POPULATION: 29,300,000 (official estimate 1998).

POPULATION DENSITY: 12.3 per sq km.

CAPITAL: Algiers (El Djezaïr). Population: 3,700,000 (1995).

GEOGRAPHY: Algeria is situated along the North African coast, bordered to the east by Tunisia and Libya, to the southeast by Niger, to the southwest by Mali, and to the west by Mauritania and Morocco. It is Africa's second-largest country, with 1200km (750 miles) of coastline. Along the coastal strip are the main towns, fertile land, beach resorts and 90% of the population. Further south lies the area of the Hauts Plateaux, mountains of up to 2000m (6600ft) covered in cedar, pine and cypress forests with broad arable plains dividing the plateaux. The remaining 85% of the country is the Sahara Desert in its various forms, sustaining only 500,000 people, many of whom are nomadic tribes with goat and camel herds. The oil and minerals boom has created new industrial centres like Hassi Messaoud, which have grown up within previously barely inhabited regions of the northern Sahara. The plains of gravel and sand in the deep south are interrupted by two mountain ranges: the dramatic Hoggar massif, rising to almost 3000m (9800ft), and the Tassili N'Ajjer or 'Plateau of Chasms'. Both have long been important centres of Tuareg culture.

LANGUAGE: The official language is Arabic, but French is still used for most official and business transactions. Berber (Amazigh) is spoken in the northern mountainous regions of the Kabylias and the Aures and also in the south. In general, English is spoken only in major business or tourist centres.

RELIGION: 99% of the population adhere to Islam.

TIME: GMT + 1.

ELECTRICITY: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. The European 2-pin plug is standard.

COMMUNICATIONS: Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: 213. Outgoing international code: 00. There are public telephones in all post offices, leading hotels and on many main streets. Telegram: Telegrams can be sent from any post office from 0800-1900. The main post office in Algiers has a 24-hour service. Post: Mail posted in any of the main cities along the coast takes three to four days to reach Europe; posted elsewhere, it could take very much longer. A letter delivery service operates Saturday to Thursday. Parcels sent by surface mail may take up to two months to reach Algeria. All parcels sent by air or surface mail are subject to long delays in customs. Post office hours: Generally 0800-1700 Saturday to Wednesday; 0800-1200 Thursday, but the main post office in Algiers (5 boulevard Mohamed Khémisti) is open around the clock. Press: Daily newspapers are printed in Arabic or French. Al Moudjahid has the highest circulation and is printed in French. Other main dailies printed in French are Le Matin, Le Soir d'Algérie and Le Journal. Ach-Cha'ab and Al Massa are the leading Arabic-language dailies. Another daily, Horizons, has an English section.

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