Algeria

Algeria

Type of government: Republic

Current head of state: Abdelaziz Bouteflika

Total population: 34,895,470

% of population living in poverty: 22.6%

GDP: $159 billion

Capital: Algiers

Largest city: Algiers

Coasts: 998 km

Major bodies of water: Tyrrhenian Sea  

Major rivers: The Chelif, Djedi, Medjerda, and Seybouse rivers

Bordering countries: Tunisia, Mali, Libya, Morocco, and Mauritania

Largest religion: Islam

Climate: Northern Algeria is in the temperate zone and enjoys a mild, Mediterranean climate. In the Tell, temperatures in summer average between 21 and 24 °C (70 and 75 °F) and in winter drop to 10 to 12 °C (50 to 54 °F). Winters are not cold, but the humidity is high and houses are seldom adequately heated.

Geographical features: Clearing of land for agricultural use and cutting of timber over the centuries have severely reduced the once bountiful forest wealth. Hilly in south and flat in central and north hilly in extreme north

Algeria has been through two months of strikes, sit-ins and attempted protest marches. The government just lifted a state of emergency after 19 years. It’s anyone’s guess whether measures like those mean Algeria goes the way of Egypt or Libya. At 2.1 million barrels per day, Algeria’s oil production is slightly greater than that of Libya’s, at 1.8 million. Oil could jump another $15 and oil producers in safer regions of the world will stand to benefit.