Algeria

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

The geography of Algeria is mountainous to the North with the Sahara Desert in the south, which covers more than 90% of Algeria. To its North Algeria borders the Mediterranean Sea. To the Northeast it borders Tunisia. To the east it borders Libya. To the Southeast it borders Niger, to the southwest it borders Western Sahara, Mauritania and Mali, and to the northeast it borders Morocco.

Algeria, officially known as the land of Algiers or as the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria is the largest state in Africa. It has a small area which has a Mediterranean climate in the North while 90% of Algeria consists of Sahara Desert. Its earliest human records stem from more than 500.000 years ago and some of the oldest rock carvings have been documented there. Around the first century Algeria has been conquered by Rome and its people have been integrated in the Roman Empire. After the Fall of the Roman Empire Algeria was in a state of Chaos for more than 300 years. Around the year 650 the Islamic Conquest of the Arab Peninsula expanded to Algeria converting it citizens to Islam. Algeria eventually became a vassal state for the Ottoman Empire around 1500 until 1830 when France occupied Algeria and integrated it in 1848. Algerian independence movements started around 1955 and evolved into a civil war. It eventually gained its independence in 1962. Algeria has had many struggles as an independent state. It has suffered a military coup, Ethnic struggles with the Berbers and large economic recessions.

Algeria’s size ranks 10th globally with a total surface area of 2.393.649 square kilometres or 924.192 square miles. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is slightly smaller, and Kazakhstan is slightly larger than Algeria

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Algeria is not known to have permanent bodies of water. However, its mountainous terrain in the North provides a source of fresh water which gives Algeria a seasonal fresh water supply.

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Its other natural sources of fresh water are provided by the underground aquifers as well as an underground water well which resides under the Sahara Desert. These sources provide the largest share of Algerian fresh drinking water. Other sources come from the Mediterranean Sea where Algeria has installed water desalination treatment plants.

The coastal zone in the North provides Algeria with a Mediterranean climate with warm Summers and mild Winters. Its southern part is considered a tropical desert. This means that Algeria has a large temperature difference between its northern part and southern part, where its southern part experiences large shifts in temperature. It is ranked as the 119th coldest state in the world with an average temperature of 18 degrees Celsius or 64.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperature

Algeria’s highest average temperature is 23.7 degrees Celsius or 74.6 degrees Fahrenheit. This ranks Algeria has the 117th warmest state in the world.

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Its average lowest temperature is 12 degrees Celsius or 53.6 degrees Fahrenheit which ranks it as the 73rd coldest state in the world

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

With an average of 48.3 cm or 19 inches, Algeria is one of the most arid states in the world. Globally it is ranked as the 160th state with the most rainfall.

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Its capital, Algiers, is home to nearly 4 million people in its metropolitan area and more than 1.7 million people reside within the city. The capital that is the furthest located from Algiers is Wellington New Zealand while the closest capital to Algiers is Tunis in Tunisia.

The Algerian economy is relatively closed. This is mainly due to the dominant nature of the Algerian government. The Algerian government places high restrictions on foreign investments as well as privately owned enterprises. Algeria’s main source of income has been in Oil and Gas which accounts for more than 30% of its GDP. Due to large reserves of oil and gas, Algeria has been able to keep its economy stable and simultaneously keep its foreign debt at a minimum. One of Algeria’s key economic vulnerabilities is the lack of diversification within in its state revenue. During the Arab Spring the Algerian government has faced resistance due to unemployment as well as a housing shortage. Algeria’s key export products are fertilizer, oil and gas which are mainly exported to France, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and Spain. Algeria’s imports mainly come from Italy which has a share of almost 30% of its total imports. Other large trading states are Germany China Greece and Italy.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Internationally Algeria is ranked as the 52nd most interconnected state. It is a member of 14 international economic organizations. These are the following:

African development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Bank for International Settlements
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Arab Maghreb Union
International Renewable Energy Agency International Solar Alliance
Group of 77
Group of 24

Below, you will find the graph that displays the states and their amount of memberships

Algeria’s gross domestic product is just under 165 billion dollars. This ranks Algeria is the state with the 56th the highest GDP in the world. Its total GDP represents nearly 0.2% of the total global GDP.

Algeria GDP per capita is 3.800 US dollars per year which ranks Algerian citizens as the 121st richest in the world.

The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average Algerian citizen makes.

However, due to its large size Algeria is ranked 159th when it comes to surface GDP. With an average of 68.600 dollar per square km or just over 177.000 dollar per square mile.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Its purchasing power parity per capita translates to $12,720 which ranks it as the 102nd highest globally.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of the Dominican Republic with the rest of the world.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in the Dominican Republic.

The official language of Algeria is Arab while French and Berber are also largely spoken due to its ethnic and colonial past. Algeria is ethnically quite homogenous with more than seventy percent of its population consisting of an Arab ethnicity. Other ethnicities exist mainly of nomads that travel in rural areas. With almost three quarters of the population living in urbanized areas, Algeria is the 64th most urbanized state globally. These urban areas are mainly located in the northern part of Algeria, where over ninety percent of its 43 million inhabitants live.

Population

Population density

Despite its large size Algeria’s usable landmass is quite small. therefore, it has a relatively low population density overall. on average Algeria has 46.6 people per km2 or just under 18 people per square mile. This ranks Algeria is the 167th the most populous state in the world.

Emigration

After gaining independence in 1962, a large number of people, mostly French nationals, have emigrated to France. In total about 1.9 million people, or 4.3 percent of the Albanian population lives abroad. This ranks Algeria as the 37th highest number of emigrants globally representing 0.75 percent of the global emigration.

Immigration

Due to the increase in political and economic stability, the number of immigrants, in relation to the number of emigrants has been increasing. A large part of this immigration is illegal immigration, where a large amount of people coming from sub–Saharan African states, enter the border illegally. This form of illegal immigration is being countered by the Algerian state by offering job opportunities to those that seek to work there legally. In total, about 250.000 people have immigrated to Algeria. This represents a share of 0.6 percent of the total population and ranks Algeria as the 94th state with the largest share of immigrants.

Literacy

Before independence, around one in five had been literate. After investing in the schooling system, Algeria has been able to increase its literacy rate to 80 percent. Ranked 140th, this places Algeria among the highest literacy rates in Northern Africa.

Health

Healthcare in Algeria is based on a public healthcare system which provides free healthcare to its citizens. The quality of healthcare is relatively low. This is due to the continuous change in budget allocation due to the change in oil prices, which affect a large part of its economy. The average life expectancy is 77.5 years with women averaging at 78.8 years and men at 76.3 years.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Algeria has a large history of conquerors that brought their religion with them. The main religions that have taken a hold in Algeria are Christianity and Islam. At present, Islam is declared as the state religion. The consequence of this is that practices that are incompatible with Islam are prohibited. As a result of this policy, Algeria is one of the least multi religious states in the world with its rank of 177.

Christianity arrived to Algeria around the third century B.C. This has been strengthened by the Byzantine empire. After the rise of Islam, the Byzantine empire gradually lost its influence and by the seventh century, Islam became the dominant religion. As a consequence of stricter religious policies, Christianity began to fade. In recent years, there have been some conversions to Christianity. With an estimated 0.9 percent of the total population, Algeria is ranked as the 185th most Christian state in the world.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

With 98.3 percent of the population adhering to Islam, Algeria is ranked as the 11th state with the highest share of Muslims. The vast majority of the population adhere to the Sunni branch Islam. According to the Algerian state, Islam is seen as the central structure for the Algerian people as well as the Algerian identity. However, between 1990 and 2000, tensions arose between the secular government and the military, which erupted in a civil war. As the end of the 1990’s, a reconciliation effort was made which led to political stability over the last two decades.

There is no data available that shows a significant population that adhere to Buddhism in Algeria. It is estimated that around 0.6% of the population adheres to Buddhism

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Adherents to Hinduism represent a very small minority in Algeria with around 0.03% of the total population.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

The presence of Jews in Algeria has been known for over 2000 years. From the first century until the 7th, Jews experienced freedom of religion. However, after the Ottoman Conquest, Jews were stripped from certain rights. Following the Spanish Inquisition In the 15th century, many Jews fled to other parts of Europe as well as Northern Africa Where many Jews took refuge in Algeria. After the French Conquest in 1830, Jews were granted citizenship. following its independence, the Algerian government only approved citizenship to Muslims or descendants from Muslims. As a consequence, Jews in Algeria lost their civil rights and moved to other parts of the world.

Other religions (share of the total population)

Other smaller religions are mainly known by the nomadic tribes that cross the Sahara Desert. these people represent about 0.13 percent of the total population.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Irreligion or atheism is at taboo in Algeria. This is due to the consequence that the Prophet Muhammad is denied a prophet. This, in turn, is an insult to Islam and counters the state narrative. There are a small number of people that are atheist because these people or are at risk of physical harm. It is estimated that around 0.6% of the total population of Algeria is atheist. A small population of the Dominican Republic does not adhere to any religion which represent 0.67 percent of the total population.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

The Algerian military has a budget of over 10.3 billion dollars. This accounts for almost 7% of its national GDP Or 0.53% off total global military spending and ranks the Algerian military as the 24th most funded militaries in the world.

The Algerian military is an independent body within Algeria. As a result of the War of Independence, the Algerian military has attained special privileges that gave it the ability to run Algeria and create political administrations that align with the Military elite. Its official name is the military forces of the people's Democratic Republic of Algeria.

Military membership

Algeria is ranked as the 96 most military interconnected State in the world. It is a member of four international military organisations these are:

Conference on Disarmament
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Throughout its history Algeria has participated in 7 international Wars. It has partaken in the following wars:

1769-1771 Danish-Algerian War
Danish-Algerian War 1769-1771
Sand War 1963-1963
Six-Day War 1967-1967
Yom Kippur War 1973-1973
Western Sahara War 1975-1991
Libyan Civil War 2011-2011

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Internationally Algeria is ranked as the 128th most politically interconnected state. it is a member of 10 international political organizations. these are:

Member states of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Union for the Mediterranean
African Union
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Arab League
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Interpol
South Centre (organization)
World Organisation for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Due to its failed transition towards a full democracy, Algeria is ranked as other 135th most democratic state in the world. As a result of the tight grip of the Algerian military in politics, it is unlikely that a full democratic change will take place in the foreseeable future.

Democracy/Dictatorship

As mentioned earlier the Algerian government mainly consists of people that have been appointed by the military. The influence of the military is so large that they have the power to appoint members of the Algerian Parliament as well as choosing the head of state.