Busa 3000 Country Paper
Country Background
Algeria, officially known as the Peoples' Democratic Republic of Algeria, is located in Northern Africa. It borders the countries of Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, Tunisia, and the disputed land of Western Sahara. Algeria has a prominent coastline, and its capital city of Algiers is located on a bay of the Mediterranean Sea. The territorial size of the country is 2,381,740 square kilometers (919,594 square miles) which is more than three times the size of Texas (U.S. Department of State). Algeria has a population of approximately 34.8 million people, which has tripled since 1960 (Google Public Data).
Algeria is a republic, having won independence from France on July 5, 1962 (U.S. Department of State). Much like the United States, Algeria has three branches of government. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has been chief of state since April 28, 1999, leads the executive branch. Bouteflika is aligned with the National Liberation Front political party. A bicameral parliament makes up the legislative branch and the judicial branch consists of a supreme court. The legal system is a mix of French Civil Law and Islamic Law, with what could be considered a socialist ‘everyday’ law (CBS News WorldWatch).
According to the CIA’s World Factbook, Algeria’s economy “remains dominated by the state, a legacy of the country’s socialist post-independence development model”. The country is in need of policies to modernize the economy and create banking reform (U.S. Department of State). The current GNI – PPP is $283 billion USD, with the per capita around $8,110 (Google Public Data). The major natural resources in Algeria are crude oil and natural gas, produced since the 1950s (World Desk Reference). These are also the country’s major exports, totaling $57.19 billion USD in 2010. Algeria’s top export partners are the United States, Italy, Spain, France, Netherlands, Canada, and Turkey. Algeria is a member of OPEC, or Organization of
Algeria, officially known as the Peoples' Democratic Republic of Algeria, is located in Northern Africa. It borders the countries of Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, Tunisia, and the disputed land of Western Sahara. Algeria has a prominent coastline, and its capital city of Algiers is located on a bay of the Mediterranean Sea. The territorial size of the country is 2,381,740 square kilometers (919,594 square miles) which is more than three times the size of Texas (U.S. Department of State). Algeria has a population of approximately 34.8 million people, which has tripled since 1960 (Google Public Data).
Algeria is a republic, having won independence from France on July 5, 1962 (U.S. Department of State). Much like the United States, Algeria has three branches of government. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has been chief of state since April 28, 1999, leads the executive branch. Bouteflika is aligned with the National Liberation Front political party. A bicameral parliament makes up the legislative branch and the judicial branch consists of a supreme court. The legal system is a mix of French Civil Law and Islamic Law, with what could be considered a socialist ‘everyday’ law (CBS News WorldWatch).
According to the CIA’s World Factbook, Algeria’s economy “remains dominated by the state, a legacy of the country’s socialist post-independence development model”. The country is in need of policies to modernize the economy and create banking reform (U.S. Department of State). The current GNI – PPP is $283 billion USD, with the per capita around $8,110 (Google Public Data). The major natural resources in Algeria are crude oil and natural gas, produced since the 1950s (World Desk Reference). These are also the country’s major exports, totaling $57.19 billion USD in 2010. Algeria’s top export partners are the United States, Italy, Spain, France, Netherlands, Canada, and Turkey. Algeria is a member of OPEC, or Organization of
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