6,496 km (2005) |
Political parties and leaders | Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Madhav Kumar NEPAL, general secretary]; National Democratic Party or NDP (also called Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP) [Surya Bahadur THAPA, chairman]; Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP [Gajendra Narayan SINGH, president]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chair]; Nepali Congress or NC [Girija Prasad KOIRALA, party president, Sushil KOIRALA, general secretary]; Rastriya Jana Morcha [Chitra Bahadur K. C., chairman]; Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [Lila Mani POKHAREL, general secretary] | Algerian National Front or FNA [Moussa TOUATI]; National Democratic Rally (Rassemblement National Democratique) or RND [Ahmed OUYAHIA, secretary general]; 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 [Yacine TERKMANE]; Progressive Republican Party [Khadir DRISS]; Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD [Said SADI]; Renaissance Movement or EnNahda Movement [Fatah RABEI]; Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary general]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Ahmed KHELIL]; Society of Peace Movement or MSP [Boudjerra 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 | Maoist guerrilla-based insurgency; numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups | The Algerian Human Rights League or LADH or LADDH [Yahia Ali ABDENOUR]; SOS Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET] |
Population | 25,284,463 (July 2001 est.) | 32,930,091 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 42% (FY95/96 est.) | 25% (2005 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.32% (2001 est.) | 1.22% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (January 2000) | AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999) |
Radios | 840,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
59 km; note - all in Kosi close to Indian border narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2000) |
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 (2005) |
Religions | Hinduism 86.2%, Buddhism 7.8%, Islam 3.8%, other 2.2%
note: only official Hindu state in the world (1995) |
Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile cellular telephone network domestic: NA international: radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) |
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 nearly 2.6 million, 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; submarine cables - 5; 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) (2005) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 236,816 (January 2000) | 2.572 million (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 13.661 million (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998) | 46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995) |
Terrain | Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north | mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain |
Total fertility rate | 4.58 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA%; substantial underemployment (1999) | 17.1% (2005 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |