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Compare Western Sahara (2004) - Algeria (2005)

Compare Western Sahara (2004) z Algeria (2005)

 Western Sahara (2004)Algeria (2005)
 Western SaharaAlgeria
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 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: NA


15-64 years: NA


65 years and over: NA
0-14 years: 29% (male 4,811,086/female 4,626,271)


15-64 years: 66.3% (male 10,861,862/female 10,701,459)


65 years and over: 4.7% (male 719,460/female 811,715) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle
Airports 11 (2003 est.) 137 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 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: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 3 (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: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


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


land: 2,381,740 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. 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. Algeria assumed a two-year seat on the UN Security Council in January 2004.
Birth rate NA births/1,000 population 17.13 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: NA


expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
revenues: $31.47 billion


expenditures: $29.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.8 billion (2004 est.)
Capital none Algiers
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew 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 1,110 km 998 km
Constitution - 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
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 Moroccan dirham (MAD) -
Death rate NA deaths/1,000 population 4.6 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external NA $21.9 billion (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none 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 none chief of mission: Ambassador Amine KHERBI


chancery: 2137 Wyoming Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800


FAX: [1] (202) 667-2174
Disputes - international Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991 but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals 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 after 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 NA $122.8 million (2002 est.)
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. 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. Structural reform within the economy moves ahead slowly.
Electricity - consumption 83.7 million kWh (2001) 23.61 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) 500 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) 150 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 90 million kWh (2001) 25.76 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m


highest point: Tahat 3,003 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land 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: none of the selected agreements


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 Arab, Berber 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 Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 9.574 (2003), 11.584 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999) Algerian dinars per US dollar - 72.061 (2004), 77.395 (2003), 79.682 (2002), 77.215 (2001), 75.26 (2000)
Executive branch none 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%, Abdellah DJABALLAH 5%
Exports NA (2001) NA
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts US 22.6%, Italy 17.2%, France 11.4%, Spain 10.1%, Canada 7.5%, Brazil 6.1%, Belgium 4.6% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description - 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 - NA -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA


industry: NA


services: 40% (1996 est.)
agriculture: 10.3%


industry: 57.4%


services: 32.3% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - NA purchasing power parity - $6,600 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA 6.1% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 28 00 N, 3 00 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
Heliports - 1 (2004 est.)
Highways total: 6,200 km


paved: 1,350 km


unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 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%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 26.8% (1995)
Imports NA (2001) NA
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2000) France 30.3%, Italy 8.2%, Germany 6.5%, Spain 5.5%, US 5.2%, China 5.1%, Turkey 4.3% (2004)
Independence - 5 July 1962 (from France)
Industrial production growth rate NA 6% (2004 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 31 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 34.83 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 26.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 3.1% (2004 est.)
International organization participation none 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, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land NA sq km 5,600 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court or Court Supreme
Labor force 12,000 9.91 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% agriculture 14%, industry 13.4%, construction and public works 10%, trade 14.6%, government 32%, other 16% (2003 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 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: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2001)
arable land: 3.22%


permanent crops: 0.25%


other: 96.53% (2001)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Legal system - 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 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 2006)


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: NA years


male: NA years


female: NA years
total population: 73 years


male: 71.45 years


female: 74.63 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 70%


male: 78.8%


female: 61% (2003 est.)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
Map references Africa Africa
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm
Merchant marine - total: 56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 837,676 GRT/929,847 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 14, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 10, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 9


foreign-owned: 3 (United Kingdom 3)


registered in other countries: 1 (2005)
Military branches - People's National Army (ANP; includes Land Forces), Algerian National Navy (MRA), Air Force (QJJ), Territorial Air Defense Force (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA $2.48 billion (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 3.2% (2004)
National holiday - Revolution Day, 1 November (1954)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi,Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Algerian(s)


adjective: Algerian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
Net migration rate - -0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - condensate 1,344 km; gas 85,946 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,213 km; oil 6,496 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders - 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]; Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary general (self-exiled in Switzerland)]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Ahmed KHELIL]; 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 none The Algerian Human Rights League or LADH or LADDH [Yahia Ali ABDENOUR]; SOS Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET]
Population 267,405 (July 2004 est.) 32,531,853 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 23% (1999 est.)
Population growth rate NA 1.22% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Djendjene, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (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 (2004)
Religions Muslim Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
Sex ratio NA 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: 0.89 male(s)/female


total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
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 about 2,000 (1999 est.) 2,199,600 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 1,447,310 (2003)
Television broadcast stations NA 46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Total fertility rate NA children born/woman 1.92 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate NA 25.4% (2004 est.)
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