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 Algeria, Arab. Al Djazair, Fr. Algérie, officially
Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, republic (1995
est. pop. 28,539,000), 919,590 sq mi (2,381,741 sq km), NW
Africa, bordered by Mauritania, Morocco, and Western Sahara
(W), the Mediterranean Sea (N), Tunisia and Libya (E), and
Niger and Mali (S). The principal cities are Algiers (the
capital) and Oran. The Atlas Mountains divide northern Algeria
into a coastal lowland strip (the Tell) and a semiarid
plateau. In the south is the much larger, but arid and
sparsely populated, Saharan region; Algeria's highest point,
Mt. Tahat (9,541 ft/2,908 m), in the Ahaggar Mts., is located
here. About a quarter of Algeria's work force are farmers,
producing cereals, wine, citrus fruits, and cork. Mining and
manufacturing, developed since the 1960s, contribute the bulk
of the national income. Petroleum is the leading export, and
much natural gas is produced, with proven reserves that are
among the world's largest. The state plays a leading role in
planning the economy and owns many important industrial
concerns, but a 1994 law permitted privatization of some state
firms. The great majority of the population are Sunni Muslims
of Arab-Berber descent; Europeans, who before independence
accounted for 10% of the total, now are only 1% of the
population. Arabic is the official language, but French is
widely spoken, and a sizable minority speaks a Berber
language.
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