AECID - Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo

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Name: Algeria.

Area: 2,381,740 Km2.

Mediterranean coastline: 1,200 Km.

Population (World Bank data): 30.4 million.

Annual population growth (World Bank data): 1.7%.

Population distribution (World Bank data): 60% urban and 40% rural.

Human Development Index (2001 UNDP Report): 100 of 162.

Distribution by productive sectors (World Bank data): primary 8.6% of GDP, secondary 60.3% and tertiary 31.2%.

Access to drinking water (2001 UNDP Report): 94%.

Annual per capita energy consumption (IUCN system): 563 Kw/hours.

Geographical description: There are four clearly defined physical regions in Algeria. The North, along the Mediterranean coast and running inland to between 80 and 190 Km, is known as Tell. It is a narrow, discontinuous coastal plain with many valleys containing most of Algeria’s cultivable land. The next region, running south-southwest, is the upper plateau. During the rainy season, a number of basins collect water in this zone and large lakes are formed which, as they dry, convert into salt flats. To the south are the Atlas mountains of the Sahara. The fourth region, accounting for more than 90% of the country’s total area, is the Algerian Sahara. Most of the terrain is covered in gravel except for the Great Western Erg and the Great Eastern Erg which are vast areas of sand dunes.

Climate: The climate of the Tell region, to the North, is typically Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Average summer temperatures are 25ºC, and in winter 11ºC. This is the wettest region in Algeria, with annual precipitation between 400 and 1000 mm. In summer, a hot dry wind blows north from the Sahara, the Sirocco (known locally as the Chehili). Further south, the climate is drier, with annual rainfall on the upper plateau and in the Atlas mountains of between 200 and 400 mm. The Sahara is a region of extreme diurnal temperatures and winds, and is very arid, where the annual precipitation is less than 130 mm.

Natural resources: Algeria’s greatest natural wealth is in its mineral deposits, specifically crude oil, natural gas, phosphates and iron. Other minerals found are coal, lead and zinc. Cultivable land accounts for just 3% of the territory, and is found in the valleys and on the plains of the coastal region. These fertile lands are however poor in organic matter and are over-farmed. There are significant alluvial deposits on the flats, while more elevated soils are poorer, apt only for grazing.

Main environmental problems: Algeria is the most-advanced of the Maghreb countries in natural conservation, its environmental legislation including matters such as the protection of nature, a system of protected areas, and universities and institutions specialised in environmental education. The government runs nine national parks, five reserves and five special hunting areas. Other protected zones include woods and private preserves. Some 24% of the country is included in the system of protected areas, although just 2.5% (1997) is genuinely protected. The national parks, like the huge National Tassili N’Ajjer Park in the east of the country, account for a significant proportion of this total.

Water is scarce in Algeria. Per capital consumption is however low, and most urban and rural populations have secure access to water supply. The hydrographic basins, seriously affected by water erosion, have been a focus of the Algerian government’s attention, which has initiated an integrated protection and management policy in 29 basins and has adopted other measures for integrated water management, such as the creation of a National Council or the adoption of a new Water Code.

The effects of population have been grave in this fragile landscape. The main ecological threats are deforestation and scrub burn-off, the conversion of steppe habitat into farmland, and soil erosion due to overgrazing and poor cropping practice. Water pollution in the Mediterranean coastal waters is generalised, and the wetlands are under serious threat.

There is very acute industrial pollution on the country’s east coast, particularly around Annaba and Skikda; All Algerian waste water is dumped untreated into the sea, and oil pollution is very intense. Fishing with dynamite is common. Aware of these problems, in 2002 Algeria launched a National Plan of Action for the Environment and Sustainable Development.

Algeria has forced itself to co-operate with other countries to protect the Mediterranean from pollution and the degradation of sensitive habitats, and to work to protect more than 5% of its territory, and has ratified the International Wetlands Convention.