Algeria
Colonial Africa
Algeria
Algeria, or The People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria as it is formally called, is located in the North West of Africa. It borders on Mauritania, Western Sahara, and Morocco in the west, the Mediterranean Sea in the North, Tunisia and Libya in the east and on Niger and Mali in the South. The population is approximately 33 million, the majority of whom speak Arabic. A significant portion of the population still does speak a Berber dialect (around 15%) and French is also widely spoken. The Berbers were once the dominant ethnic group of Algeria, however through centuries of hand-over, they are now largely outnumbered by the Arab majority. People of Arab-Berber decent compose around 99% of the population. Although they do intermix, the relations between the Arab-speaking and Berber-speaking Algerians have long been marked by tension.
The government in Algeria, as suggested by its name, is considered a republic. The head of state is the president, currently Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who is elected for a five- year term and is eligible to run for a second term. The president appoints the Prime Minister. Algeria has a bicameral parliament that consists of the National People’s Assembly and the Council of Nations. The National People’s Assembly, whose 389 members are elected by popular vote, also serves a five- year term. The Council of nations is composed of 144 seats, one third of which are appointed by the president while the other two thirds are elected by indirect vote. The whole council serves a six-year term. For Administrative purposes, the country of Algeria is divided into 48 provinces (“Algeria – AOL”) .
Currently, the Algerian government is working towards integration into the World Trade Organization. The Algerian economy relies heavily on the hydrocarbons sector, which accounts for approximately 60% of the budget revenues and roughly 30% of GDP (“Algeria (10/07)”). Algeria has the...
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