非洲:
埃塞俄比亚 Ethiopia 埃及 Egypt 突尼斯 Tunisia 阿尔及利亚 Algeria 尼日利亚 Nigeria 塞内加尔 Senegal 南非 South Africa 安哥拉 Angola 贝宁 Benin 布基纳法索 Burkina Faso 布隆迪 Republic of Burundi 博茨瓦纳 Republic of Botswana 赤道几内亚 Equatorial Guinea 多哥 Togo 厄立特里亚 Eritrea 佛得角 Republic of Cape Verde 冈比亚 Gambia 刚果 Republic of the Congo 刚果民主共和国 Democratic Republic of Congo 吉布提 Djibouti 几内亚 Guinea 几内亚比绍 Guinea-Bissau 加纳 Republic of Ghana 加蓬 Gabon 津巴布韦 Zimbabwe 喀麦隆 Republic of Cameroon 科摩罗 Comoros 科特迪瓦 Ivory Coast 肯尼亚 Republic of Kenya 莱索托 Kingdom of Lesotho 利比亚 Libya 利比里亚 Republic of Liberia 卢旺达 Republic of Rwanda 马达加斯加 Madagascar 马拉维 Malawi 马里 Republic of Mali 毛里塔尼亚 Mauritania 毛里求斯 Republic of Mauritius 摩洛哥 Kingdom of Morocco 莫桑比克 the Republic of Mozambique 纳米比亚 The Republic of Namibia 尼日尔 Niger 塞拉利昂 the Republic of Sierra Leone 塞舌尔 Seychelles 斯威士兰 Swaziland 苏丹 Sudan 索马里 Somalia 圣多美和普林西比 Sao Tome and Principe 坦桑尼亚 Tanzania 乌干达 The Republic of Uganda 赞比亚 The Republic of Zambia 乍得 the Republic of Chad 中非共和国 The Central African Republic |
阿爾及利亞 Algeria 首都:阿爾及爾 國家代碼: dz |
阿爾及利亞民主人民共和國(The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, La République Algérienne Démocratique et Populaire)。
【面積】 阿爾及利亞民主人民共和國位於非洲西北部,北臨地中海,隔海與西班牙、法國相望。面積2 3 8 1 7 4 1 平方千米。海岸綫長約1 2 0 0 千米。 【人口】 3380萬(2006年)。大多數是阿拉伯人,其次是柏柏爾人(約占總人口20%)。少數民族有姆紮布族和圖阿雷格族。官方語言為阿拉伯語,通用法語。伊斯蘭教為國教。 【首都】 阿爾及爾(Alger),人口256萬(2004年)。全國政治、經濟、文化和外貿的中心;最大港口,有煉油、石化、機械、水泥、紡織、釀酒、製革等工業部門。阿爾及爾是地中海的交通要衝。公元10世紀前葉建為港口。17世紀時城市日漸繁榮。1830年後成為法屬北非殖民地軍事、政治中心。1962年阿爾及利亞獨立後以此為都。 【宗教】 伊斯蘭教99%,基督猶太教1%。國傢的宗教是非伊斯蘭教 【語言】 阿拉伯語、法語、柏柏爾語 【貨幣】第納爾 【同北京時差】 -7.00 【國際電話碼】213 【國傢元首】 阿卜杜勒-阿齊茲·布特弗利卡(Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA),1999年4月15日當選,2004年4月8日連任。 【重要節日】 獨立日,7月5日(1962年),國慶日,11月1日(1954年)。此外,約有10天伊斯蘭宗教節日,如伊斯蘭歷新年、開齋節、宰牲節等。 【自然地理】 位於非洲西北部。北臨地中海,東臨突尼斯、利比亞,南與尼日爾、馬裏和毛裏塔尼亞接壤,西與摩洛哥、西撒哈拉交界。海岸綫長約1200公裏。北部沿海地區屬地中海氣候,中部為熱帶草原氣候;南部為熱帶沙漠氣候。每年8月最熱,最高氣溫29℃,最低氣溫22℃;1月最冷,最高氣溫15℃,最低氣溫9℃。沿海有狹窄平原。阿特拉斯山脈橫亙北部,分泰勒阿特拉斯山脈和撒哈拉阿特拉斯山脈北、南兩支,兩山之間有高原和山間盆地,多鹹水湖。中、南部是撒哈拉沙漠,占國土面積85%,其中有高大死火山和許多緑洲,最高點塔哈特山海拔2,918米。沿海為地中海式氣候;山區屬半幹旱氣候,多森林和草原;其他廣大地區為熱帶沙漠氣候,雨量少,夏季酷熱。 【簡史】 公元前十二世紀腓尼基人到達沿海一帶。公元前九世紀起受迦太基控製。公元前3世紀,在阿北部建立過兩個柏柏爾王國。後羅馬、拜占庭、阿拉伯人、西班牙、土耳其入侵。1830年法國開始入侵,阿逐步淪為法國殖民地。1958年9月19日阿臨時政府成立。1962年 7月3日正式宣佈獨立,7月5日定為獨立日。1963年9月,本·貝拉當選首任總統。1965年6月,鬍阿裏·布邁丁發動政變上臺,成立革命委員會,自任主席兼總理。1976年12月布當選為總統。1979年2月沙德利·本·傑迪德上校當選為總統。1992年1月,沙德利總統辭職,阿成立以穆罕默德·布迪亞夫為首的五人最高國務委員會行使總統職權。7月,卡菲繼任最高國務委員會主席。1994年1月,最高國務委員會卸任,同時任命拉明·澤魯阿勒為總統。1995年11月澤魯阿勒當選為總統。1995年至1997年間,阿完成了修憲公投,通過了政黨法並先後舉行了總統、立法、地方及民族院(參議院)的選舉,各級政權建設基本完成。1998年9月11日,澤魯阿勒總統宣佈提前卸任。1999年4月15日阿舉行總統選舉,阿卜杜勒-阿齊茲·布特弗利卡當選為總統。2004年4月8日,布在總統大選中以84.99%的得票率蟬聯。 【政治】 1999年布特弗利卡任總統後,采取多種措施恢復國內和平與安定。一方面繼續清剿、打擊怙惡不悛的恐怖團夥,一方面推動“全國和解”,通過《全民和解法》與《和平與全國和解憲章》,分化、感召恐怖殘餘勢力。當前,雖然針對當地民衆和外國僑民的恐怖襲擊仍有發生,但阿社會治安狀況已大有改善,生産生活基本能正常進行。與此同時,布特弗利卡總統穩步推行政治、經濟的有序改革,以期建立民主、法製國傢,實現經濟、社會的全面發展。2006年5月,布改組政府,任命阿議會第一大黨民族解放陣綫總書記貝勒卡迪姆為總理。 【憲法】 1996年11月28日,阿舉行全民公投,通過憲法修正案。修改後的憲法主要內容是:確定阿的伊斯蘭、阿拉伯、柏柏爾屬性;禁止在宗教、語言、種族、性別、社團主義和地方主義的基礎上成立政黨;議會由國民議會和民族院(參議院)組成;總統在議會産生前及其休會期間可以法令形式頒布法律;如政府施政綱領兩次被國民議會否决,則解散國民議會,重新選舉等。 【議會】 由國民議會(衆議院)與民族院(參議院)組成,兩院共同行使立法權,國民議會通過的法案須經民族院四分之三多數通過後方能生效。本屆國民議會共389名議員,2002年5月選出,任期5年。現任議長為阿馬爾·薩伊達尼(Amar SAIDANI),2004年6月任職。各黨所占席位分別為:民族解放陣綫199席;民族民主聯盟47席;民族改革運動43席;爭取和平社會運動38席;獨立人士30席;勞工黨21席;阿爾及利亞民族陣綫8席;復興運動、阿爾及利亞革新黨及民族和睦運動各1席。民族院三分之二議員通過間接、無記名投票選出,另三分之一由總統任命,任期六年,每三年改選其中一半。首屆民族院於1997年12月産生,共144名議員,現任議長為阿卜杜勒-卡德爾·本薩拉赫(Abdelkader BENSALAH),2002年7月當選,2004年1月連任。各黨所占席位:民盟82席;民陣20席;和運4席;文盟1席;全國團结與發展黨1席;其餘為無黨派人士。 【政府】 現政府於2006年5月25日組成,由總理、31名部長、8名部長級代表和1名政府秘書長組成。主要成員有:總理:阿卜杜勒-阿齊茲·貝勒卡迪姆(Abdelaziz BELKHADEM)、國務部長兼內政與地方行政部長:亞齊德·澤魯尼(Yazid ZERHOUNI)、國務部長兼外交部長:穆罕默德·貝賈維(Mohamed BEDJAOUI)、國務部長:布傑拉·蘇爾塔尼(Boudjerra SOLTANI)、國防部部長級代表:阿卜杜勒-馬賴剋·蓋納齊亞(Abdelmalek GUENAIZIA)、司法、掌璽部長:塔耶卜·貝萊茲(Tayeb BELAIZ)、財政部長:穆拉德·梅德西(Mourad MEDELCI)、能源與礦産部長:沙基卜·剋利勒(Chakib KHELIL)、水資源部長:阿卜杜勒馬立剋·塞拉勒(Abdelmalek SELLAL)、貿易部長:努爾丁·布剋魯赫(Noureddine BOUKROUH)、宗教與募捐事務部長:布阿代拉赫·格拉馬拉赫(Bouaddellah GHLAMALLAH)、老戰士部長:穆罕摩德·謝裏夫·阿巴斯(Mohamed Cherif ABBAS)、國土整治與環境部長:謝裏夫·拉赫馬尼(Cherif RAHMANI)、交通部長:穆罕默德·謝裏夫·阿巴斯(Mohamed Cherif ABBAS)、國民教育部長:阿布貝剋爾·本布齊德(Boubekeur BENBOUZID)、農業和鄉村發展部長:塞義德·巴爾卡特(Said BARKAT)、公共工程部長:奧馬爾·古勒(Omar GHOUL)、衛生、人口和醫療機構改革部長:阿瑪爾·圖(Amar TOU)、文化部長:卡麗達·圖米(女/Khalida TOUMI)、新聞部長哈希米·吉亞爾(Hachemi DJIAR)、中小企業和手工業部長:穆斯塔法·本巴達(Mustapha BENBADA)、高教和科研部長:拉希德·哈拉烏比亞(Rachid HARRAOUBIA)、郵政和信息、通訊技術部長:布賈瑪·哈伊舒爾(Boudjemaa HAICHUOUR)、青年和體育部長:葉海亞·基杜姆(Yahia GUIDDOUM)、培訓和職業教育部長:阿勒哈迪·哈勒迪(El-Hadi KHALDI)、住房與城市規劃部長:穆罕摩德·納迪爾·哈米米德(Mohamed Nadir HAMIMID)、工業部長:馬哈穆德·鬍德裏(Mahmoud KHOUDRI)、勞動和社會保障部長:塔耶卜·盧赫(Tayeb LOUH)、就業和國民互助部長:賈邁勒·烏爾德·阿巴斯(Djamel Ould ABBES)、漁業與水産資源部長:斯邁爾·米穆內(Smail MIMOUNE)、旅遊部長:努爾丁·穆薩(Noureddine MOUSSA)等。 【網址】 阿爾及利亞外交部:www.mae.dz 【行政區劃】 全國共分為48個省:阿爾及爾、阿德拉爾、謝裏夫、拉格瓦特、烏姆布阿基、巴特納、貝賈亞、比斯卡拉、貝沙爾、布利達、布依拉、塔曼拉塞特、特貝薩、特纍姆森、提亞雷特、蒂齊烏祖、傑勒法、吉傑爾、塞蒂夫、賽伊達、斯基剋達、西迪·貝勒·阿貝斯、安納巴、蓋爾馬、君士坦丁、梅德阿、莫斯塔加納姆、姆西拉、馬斯卡拉、烏爾格拉、奧蘭、貝伊德、伊利齊、布爾吉·布阿雷裏吉、布邁德斯、塔裏夫、廷杜夫、蒂斯姆西勒特、瓦德、罕西拉、蘇剋·阿赫拉斯、蒂巴紮、密拉、艾因·德夫拉、納阿馬、艾因·蒂姆瀋特、格爾達亞、赫利贊。 【司法機構】 設最高司法委員會,主席和副主席分別由總統和司法部長擔任。法院分三級:最高法院、省級法院和市鎮法庭。不設檢察院,在最高法院和省級法院設檢察長,均受司法部領導。最高法院院長貝拉賈·卡杜爾(Beradja KADDOUR),2006年9月任職。 【政黨】 根據1996年11月通過的憲法修正案和1997年2月通過的政黨法,現有約30個合法政黨。主要政黨有: (1)民族解放陣綫(Front de Libération Nationale,簡稱民陣):前身為“團结與行動委員會”,成立於1954年8月,同年11月1日發動抗法武裝起義,改名為“民族解放陣綫”,1977年10月又易名為“民族解放陣綫黨”,1988年11月恢復“民族解放陣綫”的名稱。民陣積極倡導建立國際經濟新秩序,主張恢復阿的國際地位。阿獨立後,民陣長期執政。1992年後成為在野黨。1997年6月第一次立法選舉時成為議會三大執政黨之一。2002年5月在阿第二次立法選舉中獲51%議席,重新成為阿第一大黨。2005年1月,民陣舉行“八大”,選舉貝勒卡迪姆為總書記並推舉布特弗利卡總統為名譽主席。貝勒卡迪姆2006年5月出任總理。 (2)全國民主聯盟(Rassemblement National Démocratique,簡稱民盟):成立於1997年2月,由老戰士組織、老戰士子女組織、烈士子女組織、退往軍官協會、工會、農會、全國婦女聯盟七個有影響的全國性團體組成。1997年6月立法選舉中,民盟獲40%的議席,成為阿第一大政黨。在2002年的立法選舉中退居議會第二大黨。民盟主張“多樣性、輪流執政”的原則。總書記為前總理艾哈邁德·烏葉海亞(Ahmed OUYAHIA,1999年2月當選)。 (3)民族改革運動(Monvement de la Réforme nationale)簡稱民改運。原為復運賈巴拉赫派,後從復運中分離,於1999年1月29日正式成立。是溫和伊斯蘭主義政黨,主張建立伊斯蘭國傢,實行多黨製,支持全國和解,尊重憲法和法律,特別是阿拉伯語普及法,對外主張建設大馬格裏布,反對在以色列撤出被占領土前同以媾和。黨主席阿卜達拉赫·賈巴拉赫(Abdellah DJABALAH)。2002年5月立法選舉中民改運得票居民盟之後,成為議會第三大黨。 (4)爭取和平社會運動(Mouvement de la Sociéte pour la Paix):原名哈馬斯,成立於1990年,1997年4月13日易名。代表溫和伊斯蘭勢力,既倡導伊斯蘭化,也主張民主、共和、輪流執政、提高婦女地位,鼓勵推進私有化、努力解决失業和住房等問題。在1995年11月的總統選舉中,該黨主席馬赫富德·納赫納赫(Mahfoud NAHNAH)獲得二百多萬張選票,該黨成為最大的反對黨。2002年5月立法選舉中獲7.7%選票,成為議會第四大黨。現任黨主席艾布傑爾·蘇爾塔尼(Abou Djerr SOLTANI)。 (5)社會主義力量陣綫(Front des Forces Socialistes):1963年成立。主張根據人民的需要和意願發展國傢,尊重言論自由,反對個人專製,建設一個自由、進步、團结的社會。黨主席霍辛·艾耶特·艾哈邁德(Hocine Ait AHMED)。 (6)文化與民主聯盟(Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie):1989年2月11日成立,由柏柏爾人組成。主張黨政教分離;建立國傢與私人相互補充的市場經濟;全面改革教育制度。主席薩義德·薩迪(Said SAADI)。 【重要人物】 阿卜杜勒-阿齊茲·布特弗利卡:總統兼國防部長。1937年3月2日出生,祖籍阿西部的特纍姆森。1956年參加民族解放軍,投身獨立戰爭。1957-1958年任第五省的總督察,後被選入布邁丁上校領導的“西部軍事行動指揮部”參謀部任職。1962年任特纍姆森省代省長和製憲議會議員,並任青年、體育、旅遊部長。1963年至1979年任外長。1979年3月任總統部長級顧問。1999年4月15日當選總統。2004年4月蟬聯總統。曾於1971年、1974年和2000年三次訪華。阿卜杜勒-卡德爾·本薩拉赫:民族院議長。1941年生。早年參加阿民族解放軍,進行抗法鬥爭,曾獲軍隊和國傢榮譽勳章。獨立後上大學,獲敘利亞大馬士革大學法學學士學位。1970年任阿駐貝魯特新聞與文化中心負責人。1974年任《人民報》社長。1977-1982年任國民議會議員,1982年和1987年兩次連任議員並任議會外事委員會主席。1989-1992年任阿駐沙特大使兼駐伊斯蘭會議組織常駐代表。1992年任外交部發言人。1993年任全國對話委員會成員兼發言人。1994年任全國過渡委員會(臨時議會)主席。1997年2月主持創建民族民主聯盟,並於4月當選該黨主席。1997年6月當選國民議會議長,2002年7月2日全票當選為民族院議長。阿馬爾·薩伊達尼:國民議會議長。1950年生於突尼斯市,阿抗法獨立戰爭烈士子弟。曾獲大學政治學學位。歷任阿工人總聯合會幹部、支部書記、油礦聯合會理事、經社理事會理事等。1997年當選議員,任議會運輸與通訊委員會主任、副議長等職。2004年6月當選國民議會議長。阿卜杜勒-阿齊茲·貝勒卡迪姆:總理。1945年11月8日生於拉格瓦特省。早年在提亞雷特省任教師。1972-1977年任布邁丁總統府外事局副局長,1977-1992年任國民議會議員,期間歷任國民議會委員會主席、副議長、議長。1991-1997年當選民族解放陣綫政治局委員。2000年任國務部長兼外長,2005年2月當選民陣總書記。2005年5月改任國務部長兼總統個人代表。2006年5月被任命為總理。1991年曾以議長身份訪華,2000年以外長身份隨布特弗利卡總統訪華。 【經 濟】 【經濟概述】阿經濟規模在非洲居第二位,僅次於南非。碳化氫産業(石油與天然氣的統稱)是阿國民經濟的支柱,2005年其産值占阿GDP的45%,出口總額的98%。糧食與日用品主要依賴進口。阿自1989年開始市場經濟改革,1995年通過私有化法案,加快經濟結構調整。目前阿正在執行2005年至2009年“五年經濟社會振興規劃”及南部、高原省份經濟發展計劃,政府將斥資近1440億美元用於國企改造和基礎設施建設。2005年以來,國際油價走高,阿油氣收入大增,經濟穩步增長,經濟重建全面開展。政府一方面繼續實施財政擴張政策,加快大型基礎設施建設,推動國有企業和金融體係改革,加大對中小企業的扶持;一方面擴大經濟開放,出臺“新碳化氫法”鼓勵外企參與阿油氣開發,密切與歐、美的經貿合作,加緊開展“入世”談判。 【工礦業】占國內生産總值30%以上。石油和天然氣工業是首要經濟部門,石油開採量居非洲前列,石油和天然氣占出口總值95%以上。還開採和出口鐵礦石和磷灰石。其他工業有食品、紡織、化工、鋼鐵、農機等。多半人口從事農業。主要經濟作物是葡萄、柑橘、蔬菜,糧食作物有小麥、大麥等。牲畜多綿羊、山羊。盛産栓皮櫟和阿爾法草。葡萄酒、柑橘、蔬菜、橄欖油、軟木、阿爾法草均是傳統出口商品。進口以機器設備、工業品、日用品和食品為大宗。 國內生産總值(2006年):1136億美元。 人均國內生産總值(2006年):3443美元。 國內生産總值增長率(2006年):4.8%。 貨幣名稱:第納爾(Dinar)。 匯率(2006年):1美元≈72.65第納爾。 通貨膨脹率(2006):2.5%。 失業率(2006年):12.3%。 【重要城市】阿爾及爾:首都,全國政治、經濟、文化和交通中心。工業以製粉、釀酒、金屬加工、水泥、煙草、煉油、汽車裝配等為主。港口築於海濱及四個小島間,是地中海南岸最大港市之一。城東南約2 0 千米有著名的達爾貝達國際機場。奧蘭(瓦赫蘭):全國第二大貿易港。有金屬加工、化學和一些輕工業。安納巴:阿拉伯人7 世紀建立的古城,現為重要海港。 【資源】 石油探明可采儲量約12.55億噸,占世界總儲量的1%,居世界第15位,主要是撒哈拉輕質油,油質較高;天然氣儲量4.6萬億立方米,占世界總儲量的3%,産量居世界第7位。阿油氣産品大部分出口。其他礦藏主要有鐵、鉛鋅、鈾、銅、金、磷酸????等。其中鐵礦儲量為30-50億噸,主要分佈在東部的烏昂紮礦和布哈德拉礦。鉛鋅礦儲量估計為1.5億噸,鈾礦2.4-5萬噸,磷酸????20億噸,黃金100噸。 【工業】 主要部門有能礦、鋼鐵、冶金、機械、電力等。2003年工業産值364.8億美元,占國內生産總值的55.1%。工業以碳化氫産業為主,製造業僅占國內生産總值的7%。2005年石油産量為7300萬噸,油氣出口收入達435億美元,創歷史新高。2001年阿工業企業共有員工約50.2萬人,其中10餘萬人在私營企業工作。 【農、林、牧、漁業】 阿現有農業從業人員約1800萬,占全國人口的56%。2004年農業産值占國內生産總值的9.2%。主要農産品有糧食(小麥、大麥、燕麥和豆類)、蔬菜、葡萄、柑桔和椰棗等。阿可耕地面積7500萬公頃,占國土面積的17%,已耕地面積約846萬公頃,占國土面積的3%,其中糧田306萬公頃,果林57.7萬公頃,葡萄8.2萬公頃,蔬菜種植面積15.8萬公頃。阿農業靠天吃飯,産量起伏較大。1995/96年度糧食産量為460萬噸,創歷史最高紀錄,2004/05年度糧食産量為350萬噸。阿是世界糧食、奶、油、糖十大進口國之一,每年進口糧食約490萬噸。森林覆蓋率為11%,總面積367萬公頃,其中軟木林46萬公頃,年産木材20萬立方米。全國有草場3200萬公頃。2003年牲畜存欄數為:牛146.5萬頭,羊1873.8萬衹,駱駝33.4萬峰。年産奶16億升、肉類31萬噸、禽類25萬噸、蛋24億衹。漁業資源集中在近海,2000年有各種漁船2464條,其中拖網輪305艘、捕沙丁魚船635條,手工捕魚船1484條,共有2.64萬人從事漁業。 【旅遊業】阿旅遊資源豐富,全境有7處自然、文化景點被聯合國教科文組織列為世界遺産。目前阿全國有旅遊開發區174個,飯店1004傢,床位約10萬張。2004年阿接待境外遊客160萬人次,2005年旅遊收入為1.74億美元。 【交通運輸】阿陸地運輸以公路為主,公路運載量占83%,鐵路占17%。 鐵路:集中在北部地區,總長4219公裏,其中標準軌3138公裏,復綫345公裏,電氣化鐵路300公裏,窄軌1081公裏。鐵路全綫有214個車站,日客運能力約3.2萬人次。 公路:總長約10.7萬公裏,其中高速公路350公裏,國傢級公路2.9萬公裏,省級公路2.4萬公裏,村鎮級公路5.4萬公裏。 水運:共有36個港口,其中漁港22座,油港4座,其餘為休閑港或多功能港。最大的港口是阿爾及爾港,有大小泊位37個。阿30%的貨物,70%的集裝箱通過阿爾及爾港裝載。 空運:全國有53個機場,其中29個投入商業運行,包括阿爾及爾、奧蘭、安納巴、君士坦丁等13個國際機場,每年起降飛機10萬架次。現有2傢國營航空公司和6傢私營航空公司,共有飛機60餘架,其中大、中型飛機30餘架。目前已開通20個國傢的50多條國際航綫。 管道運輸:國內有9條輸氣管道,總長4699公裏,年輸送能力820億立方米;8條輸油管道,總長3604公裏,年輸送能力6390萬噸;3條凝析油管道,總長1330公裏,年輸送能力2100萬噸;2條液化石油氣管道,總長1331公裏,年輸送能力986萬噸。另有3條通往歐洲的輸氣管。其中兩條名為“穿越地中海輸氣管”的管綫經突尼斯穿越地中海嚮意大利和斯洛文尼亞送氣,分別於1983年和1987年投入運營,全長2509公裏(在阿境內549公裏),總輸氣能力為240億立方米/年。另一條名為“馬格裏布-歐洲輸氣管”的管綫,經摩洛哥穿越地中海通往葡萄牙和西班牙,1996年11月投入運營,全長1370公裏(在阿境內530公裏),輸氣能力為80億立方米/年。 【財政金融】 近幾年財政預算情況如下(單位:億第納爾): 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 總支出 15599 17111 19200 19500 26321 總收入 14578 14515 15280 16304 16679 赤字 1021 2590 3920 3196 9642 截至2006年底,阿外匯儲備達777.8億美元,外債總額為50億美元。 【對外貿易】 原由國傢控製,國營公司壟斷經營。1991年3月宣佈放開對外貿易。主要出口産品為碳化氫(石油和天然氣),2006年油氣出口收入達535.6億美元。主要進口産品為工農業設備、食品、生産原料、非食品消費品等,主要貿易夥伴是西方工業國。政府鼓勵非碳化氫産品出口,主張貿易夥伴多元化。近幾年的外貿情況如下(單位:億美元): 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 進 口 額 117.5 130 182 200 210 出 口 額 184.2 238.4 317 444 528.2 順(逆)差額 66.7 108.4 135 244 318.2 2006年主要貿易對象及占阿進出口總額的比例(%): 進口 占阿進口總額比例 出口占阿出口總額比例 法國 20.6% 美國 26.6% 意大利 8.8% 意大利 17% 中國 8% 西班牙 10.5% 【外國投資】2005年阿共吸收國外直接投資40億美元,集中在能源、基礎設施和消費品生産等領域,投資金額最多的國傢依次為科威特、西班牙、埃及、美國和法國。2006年1-9月,共吸引外國直接投資38億美元。2005/06年世界經濟論壇報告稱,在世界116個國傢中,阿商務投資環境居第88位。 【人民生活】據世界銀行2005年統計,阿貧睏人口為700萬。另據阿國傢發展與人口統計局數字,2006年阿人口貧睏率不到6%。2006年7月,阿政府决定再次增長公職人員(150萬人)工資和退休、殘疾人員(90萬人)補貼,國庫將為此支出1120億第納爾。同年10月,為交通、紡織、電信等領域員工(400萬人)增加了15-20%的工資。同時,國傢最低保障工資由10000第納爾增加至12000第納爾。 人口自然增長率為1.53%,出生率為19.7%。實行免費醫療制度,看病衹交少量挂號費,藥品自行到藥店購買,住院後費用全免。全國有173所醫院,1238個衛生中心、493個診所、59350張病床。各類醫務人員17.7萬人。1997年藥品自給率達33%,進口費用為3.37億美元。1998年,兒童死亡率44‰,平均預期壽命68歲(男子67.5歲,女子70.3歲),在非洲名列第五。 【軍事】阿武裝力量前身為民族解放軍,獨立後改稱阿爾及利亞國傢人民軍。實行義務兵役製和志願兵相結合的兵役制度。義務兵役製規定,男性公民服役期為18個月。國防部是軍隊最高領導機構。總統任國防部長和三軍統帥。最高安全委員會負責就國傢安全問題嚮總統提出建議。人民軍參謀長為艾哈邁德·撒拉赫·蓋德(Ahmed Salah GAID)少將。全國劃分為6個軍區,下設若幹軍分區。裝備主要來自前蘇聯,其餘來自美、英、法、意等國。 人民軍正規部隊13.05萬人。其中陸軍11萬人,海軍7500人,空軍1萬人,國土防空軍3000人。準軍事武裝(包括憲兵、國傢安全部隊、共和國衛隊、鄉鎮衛隊及合法防衛組織)18.12萬人。 【文化教育】 阿對6-16歲少年兒童實行9年一貫製義務教育。製定了教育民主化、阿爾及利亞化、阿拉伯語化、重視科學和為了國傢發展四項原則。中、小學生教育免費,大學生享受助學金和伙食補貼。2001/2002年度,共有中、小學校22626所,2003/2004學年有中小學生784.2萬人,教師33.1萬人。各類高等院校56所,2002/2003學年在校大學生61.5萬名,教員18544人。主要大學有:阿爾及爾大學、鬍阿裏·布邁丁科技大學、君士坦丁大學等。阿文盲率為28%,約741.1萬人,其中有463.1萬名婦女。 【新聞出版】 1990年前阿新聞出版由國傢壟斷,1990年頒布新的新聞法,實行有條件的新聞自由,一些政黨創立了黨報,也出現了一些獨立地方報刊。2005年,共有報社250傢,記者上千人,其中日報46份(阿、法文),主要有《聖戰者報》、《人民報》、《地平綫報》、《晚報》、《祖國報》和《自由報》等;主要刊物有《阿爾及利亞時事周刊》和《非洲革命》等。 阿爾及利亞新聞通訊社:官方通訊社,創建於1961年,有工作人員650名,在國內48個省設有分社,在國外設有15個分社,用阿、法、英三種文字發稿,每年發稿20萬條。 阿爾及利亞新聞社:目前唯一的私營通訊社,創建於1999年1月,有記者20餘名,重點提供經濟信息。 阿爾及利亞廣播電臺:國營電臺,創建於1956年,前身為“戰鬥的阿爾及利亞之聲”。有4套節目。 阿爾及利亞電視臺:國營電視臺,創建於1962年。 【對外關係】 阿奉行獨立、自主和不結盟的外交政策,主張尊重國傢主權與領土完整、互不干涉內政、互不使用武力,相互尊重、互利和對話基礎上尋求廣泛合作,外交為經濟建設服務。反對大國強權政治和藉口人權干涉別國內政,主張建立公正合理的國際政治、經濟新秩序。反對恐怖主義;致力於馬格裏布聯盟建設和地區和平,積極參與阿拉伯事務;促進非洲團结與和平;支持歐盟-地中海合作,謀求發展與西方國傢關係。截至2006年底,共與168個國傢建立了外交關係,在60多個國傢設立大使館,外國常駐阿使館80個。 【對當前重大國際問題的態度】 關於國際形勢:認為國際關係正處在變化和重組之中,世界和平與安全以及各國的發展仍是當前緊迫的課題。和平、經濟發展和共同繁榮是世界穩定的根本條件。世界形勢趨嚮緩和,全球性衝突雖已避免,但地區衝突依然存在。阿主張多極化,反對單邊主義,認為任何國傢都不可能獨自主宰世界。 關於反恐:阿十餘年來深受恐怖動亂之害,對恐怖主義有切膚之痛。認為恐怖主義是當今世界所面臨的最大挑戰之一,不僅威脅基本人權,而且危及國傢的民主基礎,應當予以堅决打擊。強調不能將恐怖主義與某一特定宗教、民族挂鈎;呼籲聯合國主持召開國際反恐會議,簽署國際反恐公約。 關於伊朗核問題:支持伊朗擁有和平利用核能的權利,主張伊朗核問題應該通過外交努力加以解决。 關於巴以問題;歡迎法塔赫和哈馬斯簽署“麥加協議”,希望此協議能徹底結束巴內部紛爭,幫助巴人民實現各項民族權利,包括建立以耶路撒冷為首都的巴勒斯坦國。強調應尊重和支持巴民族聯合政府,並盡快解除自巴立法委選舉之後對巴的製裁。阿還呼籲加緊落實“路綫圖”計劃,重新啓動和平進程,以公正、持久地解决巴以問題。 關於伊拉剋問題:支持伊的統一、主權和領土完整,主張尊重伊人民選擇自己國傢政權、支配自己國傢自然資源的權利,認為聯合國應在伊重建問題上發揮核心作用,在嚮伊派遣阿拉伯聯合部隊問題上態度謹慎。對薩達姆在宰牲節當日被處絞刑表示遺憾,呼籲伊各派恢復冷靜,避免暴力升級。 關於馬格裏布聯盟建設:認為馬盟建設符合地區的根本利益,有利於馬格裏布地區各國的反恐合作及地區的安全穩定和經濟發展。馬格裏布地區實現政治、經濟、社會一體化是該地區年輕一代的希望,任何人無權草率行事,也不能置之不理或設置障礙。 【同中國的關係】 中阿有着深厚的傳統友誼。兩國自1958年12月20日建交後,友好合作關係不斷發展。周恩來總理(1963年、1965年)、趙紫陽總理(1982年)、江澤民主席(1999年)、李鵬委員長(2001年)、朱鎔基總理(2002年)、鬍錦濤主席(2004年)等國傢領導人先後訪阿;阿多位國傢元首、政府首腦及外長、參謀長訪華,其中布特弗利卡總統先後於1971年、1974年(作為外長)和2000年、2006年(作為總統)四次訪華。中阿在2004年鬍錦濤主席訪阿期間正式建立戰略合作關係。 2006年以來,中阿戰略合作關係進一步深化,各領域交流與合作取得重要進展。11月,布特弗利卡總統來華出席中非合作論壇北京峰會並訪華。期間,鬍錦濤主席與布共同簽署了《中阿關於發展兩國戰略合作關係的聲明》,雙方有關部門簽署了有關司法、經濟、稅務、航空、質量檢驗、油氣等方面合作的9個協議文本。阿國務部長兼外長貝賈維、審計法院院長本馬魯夫、國土整治與環境部長拉赫馬尼、司法與掌璽部長貝萊茲先後來華訪問或與會,中國民用航空總局副局長楊國慶、中國人民對外友好協會會長陳昊蘇等先後訪阿。 中阿經貿合作取得積極進展。5月,中信集團和中鐵建公司聯合體中標阿東西高速公路中、西標段項目。6月,阿能源與礦産部長剋利勒訪華。9月,阿稅務總局代表團訪華。10月,中國核工業集團公司代表團訪阿;12月,阿能礦部、原子能署代表團訪華。 兩國軍事、衛生、文化、新聞等領域的合作與交流全面開展。10月,中國人民解放軍總裝備部政委遲萬春上將訪阿。8月,阿人民軍參謀長艾哈邁德·蓋德·薩拉赫少將訪華。7月、10月,阿海軍司令、空軍司令也先後訪華。2月,中國衛生部副部長李熙訪阿。1月,中國文化部副部長兼故宮博物院院長鄭欣淼率中國政府文化代表團訪阿,與阿文化部長圖米女士簽署了兩國政府文化協定2006至2008年度執行計劃。 2006年中阿雙邊貿易額為20.9億美元,同比增長18.2%,其中中方出口19.47億美元,進口1.43億美元。 中國駐阿爾及利亞大使:張史賢。 阿爾及利亞駐華大使:賈邁勒·艾丁·格林(Jamel Eddine GRINE)。 【同馬格裏布國傢關係】 阿曾於1994年至2003年擔任阿拉伯馬格裏布聯盟輪值主席國。近年來,阿與馬盟成員國關係穩步發展。 同摩洛哥關係:1963年阿與摩洛哥曾因邊界爭端發生武裝衝突。1976年阿承認“西撒國”後,摩宣佈與阿斷交。1988年兩國復交。布特弗利卡當選總統後,摩已故國王哈桑二世致電祝賀,兩國元首表示願盡早會晤。哈病逝後,布赴摩參加葬禮,並與新任國王穆罕默德六世建立聯繫。2003年,兩國元首在聯大期間舉行單獨會談。2004年5月,摩外交大臣本·伊薩訪阿;7月,摩宣佈免除阿公民赴摩簽證。2005年3月,摩國王赴阿出席阿盟首腦會議並與布特弗利卡總統舉行會晤;同月,阿宣佈免除摩公民赴阿簽證。2006年2月,摩國王緻信布特弗利卡總統,請阿支持摩申辦2012年世博會,同月布復函表示支持;4月摩國王緻信布,對阿擔任阿盟輪值主席國期間取得的成績表示贊賞。 同利比亞關係:阿與利比亞關係曾因利與摩洛哥結盟而一度冷淡。近年來,兩國關係不斷改善。2005年3月,卡紮菲赴阿出席阿盟首腦會議並順訪;8月,布特弗利卡總統訪利。 同突尼斯關係:阿與突尼斯於1983年3月簽署“友好和睦條約”。兩國關係友好,經濟合作發展較快。2005年3月,突總統本·阿裏赴阿出席第17屆阿盟首腦會議;11月,布特弗利卡總統赴突出席“信息峰會”並會見突總統。2006年2月,阿總理烏葉海亞訪突,出席兩國第15屆混委會;3月,突衆議長邁巴紮訪阿,8月,阿國務部長兼外長貝賈維訪突。 同毛裏塔尼亞關係 兩國致力發展睦鄰友好關係,互利合作密切。兩國簽有漁業合作協議。2005年12月,毛爭取公正與民主軍事委員會主席瓦爾上校從沙特回國時在阿停留,會見了阿總理和外長。2006年3月,烏葉海亞總理赴毛出席兩國第15屆大混委會。4月,毛外長艾哈邁德訪阿。5月,毛軍委會主席瓦爾上校訪阿。 【同法國關係】 阿與法國有傳統關係,法是阿最大的債權國和最主要的貿易夥伴之一,在阿具有重大利益。阿是法在非洲的第一大貿易夥伴。2004年4月,法總統希拉剋訪阿;8月,布特弗利卡總統赴法參加普羅旺斯登陸60周年紀念活動。2005年4月,兩國元首再次會晤,就雙邊合作及簽署阿法友好條約等問題交換看法。2006年4月,法外長布拉齊訪阿。阿目前在法僑民200餘萬人。 【同美國關係】1962年9月與美國建交,1967年中東“六·五”戰爭爆發後宣佈同美斷交,1974年11月兩國復交。布特弗利卡總統執政後,美明確支持布的“全國和解”政策和經濟改革政策,多次表示願在反恐、情報交換、人員培訓等方面與阿加強合作。近年來阿美高層互訪不斷。2006年,美國防部長、聯邦調查局長、負責中東、北非事務助理國務卿、駐歐洲美軍司令以及議會、國務院等多位高官訪阿,阿能礦部長、國務部長兼外長、人民軍參謀長相繼訪美。目前美是阿最大的貿易夥伴,在阿油氣領域投資逾50億美元,阿三分之一的原油銷往美國。阿是美糧食的主要進口國之一。2004年美國宣佈給予阿普通最惠國待遇。 【同俄羅斯關係】1962年7月阿獨立後與前蘇聯建交,雙邊關係十分密切。阿大部分武器裝備來自前蘇聯,但兩國貿易處於較低水平。1991年12月,阿承認俄羅斯聯邦和獨聯體。2001年布特弗利卡總統訪俄,兩國簽署戰略夥伴關係協定並發表聯合聲明。2005年3月,俄總統特使、聯邦安全委員會秘書伊萬諾訪阿;9月,阿國務部長貝勒卡迪姆訪俄。10月,兩國首屆經貿混委會在俄召開。2006年3月,俄羅斯總統普京訪阿,雙方簽署了免債換軍購協議。 Algeria is a member of the United Nations, African Union, Arab League, and OPEC. It also contributed towards the creation of the Arab Maghreb Union. Constitutionally, Algeria is defined as an Arab, and Amazigh (Berber) country. Al-jazā’ir is itself a truncated form of the city's older name jazā’ir banī mazghannā, "the islands of (the tribe) Bani Mazghanna", used by early medieval geographers such as al-Idrisi and Yaqut al-Hamawi. History Ancient history Roman arch of Trajan at Thamugadi (Timgad), AlgeriaAlgeria has been inhabited by Berbers (or Imazighen) since at least 10,000 BC. After 1000 BC, the Carthaginians began establishing settlements along the coast. The Berbers seized the opportunity offered by the Punic Wars to become independent of Carthage, and Berber kingdoms began to emerge, most notably Numidia. In 200 BC, however, they were once again taken over, this time by the Roman Republic. When the Western Roman Empire collapsed, Berbers became independent again in many areas, while the Vandals took control over other parts, where they remained until expelled by the generals of the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian I. The Byzantine Empire then retained a precarious grip on the east of the country until the coming of the Arabs in the eighth century. Middle Ages According to historians of the Middle Ages, the Berbers were divided into two branches, from their ancestor Mazigh. The two branches, Botr and Barnès, were also divided into tribes, with each Maghreb region made up of several tribes. Several Berber dynasties emerged during the Middle Ages. The Almohads were able to unify the Maghreb. The Berbers of the Middle Ages also contributed to the Arabization of the Maghreb. Islamization and Berber (Amaari) dynasties Having converted the Kutama of Kabylie to its cause, the Shia Fatimids overthrew the Rustamids, and conquered Egypt, leaving Algeria and Tunisia to their Zirid vassals. When the latter rebelled and adopted Sunnism, the Shia Fatimids sent in the Banu Hilal, a populous Arab tribe, to weaken them. This initiated the Arabization of the region. The Almoravids and Almohads, Berber dynasties from the west founded by religious reformers, brought a period of relative peace and development; however, with the Almohads' collapse, Algeria became a battleground for their three successor states, the Algerian Zayyanids, Tunisian Hafsids, and Moroccan Marinids. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Spanish Empire started attacking and subsuming a few Algerian coastal settlements. Ottoman rule Algeria was brought into the Ottoman Empire by Hayreddin Barbarossa and his brother Aruj in 1517, and they established Algeria's modern boundaries in the north and made its coast a base for the Ottoman corsairs; their privateering peaked in Algiers in the 1600s. Piracy on American vessels in the Mediterranean resulted in the First (1801–1805) and Second Barbary War (1815) with the United States. The piracy acts forced people captured on the boats into slavery; alternatively when the pirates attacked coastal villages in southern and western Europe the inhabitants were forced into slavery.Barbary Pirates — Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1911 Raids by Barbary pirates on Western Europe did not cease until 1816, when a Royal Navy raid, assisted by six Dutch vessels, destroyed the port of Algiers and its fleet of Barbary ships. Spanish occupation of Algerian ports at this time was a source of concern for the local inhabitants. French colonization On the pretext of a slight to their consul, the French invaded Algiers in 1830. The conquest of Algeria by the French was long and particularly violent, and it resulted in the disappearance of about a third of the Algerian population. France was responsible for the extermination of 1 million Algerians. According to Olivier Le Cour Grandmaison, the French pursued a policy of extermination against the Algerians. The French conquest of Algeria was slow due to intense resistance from such people as Emir Abdelkader, Ahmed Bey and Fatma N'Soumer. Indeed, the conquest was not technically complete until the early 1900s when the last Tuareg were conquered. Meanwhile, however, the French made Algeria an integral part of France, a status that would end only with the collapse of the Fourth Republic in 1958. Tens of thousands of settlers from France, Spain, Italy, and Malta moved in to farm the Algerian coastal plain and occupied significant parts of Algeria's cities. These settlers benefited from the French government's confiscation of communal land, and the application of modern agricultural techniques that increased the amount of arable land. Algeria's social fabric suffered during the occupation: literacy plummeted, while land confiscation uprooted much of the population. Starting from the end of the nineteenth century, people of European descent in Algeria (or natives like Spanish people in Oran), as well as the native Algerian Jews (typically Sephardic in origin), became full French citizens. After Algeria's 1962 independence, they were called Pieds-Noirs; ("Pieds Noirs" meaning "black feet", referring to the fact that the Europeans wore black shoes on their feet). In contrast, the vast majority of Muslim Algerians (even veterans of the French army) received neither French citizenship nor the right to vote. Post-independence In 1954, the National Liberation Front (FLN) launched the Algerian War of Independence which was a guerrilla campaign. By the end of the war, newly elected President Charles de Gaulle, understanding that the age of empire was ending, held a plebiscite, offering Algerians three options. Unfortunately, he promised the pieds-noirs that Algeria would remain French, and that they should stay and invest in the colony. This resulted in a landslide vote for complete independence from France. Over one million people, 10% of the population, then fled the country for France and Italy in just a few months in mid-1962. These included most of the 1,025,000 Pieds-Noirs, as well as 81,000 Harkis (pro-French Algerians serving in the French Army). In the days proceeding the bloody conflict, a group of Algerian Rebels opened fire on a marketplace in Oran killing numerous innocent civilians, mostly women. This event is known as the Saint Bartholomew Massacre. Algeria's first president was the FLN leader Ahmed Ben Bella. He was overthrown by his former ally and defence minister, Houari Boumédienne in 1965. Under Ben Bella the government had already become increasingly socialist and authoritarian, and this trend continued throughout Boumédienne's government. However, Boumédienne relied much more heavily on the army, and reduced the sole legal party to a merely symbolic role. Agriculture was collectivised, and a massive industrialization drive launched. Oil extraction facilities were nationalized. This was especially beneficial to the leadership after the 1973 oil crisis. However, the Algerian economy became increasingly dependent on oil which led to hardship when the price collapsed during the 1980s oil glut. In foreign policy, while Algeria shares much of its history and cultural heritage with neighbouring Morocco, the two countries have had somewhat hostile relations with each other ever since Algeria's independence. Reasons for this include Morocco's disputed claim to portions of western Algeria (which led to the Sand War in 1963), Algeria's support for the Polisario Front for its right to self-determination, and Algeria's hosting of Sahrawi refugees within its borders in the city of Tindouf. Within Algeria, dissent was rarely tolerated, and the state's control over the media and the outlawing of political parties other than the FLN was cemented in the repressive constitution of 1976. Boumédienne died in 1978, but the rule of his successor, Chadli Bendjedid, was little more open. The state took on a strongly bureaucratic character and corruption was widespread. The modernization drive brought considerable demographic changes to Algeria. Village traditions underwent significant change as urbanization increased. New industries emerged, agricultural employment was substantially reduced. Education was extended nationwide, raising the literacy rate from less than 10% to over 60%. There was a dramatic increase in the fertility rate to 7-8 children per mother. Therefore by 1980, there was a very youthful population and a housing crisis. The new generation struggled to relate to the cultural obsession with the war years and two conflicting protest movements developed: communists, including Berber identity movements; and Islamic 'intégristes'. Both groups protested against one-party rule but also clashed with each other in universities and on the streets during the 1980s. Mass protests from both camps in Autumn 1988 forced Bendjedid to concede the end of one-party rule. Elections were planned to happen in 1991. In December 1991, the Islamic Salvation Front won the first round of the country's first multi-party elections. The military then intervened and cancelled the second round. It forced then-president Bendjedid to resign and banned all political parties based on religion (including the Islamic Salvation Front). A political conflict ensued, leading Algeria into the violent Algerian Civil War. More than 160,000 people were killed between 17 January 1992 and June 2002. Most of the deaths were between militants and government troops, but a great number of civilians were also killed. The question of who was responsible for these deaths was controversial at the time amongst academic observers; many were claimed by the Armed Islamic Group. Though many of these massacres were carried out by Islamic extremists, the Algerian regime also used the army and foreign mercenaries to conduct attacks on men, women and children and then proceeded to blame the attacks upon various Islamic groups within the country. AlgiersElections resumed in 1995, and after 1998, the war waned. On 27 April 1999, after a series of short-term leaders representing the military, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the current president, was elected. By 2002, the main guerrilla groups had either been destroyed or surrendered, taking advantage of an amnesty program, though sporadic fighting continued in some areas (See Islamic insurgency in Algeria (2002–present)). The issue of Berber language and identity increased in significance, particularly after the extensive Kabyle protests of 2001 and the near-total boycott of local elections in Kabylie. The government responded with concessions including naming of Manthatztieht (Berber) as a national language and teaching it in schools. Much of Algeria is now recovering and developing into an emerging economy. The high prices of oil and gas are being used by the new government to improve the country's infrastructure and especially improve industry and agricultural land. Recently, overseas investment in Algeria has increased. Geography Most of the coastal area is hilly, sometimes even mountainous, and there are a few natural harbours. The area from the coast to the Tell Atlas is fertile. South of the Tell Atlas is a steppe landscape, which ends with the Saharan Atlas; further south, there is the Sahara desert. The Ahaggar Mountains (Arabic: جبال هقار), also known as the Hoggar, are a highland region in central Sahara, southern Algeria. They are located about 1,500 km (932 miles) south of the capital, Algiers and just west of Tamanghasset. Algiers, Oran , Constantine, and Annaba are Algeria's main cities. Climate and hydrology Northern Algeria is in the temperate zone and has a mild, Mediterranean climate. Its broken topography, however, provides sharp local contrasts in both prevailing temperatures and incidence of rainfall. Year-to-year variations in climatic conditions are also common. In the Tell Atlas, temperatures in summer average between 21 and 24 °C and in winter drop to 10 to 12 °C. Winters are not particularly cold, but the humidity level is high. In eastern Algeria, the average temperatures are somewhat lower, and on the steppes of the High Atlas plateaux, winter temperatures are only a few degrees above freezing. A prominent feature of the climate in this region is the sirocco, a dusty, choking south wind blowing off the desert, sometimes at gale force. This wind also occasionally reaches into the coastal Tell. The Ahaggar MountainsIn Algeria, only a relatively small corner of the torrid Sahara lies across the Tropic of Cancer in the torrid zone. In this region even in winter, midday desert temperatures can be very hot. After sunset, however, the clear, dry air permits rapid loss of heat, and the nights are cool to chilly. Enormous daily ranges in temperature are recorded. The highest temperature recorded in Tindouf is 135.4°F (57.4°C) and is probaly the highest reliable temperature ever recorded in Algeria under standard conditions. Rainfall is fairly abundant along the coastal part of the Tell Atlas, ranging from 400 to 670 mm annually, the amount of precipitation increasing from west to east. Precipitation is heaviest in the northern part of eastern Algeria, where it reaches as much as 1000 mm in some years. Farther inland, the rainfall is less plentiful. Prevailing winds that are easterly and north-easterly in summer change to westerly and northerly in winter and carry with them a general increase in precipitation from September through December, a decrease in the late winter and spring months, and a near absence of rainfall during the summer months. Algeria also has ergs, or sand dunes between mountains, which in the summer time when winds are heavy and gusty, temperatures can get up to 110 °F (43 °C). Politics Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria.The head of state is the President of Algeria, who is elected to a five year term and is constitutionally limited to two terms. Algeria has universal suffrage at 18 years of age. The President is the head of the Council of Ministers and of the High Security Council. He appoints the Prime Minister who is also the head of government. The Prime Minister appoints the Council of Ministers. The Algerian parliament is bicameral, consisting of a lower chamber, the National People's Assembly (APN), with 380 members; and an upper chamber, the Council Of Nation, with 144 members. The APN is elected every five years. Under the 1976 constitution (as modified 1979, and amended in 1988, 1989, and 1996) Algeria is a multi-party state. All parties must be approved by the Ministry of the Interior. To date, Algeria has had more than 40 legal political parties. According to the constitution, no political association may be formed if it is "based on differences in religion, language, race, gender or region." Military forces missile launcher ship made in AlgeriaThe Algerian Army is called Popular National Army (PNA or ANP in French). It is composed of the command of the army, navy, and the air defence of the territory.The summit of military hierarchy leads to the leader of the State, constitutionally supreme leader of Armed forces and Defence Minister. The Algerian army has an enrollment about 300,000 soldiers, including up to 150,000 reservists. It is also assisted by the police station composed of 60 000 members, as well as a republican elite corps of 5 000 guards, dependent on the Ministry of Defence. In 2006, the Algerian budget of defence occupied 3.3% of the GDP, which is about $3.8 billion (USD). The Algeria's main purveyor of weapon since independence was the USSR (Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic). However, since the fall of this last at the end of Cold War, Algeria has undertaken a diversification of its armed supplies, notably by turning to countries like the United States, China and South Africa. However, Russian material has always occupied a preponderant place within the Algerian army. It is the direct successor of the Armée de Libération Nationale (ALN), which fought French colonial occupation during the Algerian War of Independence (1954-62). The People's National Army consists of 127,500 members, with some 100,000 reservists. The army is under the control of the president, who also is minister of National Defense (current president is Abdelaziz Bouteflika). Defense expenditures accounted for some $2.67 billion or 3.5% of GDP. One and a half years of national military service is compulsory for males. Algeria is a leading military power in North Africa and has its force oriented toward its western (Morocco) and eastern (Libya) borders. Its primary military supplier has been the former Soviet Union, which has sold various types of sophisticated equipment under military trade agreements, and the People's Republic of China. Algeria has attempted, in recent years, to diversify its sources of military material. Military forces are supplemented by a 45,000-member gendarmerie or rural police force under the control of the president and 30,000-member Sûreté nationale or Metropolitan police force under the Ministry of the Interior. Recently, the Algerian Air Force signed a deal with Russia to purchase 49 MiG-29SMT and 6 MiG-29UBT at an estimated $1.5 Billion. They also agreed to return old airplanes purchased from the Former USSR. Russia is also building 2 636-type diesel submarines for Algeria. Maghreb Arab Union Tensions between Algeria and Morocco in relation to the Western Sahara have put great obstacles in the way of tightening the Maghreb Arab Union, which was nominally established in 1989 but carried little practical weight with its coastal neighbors. Provinces and districts Map of the provinces of Algeria numbered according to the official orderAlgeria is currently divided into 48 provinces (wilayas), 553 districts (daïras) and 1,541 municipalities (communes, baladiyahs). Each province, district, and municipality is named after its seat, which is mostly also the largest city. According to the Algerian constitution, a province is a territorial collectivity enjoying some economic freedom. The People's Provincial Assembly is the political entity governing a province, which has a "president", who is elected by the members of the assembly. They are in turn elected on universal suffrage every five years. The "Wali" (Prefect or governor) directs each province. This person is chosen by the Algerian President to handle the PPA's decisions. The administrative divisions have changed several times since independence. When introducing new provinces, the numbers of old provinces are kept, hence the non-alphabetical order. With their official numbers, currently (since 1983) they are: 1 Adrar 2 Chlef 3 Laghouat 4 Oum el-Bouaghi 5 Batna 6 Béjaïa 7 Biskra 8 Béchar 9 Blida 10 Bouira 11 Tamanghasset 12 Tébessa 13 Tlemcen 14 Tiaret 15 Tizi Ouzou 16 Algiers 17 Djelfa 18 Jijel 19 Sétif 20 Saida 21 Skikda 22 Sidi Bel Abbes 23 Annaba 24 Guelma 25 Constantine 26 Médéa 27 Mostaganem 28 M'Sila 29 Mascara 30 Ouargla 31 Oran 32 El Bayadh 33 Illizi 34 Bordj Bou Arréridj 35 Boumerdès 36 El Tarf 37 Tindouf 38 Tissemsilt 39 El Oued 40 Khenchela 41 Souk Ahras 42 Tipasa 43 Mila 44 Aïn Defla 45 Naama 46 Aïn Témouchent 47 Ghardaïa 48 Relizane Economy The fossil fuels energy sector is the backbone of Algeria's economy, accounting for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of GDP, and over 95% of export earnings. The country ranks fourteenth in petroleum reserves, containing 11.8 billion barrels (1,880,000,000 m³) of proven oil reserves with estimates suggesting that the actual amount is even more. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that in 2005, Algeria had 160 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven natural gas reserves, the eighth largest in the world. Algeria’s financial and economic indicators improved during the mid-1990s, in part because of policy reforms supported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and debt rescheduling from the Paris Club. Algeria’s finances in 2000 and 2001 benefited from an increase in oil prices and the government’s tight fiscal policy, leading to a large increase in the trade surplus, record highs in foreign exchange reserves, and reduction in foreign debt. The government's continued efforts to diversify the economy by attracting foreign and domestic investment outside the energy sector have had little success in reducing high unemployment and improving living standards, however. In 2001, the government signed an Association Treaty with the European Union that will eventually lower tariffs and increase trade. In March 2006, Russia agreed to erase $4.74 billion of Algeria's Soviet-era debt during a visit by President Vladimir Putin to the country, the first by a Russian leader in half a century. In return, president Bouteflika agreed to buy $7.5 billion worth of combat planes, air-defense systems and other arms from Russia, according to the head of Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport. Algeria also decided in 2006 to pay off its full $8bn (£4.3bn) debt to the Paris Club group of rich creditor nations before schedule. This will reduce the Algerian foreign debt to less than $5bn in the end of 2006. The Paris Club said the move reflected Algeria's economic recovery in recent years. Agriculture Since Roman times Algeria has been noted for the fertility of its soil. 25% of Algerians are employed in the agricultural sector. A considerable amount of cotton was grown at the time of the United States' Civil War, but the industry declined afterwards. In the early years of the twentieth century efforts to extend the cultivation of the plant were renewed. A small amount of cotton is also grown in the southern oases. Large quantities of a vegetable that resembles horsehair, an excellent fibre, are made from the leaves of the dwarf palm. The olive (both for its fruit and oil) and tobacco are cultivated with great success. More than 7,500,000 acres (30,000 km²) are devoted to the cultivation of cereal grains. The Tell is the grain-growing land. During the time of French rule its productivity was increased substantially by the sinking of artesian wells in districts which only required water to make them fertile. Of the crops raised, wheat, barley and oats are the principal cereals. A great variety of vegetables and fruits, especially citrus products, are exported. Algeria also exports figs, dates, esparto grass, and cork. It is the largest oat market in Africa. Algeria is known for Bertolli's olive oil spread, although the spread has an Italian background. Demographics The current population of Algeria is 33,333,216 (July 2007 est.). About 70% of Algerians live in the northern, coastal area; the minority who inhabit the Sahara are mainly concentrated in oases, although some 1.5 million remain nomadic or partly nomadic. Almost 30% of Algerians are under 15. Algeria has the fourth lowest fertility rate in the Greater Middle East after Cyprus, Tunisia, and Turkey. 97% of the population is classified ethnically as Berber/Arab and religiously as Sunni Muslim, the few non-Sunni Muslims are mainly Ibadis, representing 1.3%, from the M'Zab valley. (See also Islam in Algeria.) A mostly foreign Roman Catholic community of about 45,000 people exists, along with about 350,000 Protestant Christians, and some 500 Jewish. The Jewish community of Algeria, which once constituted 2% of the total population, has substantially decreased due to emigration, mostly to France and Israel. Europeans account for less than 1% of the population, inhabiting almost exclusively the largest metropolitan areas. However, during the colonial period there was a large (15.2% in 1962) European population, consisting primarily of French people, in addition to Spaniards in the west of the country, Italians and Maltese in the east, and other Europeans in smaller numbers known as pieds-noirs, concentrated on the coast and forming a majority in cities like Bône, Oran, Sidi Bel Abbès, and Algiers. Almost all of this population left during or immediately after the country's independence from France. A Dancer in Biskra, published in March 1917 National Geographic.Housing and medicine continue to be pressing problems in Algeria. Failing infrastructure and the continued influx of people from rural to urban areas has overtaxed both systems. According to the UNDP, Algeria has one of the world's highest per housing unit occupancy rates for housing, and government officials have publicly stated that the country has an immediate shortfall of 1.5 million housing units. Women make up 70 percent of Algeria’s lawyers and 60 percent of its judges. Women dominate medicine. Increasingly, women are contributing more to household income than men. Sixty percent of university students are women, according to university researchers. It is estimated that 95,700 refugees and asylum seekers have sought refuge in Algeria. This includes roughly 90,000 from Morocco and 4,100 from Former Palestine. Ethnic groups Most Algerians are Berber or Arab, by language or identity, but almost all Algerians are Berber in origin. Today, the Arab-Berber issue is often a case of self-identification or identification through language and culture, rather than a racial or ethnic distinction. The Berber people are divided into several ethnic groups, Kabyle in the mountainous north-central area, Chaoui in the eastern Atlas Mountains, Mozabites in the M'zab valley, and Tuareg in the far south. Small pockets of Black African populations also are in Algeria. Turkish Algerians represent 5% of the population and live mainly in the big cities. However, in a recent genetic study by Standford University, Arabs and Berbers were found to have more genetic similarities than was once believed. The Y-chromosome DNA haplogroups that characterize both Arabs and Berbers are E1b1b and J (found in 70% of Middle Eastern people and 90% in North Africa). This has led scientists to conclude that North Africa has a higher genetic affinity with Arab populations than was previously hypothesized. Southern Algerians are most genetically closely linked with Arabs from Gulf countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the UAE. Northern Algerians are most genetically linked with Arabs from Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Jordan and some Gulf countries. A more recent and thorough study by Arredi et al. (2004) which analyzed populations from Algeria concludes that the North African pattern of Y-chromosomal variation (including both E1b1b and J haplogroups) is largely of Neolithic origin, which suggests that the Neolithic transition in this part of the world was accompanied by demic diffusion of Afro-Asiatic–speaking pastoralists from the Middle East. This Neolithic origin was later confirmed by Myles et al. (2005), which in turn suggests that "contemporary Berber populations possess the genetic signature of a past migration of pastoralists from the Middle East". Languages Trilingual welcome sign in the Isser Municipality (Boumerdès), written in Arabic, Kabyle (Tifinagh), and French.Most Algerians speak Algerian Arabic. Arabic is spoken natively in dialectal form ("Darja") by some 65 percent of the population. However, in the media and on official occasions the spoken language is Standard Arabic. The Berbers (or Imazighen), who form approximately 45 percent of the population, largely speak one of the various dialects of Tamazight as opposed to Arabic. But a majority can use both Berber and Algerian Arabic. Arabic remains Algeria's only official language, although Tamazight has recently been recognized as a national language alongside it. Ethnologue counts eighteen living languages within Algeria, splitting both Arabic and Tamazight into several different languages, as well as including Korandje, which is unrelated to Arabic or Tamazight. The language issue is politically sensitive, particularly for the Berber minority, which has been disadvantaged by state-sanctioned Arabization. Language politics and Arabization have partly been a reaction to the fact that 130 years of French colonization had left both the state bureaucracy and much of the educated upper class completely Francophone, as well as being motivated by the Arab nationalism promoted by successive Algerian governments. French is still the most widely studied foreign language, and most Algerians are fluent in French though it is usually not spoken in daily circumstances. Since independence, the government has pursued a policy of linguistic Arabization of education and bureaucracy, with some success, although many university courses continue to be taught in French. Recently, schools have started to incorporate French into the curriculum as early as children start to learn Arabic, as many Algerians are fluent in French. French is also used in media and commerce. Education Young inhabitants of Algiers in the streets of the Kasbah of Algiers.Education is officially compulsory for children between the ages of 6 and 15. In the year 1997, there was an outstanding amount of teachers and students in primary schools. In Algeria there are 10 universities, 7 colleges, and 5 institutes for higher learning. The University of Algiers (founded in 1909), which is located in the capital of Algeria, Algiers has about 267,142 students. The Algerian school system is structured into Basic, General Secondary, and Technical Secondary levels: Basic Ecole fondamentale (Fundamental School) Length of program: 10 years Age range: age 6 to 15 old Certificate/diploma awarded: Brevet d'Enseignement Moyen B.E.M. General Secondary Lycée d'Enseignement général (School of General Teaching) , lycées polyvalents (General-Purpose School) Length of program: 3 years Age range: age 15 to 18 Certificate/diploma awarded: Baccalauréat de l'Enseignement secondaire (Bachelor's Degree of Secondary School) Technical Secondary Lycées d'Enseignement technique (Technical School) Length of program: 3 years Certificate/diploma awarded: Baccalauréat technique (Technical Bachelor's Degree) Culture Mosque in Algiers.Modern Algerian literature, split between Arabic and French, has been strongly influenced by the country's recent history. Famous novelists of the twentieth century include Mohammed Dib, Albert Camus, and Kateb Yacine, while Assia Djebar is widely translated. Among the important novelists of the 1980s were Rachid Mimouni, later vice-president of Amnesty International, and Tahar Djaout, murdered by an Islamist group in 1993 for his secularist views. In philosophy and the humanities, Jacques Derrida, the father of deconstruction, was born in El Biar in Algiers; Malek Bennabi and Frantz Fanon are noted for their thoughts on decolonization; Augustine of Hippo was born in Tagaste (modern-day Souk Ahras); and Ibn Khaldun, though born in Tunis, wrote the Muqaddima while staying in Algeria. Algerian culture has been strongly influenced by Islam, the main religion. The works of the Sanusi family in pre-colonial times, and of Emir Abdelkader and Sheikh Ben Badis in colonial times, are widely noted. The Latin author Apuleius was born in Madaurus (Mdaourouch), in what later became Algeria. The Algerian musical genre best known abroad is raï , a pop-flavored, opinionated take on folk music, featuring international stars such as Khaled and Cheb Mami. in Algeria itself the style: ( raï ) remains the most popular,but the older generation still prefer ("shaabi", Dahmane Elharrashi its King..) while the tuneful melodies of Kabyle music, exemplified by Idir, Ait Menguellet, or Lounès Matoub, have a wide audience. For more classical tastes, Andalusi music, brought from Al-Andalus by Morisco refugees, is preserved in many older coastal towns. For a more modern style, the English born and of Algerian descent, Potent C is gradually becoming a success for younger generations. Encompassing a mixture of folk, raï, and British hip hop it is a highly collective and universal genre. Although “raï". is welcomed and praised as a glowing cultural emblem for Algeria, there was time when raï’s come across critical cultural and political conflictions with Islamic and government policies and practices, post-independency. Thus the distribution and expression of raï music became very difficult. However, “then the government abruptly reversed its position in mid-1985. In part this was due to the lobbying of a former liberation army officer turned pop music impresario, Colonel Snoussi, who hoped to profit from raï if it could be mainstreamed.” In addition, given both nations’ relations, Algerian government was pleased with the music’s growing popularity in France. Although the music is ore widely accepted on the political level, it still faces severe conflictions with the populace of Islamic faith in Algeria. In painting, Mohammed Khadda and M'Hamed Issiakhem have been notable in recent years. Landscapes and monuments of Algeria Mountain of Chrea near the city of Blida (north). street of Zighout Youcef in Algiers (north) Mountains of Hoggar in the Algerian Sahara(2000 km in the south of Algiers) Mountains of Tikjda near the city of Tizi Ouzou (north). Roman ruins of Timgad (north-eastern) Place of November 1st in the city of Oran(north-western) Overview of the city of Ghardaïa (south) Overview of the city of Annaba(north-eastern). City of Mascara(north-western) Tichy's beach in Bejaïa (north). Hanging bridge of the city of Constantine El-Kantara in Biskra (south). UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Algeria There are several UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Algeria including Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad, the first capital of the Hammadid empire; Tipasa, a Phoenician and later Roman town; and Djémila and Timgad, both Roman ruins; M'Zab Valley, a limestone valley containing a large urbanized oasis; also the Casbah of Algiers is an important citadel. The only natural World Heritage Sites is the Tassili n'Ajjer, a mountain range. |
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