Part 2

_#_Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

_#_Natural resources: natural gas, crude oil, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones

_#_Land use: arable land 12%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 46%; forest and woodland 3%; other 39%; includes irrigated NEGL%

_#_Environment: damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; soil degradation, desertification, overgrazing, deforestation, pollution

_#_Note: landlocked

_*_People _#_Population: US Bureau of the Census--16,450,304 (July 1991), growth rate 5.2% (1991) and excludes 3,750,796 refugees in Pakistan and 1,607,281 refugees in Iran; note--another report indicates a July 1990 population of 16,904,904, including 3,271,580 refugees in Pakistan and 1,277,700 refugees in Iran

_#_Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 20 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 28 migrants/1,000 population (1991); note--there are flows across the border in both directions, but data are fragmentary and unreliable

_#_Infant mortality rate: 164 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 44 years male, 43 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Afghan(s); adjective--Afghan

_#_Ethnic divisions: Pashtun 50%, Tajik 25%, Uzbek 9%, Hazara 12-15%; minor ethnic groups include Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and other

_#_Religion: Sunni Muslim 84%, Shia Muslim 15%, other 1%

_#_Language: Pashtu 50%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%; much bilingualism

_#_Literacy: 29% (male 44%, female 14%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 4,980,000; agriculture and animal husbandry 67.8%, industry 10.2%, construction 6.3%, commerce 5.0%, services and other 10.7%, (1980 est.)

_#_Organized labor: some small government-controlled unions

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Afghanistan

_#_Type: authoritarian

_#_Capital: Kabul

_#_Administrative divisions: 30 provinces (velayat, singular--velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, Zabol; note--there may be a new province of Nurestan (Nuristan)

_#_Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK)

_#_Constitution: adopted 30 November 1987, revised May 1990

_#_Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Anniversary of the Saur Revolution, 27 April (1978)

_#_Executive branch: president, four vice presidents, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

_#_Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Meli Shura) consists of an upper house or Council of Elders (Sena) and a lower house or Council of Representatives (Wolosi Jirga)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--President (Mohammad) NAJIBULLAH (Ahmadzai) (since 30 November 1987); First Vice President Abdul Wahed SORABI (since 7 January 1991); Prime Minister Fazil Haq KHALIQYAR (since 21 May 1990)

_#_Political parties and leaders: main party--Hizbi Watan Homeland Party (formerly known as the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan or PDPA); there are other, much smaller political parties recognized by the government

_#_Suffrage: universal, male ages 15-50

_#_Elections:

Senate--last held NA April 1988 (next to be held April 1991); results--Hizbi Watan was the only party; seats--(192 total, 128 elected) Hizbi Watan 128;

House of Representatives--last held NA April 1988 (next to be held April 1993); results--Hizbi Watan was the only party; seats--(234 total) Hizbi Watan 184, opposition 50; note--members may or may not be affiliated with a political party

_#_Communists: Hizbi Watan Homeland Party (formerly the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan or PDPA) claims 200,000 members and no longer considers itself a Communist party

_#_Other political or pressure groups: the military and other branches of internal security have been rebuilt by the USSR; insurgency continues throughout the country; widespread antiregime sentiment and opposition on religious and political grounds

_#_Member of: AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO; note--Afghanistan was suspended from the OIC in January 1980, but in March 1989 the self-proclaimed Mujaheddin Government of Afghanistan was given membership

_#_Diplomatic representation: Minister-Counselor, Charge d'Affaires Abdul Ghafur JOUSHAN; Chancery at 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-3770 or 3771;

US--Charge d'Affaires (vacant); Embassy at Ansari Wat, Wazir Akbar Khan Mina, Kabul; telephone 62230 through 62235 or 62436; note--US Embassy in Kabul was closed in January 1989

_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with the national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red bands; similar to the flag of Malawi which is shorter and bears a radiant, rising red sun centered in the black band

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Fundamentally, Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on farming (wheat especially) and livestock raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations, however, have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals, including the nine-year Soviet military occupation (ended 15 February 1989) and the continuing bloody civil war. Over the past decade, one-third of the population has fled the country, with Pakistan sheltering about 3.3 million refugees and Iran about 1.3 million. Another 1 million have probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Large numbers of bridges, buildings, and factories have been destroyed or damaged by military action or sabotage. Government claims to the contrary, gross domestic product almost certainly is lower than 10 years ago because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport.

_#_GDP: $3 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 0% (1989 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): over 92% (1990 est.)

_#_Unemployment rate: NA%

_#_Budget: revenues $1.2 billion; expenditures $4.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $306 million (FY91 est.)

_#_Exports: $236 million (f.o.b., FY90);

commodities--natural gas 55%, fruits and nuts 24%, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides, and pelts;

partners--mostly USSR and Eastern Europe

_#_Imports: $874 million (c.i.f., FY90 est.);

commodities--food and petroleum products;

partners--mostly USSR and Eastern Europe

_#_External debt: $2.3 billion (March 1991 est.)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 8.1% (FY91 plan); accounts for about 25% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 480,000 kW capacity; 1,470 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper

_#_Agriculture: largely subsistence farming and nomadic animal husbandry; cash products--wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, mutton

_#_Illicit drugs: an illicit producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade; world's second-largest opium producer (after Burma) and a major source of hashish

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $322 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $465 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $57 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $4.1 billion

_#_Currency: afghani (plural--afghanis); 1 afghani (Af) = 100 puls

_#_Exchange rates: afghanis (Af) per US$1--586 (March 1991)

_#_Fiscal year: 21 March-20 March

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 9.6 km (single track) 1.524-meter gauge from Kushka (USSR) to Towraghondi and 15.0 km from Termez (USSR) to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya

_#_Highways: 21,000 km total (1984); 2,800 km hard surface, 1,650 km bituminous-treated gravel and improved earth, 16,550 km unimproved earth and tracks

_#_Inland waterways: total navigability 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles steamers up to about 500 metric tons

_#_Pipelines: petroleum, oil, and lubricants pipelines--USSR to Bagram and USSR to Shindand; natural gas, 180 km

_#_Ports: Shir Khan and Kheyrabad (river ports)

_#_Civil air: 2 TU-154, 2 Boeing 727, 4 Yak-40, assorted smaller transports

_#_Airports: 40 total, 36 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: limited telephone, telegraph, and radiobroadcast services; television introduced in 1980; 31,200 telephones; stations--5 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 satellite earth station

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Special Guard/National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police Force (Sarandoi), Ministry of State Security (WAD), Tribal Militia

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,049,092; 2,171,757 fit for military service; 166,135 reach military age (22) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $450 million, 15% of GDP (1990) _%_ _@_Albania _*_Geography _#_Total area: 28,750 km2; land area: 27,400 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland

_#_Land boundaries: 768 km total; Greece 282 km, Yugoslavia 486 km

_#_Coastline: 362 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: not specified;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Disputes: Kosovo question with Yugoslavia; Northern Epirus question with Greece

_#_Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

_#_Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

_#_Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel

_#_Land use: arable land 21%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 15%; forest and woodland 38%; other 22%; includes irrigated 1%

_#_Environment: subject to destructive earthquakes; tsunami occur along southwestern coast; deforestation seems to be slowing

_#_Note: strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

_*_People _#_Population: 3,335,044 (July 1991), growth rate 1.8% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 50 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 79 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Albanian(s); adjective--Albanian

_#_Ethnic divisions: Albanian 90%, Greeks 8%, other 2% (Vlachs, Gypsies, Serbs, and Bulgarians) (1989 est.)

_#_Religion: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990 Albania began allowing private religious practice and was considering the repeal of the constitutional amendment banning religious activities; estimates of religious affiliation--Muslim 70%, Greek Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%

_#_Language: Albanian (Tosk is official dialect), Greek

_#_Literacy: 72% (male 80%, female 63%) age 9 and over can read and write (1955)

_#_Labor force: 1,500,000 (1987); agriculture about 60%, industry and commerce 40% (1986)

_#_Organized labor: Central Council of Albanian Trade Unions, 610,000 members

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Albania

_#_Type: nascent democracy with strong Communist party influence; basic law has dropped all references to socialism

_#_Capital: Tirane

_#_Administrative divisions: 26 districts (rrethe, singular--rreth); Berat, Dibre, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Gramsh, Kolonje, Korce, Kruje, Kukes, Lezhe, Librazhd, Lushnje, Mat, Mirdite, Permet, Pogradec, Puke, Sarande, Shkoder, Skrapar, Tepelene, Tirane, Tropoje, Vlore

_#_Independence: 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire); People's Socialist Republic of Albania declared 11 January 1946

_#_Constitution: an interim basic law was approved by the People's Assembly on 29 April 1991; a new constitution is to be drafted for adoption in four to six months

_#_Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Liberation Day, 29 November (1944)

_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister of the Council of Ministers, one deputy prime minister of the Council of Ministers

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly (Kuvendi Popullor)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President of the Republic Ramiz ALIA (since 22 November 1982);

Head of Government--Prime Minister of the interim Council of Ministers Ylli BUFI (since 5 June 1991);

_#_Political parties and leaders: Albanian Workers Party (AWP), Ramiz ALIA, first secretary; Democratic Party (DP), Sali BERISHA, chairman and cofounder with Gramoz PASHKO; Albanian Republican Party, Sabri GODO; Ecology Party, Namik HOTI; Omonia (Greek minority party), leader NA; Agrarian Party, leader NA;

note--in December 1990 President ALIA allowed new political parties to be formed in addition to the AWP for the first time since 1944

_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held 30 April 1991 (next to be held spring 1992); results--President Ramiz ALIA was reelected with token opposition;

People's Assembly--last held 31 March 1991 (next to be held spring 1992); results--AWP 68%, DP 25%; seats--(250 total) preliminary results AWP 168, DP 75, Omonia 5, Veterans Association 1, other 1;

note--the AWP's votes came mostly from the countryside while the DP won majorities in the six-largest cities;

_#_Communists: 147,000 party members (November 1986); note--in March 1991 the Albanian Workers' Party announced that it considered itself no longer Communist but socialist

_#_Member of: ECE, FAO, IAEA, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

_#_Diplomatic representation: the Governments of the United States and Albania agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations to be effective from 15 March 1991 and to exchange diplomatic missions at the level of ambassador

_#_Flag: red with a black two-headed eagle in the center below a red five-pointed star outlined in yellow

_*_Economy _#_Overview: As the poorest country in Europe, Albania's development lags behind even the least favored areas of the Yugoslav economy. For over 40 years, the Stalinist-type economy has operated on the principles of central planning and state ownership of the means of production. In recent years Albania has implemented limited economic reforms to stimulate its lagging economy, provide incentives, and decentralize decisionmaking. In an effort to expand international ties, Tirane has reestablished diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union and the US. The Albanians have also passed legislation allowing foreign investment. Albania possesses considerable mineral resources and, until 1990, was largely self-sufficient in food; several years of drought have hindered agricultural development. Numerical estimates of Albanian economic activity are subject to an especially wide margin of error because the government until recently did not release economic information.

_#_GNP: $4.1 billion, per capita $1,250; real growth rate NA% (1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

_#_Unemployment rate: NA%

_#_Budget: revenues $2.3 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1989)

_#_Exports: $378 million (f.o.b., 1987 est.);

commodities--asphalt, bitumen, petroleum products, metals and metallic ores, electricity, oil, vegetables, fruits, tobacco;

partners--Italy, Yugoslavia, FRG, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary

_#_Imports: $255 million (f.o.b., 1987 est.);

commodities--machinery, machine tools, iron and steel products, textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals;

partners--Italy, Yugoslavia, FRG, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, GDR

_#_External debt: $NA

_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA

_#_Electricity: 1,690,000 kW capacity; 5,000 million kWh produced, 1,530 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: food processing, textiles and clothing, lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, basic metals, hydropower

_#_Agriculture: arable land per capita among lowest in Europe; one-half of work force engaged in farming; produces wide range of temperate-zone crops and livestock; claims self-sufficiency in grain output

_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA (1988) $5.8 million

_#_Currency: lek (plural--leke); 1 lek (L) = 100 qintars

_#_Exchange rates: leke (L) per US$1--8.00 (noncommercial fixed rate since 1986), 4.14 (commercial fixed rate since 1987)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 543 km total; 509 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track and 34 km narrow gauge, single track (1990); line connecting Titograd (Yugoslavia) and Shkoder (Albania) completed August 1986

_#_Highways: 16,700 km total; 6,700 km highway and roads, 10,000 km forest and agricultural (1990)

_#_Inland waterways: 43 km plus Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa (1990)

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 145 km; refined products, 55 km; natural gas, 64 km (1988)

_#_Ports: Durres, Sarande, Vlore

_#_Merchant marine: 11 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,886 GRT/75,993 DWT

_#_Airports: 12 total, 10 usable; more than 5 with permanent-surface runways; more than 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: stations--17 AM, 1 FM, 9 TV; 246,000 TVs (1990); 210,000 radios

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Albanian People's Army, Albanian Coastal Defense Command, Air and Air Defense Force, Frontier Troops, Interior Troops

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 900,723; 743,594 fit for military service; 33,497 reach military age (19) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: 1.0 billion leks, NA% of GDP (FY90); note--conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results _%_ _@_Algeria _*_Geography _#_Total area: 2,381,740 km2; land area: 2,381,740 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas

_#_Land boundaries: 6,343 km total; Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km

_#_Coastline: 998 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Disputes: Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in southeastern Algeria

_#_Climate: 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

_#_Terrain: mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

_#_Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc

_#_Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 13%; forest and woodland 2%; other 82%; includes irrigated NEGL%

_#_Environment: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; desertification

_#_Note: second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)

_*_People _#_Population: 26,022,188 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 32 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 57 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 68 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 4.2 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Algerian(s); adjective--Algerian

_#_Ethnic divisions: Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%

_#_Religion: Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%

_#_Language: Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

_#_Literacy: 50% (male 63%, female 36%) age 15 and over can read and write (1987)

_#_Labor force: 3,700,000; industry and commerce 40%, agriculture 24%, government 17%, services 10% (1984)

_#_Organized labor: 16-19% of labor force claimed; General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) is the only labor organization and is subordinate to the National Liberation Front

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria

_#_Type: republic

_#_Capital: Algiers

_#_Administrative divisions: 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

_#_Independence: 5 July 1962 (from France)

_#_Constitution: 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976

_#_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

_#_National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)

_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly (Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President Chadli BENDJEDID (since 7 February 1979);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Sid Ahmed GHOZALI (since 6 June 1991)

_#_Political parties and leaders: National Liberation Front (FLN), Chadli BENDJEDID, president; Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), Abassi MADANI; the government established a multiparty system in September 1989 and as of 31 December 1990 over 30 legal parties existed

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held on 22 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--President BENDJEDID was reelected without opposition;

National People's Assembly--last held on 26 February 1987 (next were to be held 27 June 1991 but postponed indefinitely because of civil unrest); results--FLN was the only party; seats--(281 total) FLN 281; note--the government held multiparty elections (municipal and wilaya) in June 1990, the first in Algerian history; results--FIS 55%, FLN 27.5%, other 17.5%, with 65% of the voters

## participating

_#_Communists: 400 (est.); Communist party banned 1962

_#_Member of: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abderrahmane BENSID; Chancery at 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 328-5300;

US--Ambassador Christopher W. S. ROSS; Embassy at 4 Chemin Cheich Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers (mailing address is B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers); telephone [213] (2) 601-425 or 255, 186; there is a US Consulate in Oran

_#_Flag: two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white with a red five-pointed star within a red crescent; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion)

_*_Economy _#_Overview: The exploitation of oil and natural gas products forms the backbone of the economy. Algeria depends on hydrocarbons for nearly all of its export receipts, about 30% of government revenues, and nearly 25% of GDP. In 1973-74 the sharp increase in oil prices led to a booming economy and helped to finance an ambitious program of industrialization. Plunging oil and gas prices, combined with the mismanagement of Algeria's highly centralized economy, have brought the nation to its most serious social and economic crisis since independence. The government has promised far-reaching reforms, including giving public-sector companies more autonomy, encouraging private-sector activity, boosting gas and nonhydrocarbon exports, and proposing a major overhaul of the banking and financial systems, but to date has made little progress.

_#_GDP: $54 billion, per capita $2,130; real growth rate 2.5% (1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16.6% (1990)

_#_Unemployment rate: 26% (1990 est.)

_#_Budget: revenues $16.7 billion; expenditures $17.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $6.6 billion (1990 est.)

_#_Exports: $10.2 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--petroleum and natural gas 98%;

partners--Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Italy, France, US

_#_Imports: $9.2 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--capital goods 29%, consumer goods 30%;

partners--France 25%, Italy 8%, FRG 8%, US 6-7%

_#_External debt: $26.6 billion (December 1990)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate -3% (1989 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP, including petroleum

_#_Electricity: 5,156,000 kW capacity; 14,900 million kWh produced, 580 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: petroleum, light industries, natural gas, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GDP and employs 24% of labor force; net importer of food--grain, vegetable oil, and sugar; farm production includes wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits, sheep,and cattle

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $1.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $8.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.8 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.7 billion

_#_Currency: Algerian dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Algerian dinar (DA) = 100 centimes

_#_Exchange rates: Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1--13.581 (January 1991), 8.958 (1990), 7.6086 (1989), 5.9148 (1988), 4.8497 (1987), 4.7023 (1986), 5.0278 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 4,146 km total; 2,632 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 1,258 km 1.055-meter gauge, 256 km 1.000-meter gauge; 300 km electrified; 215 km double track

_#_Highways: 80,000 km total; 60,000 km concrete or bituminous, 20,000 km gravel, crushed stone, unimproved earth

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 6,612 km; refined products, 298 km; natural gas, 2,948 km

_#_Ports: Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Jijel, Mers el Kebir, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda

_#_Merchant marine: 75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 903,179 GRT/1,063,994 DWT; includes 5 short-sea passenger, 27 cargo, 2 vehicle carrier, 10 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 5 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 9 liquefied gas, 7 chemical tanker, 9 bulk, 1 specialized tanker

_#_Civil air: 42 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 145 total, 134 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 66 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international service in the north, sparse in the south; 693,000 telephones; stations--26 AM, no FM, 113 TV; 1,550,000 TV sets; 3,500,000 receiver sets; 6 submarine cables; coaxial cable or radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, 1 ARABSAT, and 15 domestic

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Territorial Air Defense, National Gendarmerie

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 6,142,818; 3,780,873 fit for military service; 293,175 reach military age (19) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $857 million, 1.8% of GDP (1991) _%_ _@_American Samoa (territory of the US) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 199 km2; land area: 199 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 116 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 12 nm;

Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Climate: tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages 124 inches; rainy season from November to April, dry season from May to October; little seasonal temperature variation

_#_Terrain: five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two coral atolls

_#_Natural resources: pumice and pumicite

_#_Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 75%; other 10%

_#_Environment: typhoons common from December to March