Country Profile

Algeria is the largest African country by geographical size, as well as the largest country in the Mediterranean region. Although 85% of the country is desert, Algeria is topographically diverse, in particular in the north, which consists of the Tell Atlas, the High Plateaux and the Saharan Atlas. Roughly 91% of the population lives in less than 13% of the country’s territory, mostly in the north along the Mediterranean. The population was an estimated 35.6m in 2010, with over 68% under 35 years of age. Arabic is the official language, although many Algerians are fluent in French as well. Hydrocarbons are the mainstay of the economy, representing 97-98% of exports, 60% of government revenue and upwards of 30% of GDP This chapter contains a viewpoint with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika; and interviews with Lady Olga Maitland, Chair, Algeria Britain Business Council; Mourad Medelci, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Daniel Kawczynski, British MP and Former Member, International Development Select Committee; and Shigeo Matsutomi, Director-General, Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.