dinates: 28 00 N, 3 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 2,381,740 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 2,381,740 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas

Land boundaries: 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

Coastline: 998 km

Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 NM territorial sea: 12 NM

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m highest point:
Tahat 3,003 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium,
lead, zinc

Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% other: 97% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 5,600 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes;
mudslides and floods in rainy season

Environment - current issues: 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

Environment - international agreements: 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: Geography - note: second-largest
country in Africa (after Sudan)

People Algeria

Population: 32,277,942 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 33.5% (male 5,512,369; female 5,311,914) 15-64
years: 62.4% (male 10,175,135; female 9,950,315) 65 years and over: 4.1%
(male 610,643; female 717,566) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.68% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 22.34 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 5.15 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 mal