Algeria

Algeria won its independence from France in 1962 after years of struggle. Subsequent internal conflicts erupted into open battle in 1992. Over the next six years, at least 100,000 Algerians were killed when conflict between extremists and army forces led to the annihilation of whole villages. Even though the fighting has tapered off, the Algerian government has been accused of widespread inefficiency and corruption. As a result, there is a serious housing shortage in Algeria, and water and electrical supplies are unstable. The undiversified Algerian economy is heavily dependent on petroleum, which has generated a large cash reserve that may eventually be used to deal with social problems and improve the weak infrastructure. Other natural resources include iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, and zinc. The Algerian government owns 91 percent of the forests and formally manages 28 percent.

Algeria has the world's seventh-largest reserves of natural gas and the 14th largest oil reserves, and is the second-largest exporter of gas in the world. The hydrocarbons sectors furnish 60 percent of budget revenues, 95 percent of export earnings, and roughly a third of the Gross Domestic Product.

Algeria's per capita income of $7,200 ranks 108th in the world. One-fourth of the population lives below the national poverty level, and 22.5 percent of the work force are unemployed. Although only 3.17 percent of the land area is arable, 14 percent of the population are engaged in agriculture. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Reports rank Algeria 103rd in the world in overall quality-of-life issues.

Eight percent of Algerians lack access to improved sanitation, and 13 percent lack sustained access to safe drinking water. As a result, the Algerian population of over 32 million faces an intermediate risk of food and waterborne diseases. Some areas are also at high risk for cutaneous leishmaniasis, a vector-borne disease. The literacy rate of 61 percent for adult females (78.8 percent for males) hampers government efforts to disseminate written health and environmental information.

Bordering on the Mediterranean Sea in northern Africa, Algeria has a coastline of 998 kilometers. Much of the land is high plateau and desert [Page 26]interspersed with mountains. Of all North African countries, Algeria is the most vulnerable to seismic activity, with 90 percent of the population and infrastructure at risk. Along the narrow, discontinuous coastal plain, winters are generally wet, and summers are hot and dry. In the high plateau, the climate is arid. The sirocco, a hot wind that transports dust and sand, appears in the summer. The rainy season often produces mudslides and floods, such as the flood that claimed 800 lives in November 2001. Algeria also experiences drought, locust infestation, and fires.