Country Profile

Occupying a strategic position in North Africa, with its major population centres abutting the Mediterranean and its hinterland stretching deep into the desert, Algeria is home to 39.5m people, making it the 34th-most-populous country in the world. The population is predominantly Arab-Berber, with less than 1% identifying as European. Approximately 15% of Algerians self-identify as Berber. The country profits from a rich and varied natural resource base, extracting oil, gas, phosphates, uranium, iron ore, zinc and lead. It is the 19th largest producer of crude oil globally, with an average production rate of 1.42m barrels per day in 2014. Algeria’s foreign policy has long been characterised by an independent streak, which has allowed the country to broaden its diplomatic ties to strengthen and deepen trade ties. This chapter contains a viewpoint from President Abdelaziz Bouteflika; and interviews with Tobias Ellwood MP, UK Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Middle East and North Africa; and Ségolène Royal, French Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.