Algeria

Covering an area of around 2.4 million square kilometres, the Republic of Algeria is, territorially, OPEC’s largest Member Country and the largest country in Africa. It is situated in the north of the continent, and shares borders with Morocco, the Western Sahara, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya and Tunisia. To the north is the Mediterranean Sea.

The country achieved political independence in 1962 after more than a century of colonial rule by France. Algeria’s struggle for independence was one of the most bitter in Africa’s colonial history.

It has a population of more than 36 million, with over 3.5 million living in the capital, Algiers. Arabic is the official language, while French and Berber Tamazight are also spoken. The currency is the dinar.

The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 60 per cent of budget revenues, 30 per cent of the gross domestic product, and more than 95 per cent of export earnings. The country’s other natural resources include iron ore, phosphates, uranium and lead.

Algeria’s President is HE Abdelaziz Bouteflika. It joined OPEC in 1969.

Did you know?

• Algeria was first known as the Kingdom of Numidia, whose most famous kings were Syphax, Massinissa and Jugurta. They ruled during the second and third century BC.
• Algeria’s first commercial oil discovery was Edjelleh in 1956, followed immediately by the Hassi Messaoud oil field the same year. Production began in 1958. With an estimated 6.4 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, Hassi Messaoud is Algeria’s largest oilfield, producing more than 400,000 b/d.

• b/d (barrels per day)
• cu. m. (cubic metres)

Source: Annual Statistical Bulletin 2012