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KOSHER DELIGHT - YOUR JEWISH ONLINE MAGAZINE!
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ALGERIA |
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MAP OF ALGERIA:
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SYNAGOGUES & JEWISH
ORGANIZATIONS IN ALGERIA: Synagogue and Jewish Community
Office in Algiers
Association Consistoriale Israelite d'Alger,
6 rue Hassena Ahmed, Algiers (formerly rue de Suffren).
Tel: (213) 262 85 72.
Pres.: Maitre Roger Said.
Tel: (213) 349 26 57
Fax: (213) 264 55 36
Federation des Communautes
Israelites d'Alger
6 rue Hassena Ahmed (formerly rue de Suffren).
Tel: (213) 262-85-72.
The Jewish Community of
Blida
Consistoire d'Algerie, 29 rue des Martyrs, Blida
President: Roger Said.
Tel: 3492657.
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JEWISH CEMETERIES:
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ALGERIA JEWISH LINKS:
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After
a century of rule by France, and in the wake of 1948 elections
rigged by French colonists to reverse the sweeping victory of a
Muslim political party in 1947, Algerians fought through 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
satisified, however, and moved to counter the FLN's centrality in
Algerian politics. The surprising first round success of the
fundamentalist Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991
balloting spurred the army to intervene and postpone the second
round of elections to prevent an extremist-led government from
assuming power. The Algerian army began a crack down on the FIS that
resulted in a continuous low-grade civil conflict between Islamic
activists and the secular state apparatus. The government later
allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate
religiously-based parties, but did not appease the activists who
progressively widened their attacks. Operations by the activists and
the army resulted in nearly 100,000 deaths during the decade-long
conflict. The government gained the upper hand by the mid-1990s and
FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January
2000. Many armed militants of other groups surrendered under an
amnesty program designed to promote national reconciliation, but
small numbers of armed militants persist in confronting government
forces and conducting ambushes and occasional attacks on villages.
Issues facing the winner of the April 2004 presidential election
include Berber unrest, large-scale unemployment, a shortage of
housing, the presence of a group in the southern regions of the
country that kidnapped European tourists in 2003, as well as the
need to diversify Algeria's petroleum-based economy. Algeria assumed
a two-year seat on the UN Security Council in January 2004. |
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Location:
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Northern
Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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28
00 N, 3 00 E |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total:
2,381,740 sq km
land: 2,381,740 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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Slightly
less than 3.5 times the size of Texas |
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Land boundaries:
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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 |
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Coastline:
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998
km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial
sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm |
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Climate:
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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 |
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Terrain:
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mostly
high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous
coastal plain |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Chott Melrhir -40 m
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum,
natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 3.22%
permanent crops: 0.25%
other: 96.53% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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5,600
sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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mountainous
areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy
season |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
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Population:
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32,129,324 (July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
23.8 years
male: 23.7 years
female: 24 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.28%
(2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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17.76 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.61 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.39
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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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.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 72.74 years
male: 71.22 years
female: 74.34 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.04 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Algerian(s)
adjective: Algerian |
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Ethnic groups:
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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 |
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Religions:
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Sunni
Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1% |
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Languages:
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Arabic
(official), French, Berber dialects |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70%
male: 78.8%
female: 61% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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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 |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Algiers |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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5
July 1962 (from France) |
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National holiday:
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Revolution
Day, 1 November (1954) |
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Constitution:
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19
November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988,
23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996 |
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Legal system:
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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 |
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Suffrage:
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18
years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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% |
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Legislative branch:
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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 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court or Court Supreme |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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)]; Society of Peace Movement or MSP [Boujerra
SOLTANI]; National Entente Movement or MEN [Ali BOUKHAZNA]; National
Liberation Front or FLN [Ali BENFLIS, 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 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)]; Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUN]
note: a law banning political parties based on religion was
enacted in March 1997 |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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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, 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) |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Idriss JAZAIRY
chancery: 2137 Wyoming Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800
FAX: [1] (202) 667-2174 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Richard W. ERDMAN (as of 10 July 2003)
embassy: 4 Chemin Cheikh Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers
mailing address: B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers
telephone: [213] (21) 691-425/255/186
FAX: [213] (21) 69-39-79 |
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Flag description:
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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)
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $196 billion (2003 est.) |
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