Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations. Africa

633 Pages·2004·25.804 MB·English

by  Gale Group Staff

htptp V2 africa 8/29/03 11:57 AM Page 1
WEN11th.book Page i Friday, September 19, 2003 1:19 PM
WORLDMARK
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE NATIONS
AFRICA
htptp V2 africa 8/29/03 11:57 AM Page 3
WEN11th.book Page iii Friday, September 19, 2003 1:19 PM
ISSN 1531-1635
WORLDMARK
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE NATIONS
Volume 2
AFRICA
WEN11th.book Page iv Friday, September 19, 2003 1:19 PM
Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations, Eleventh Edition
Timothy L. Gall, Editor in Chief
Project Editor Permissions Product Design
Mary Rose Bonk Margaret Chamberlain Cynthia Baldwin
Editorial Imaging and Multimedia Manufacturing
Jolen Marya Gedridge Christine O’Bryan, Kelly A. Quin Rhonda Williams
© 2004 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale This publication is a creative work fully pro- Since this page cannot legibly accommodate
Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, tected by all applicable copyright laws, as well all copyright notices, the acknowledgments
Inc. as by misappropriation, trade, secret, unfair constitute an extension of the copyright
competition, and other applicable laws. The notice.
Gale and Design™ and Thomson Learning™
authors and editors of this work have added
are trademarks used herein under license. While every effort has been made to ensure
value to the underlying factual material herein
the reliability of the information presented in
For more information, contact through one or more of the following: unique
this publication, The Gale Group, Inc., does not
The Gale Group, Inc. and original selection, coordination, expres-
guarantee the accuracy of the data contained
27500 Drake Rd. sion, arrangement, and classification of the
herein. The Gale Group, Inc., accepts no pay-
Farmington Hills, MI 48331–3535 information.
ment for listing; and inclusion in the publica-
Or you can visit our Internet site at
For permission to use material from this prod- tion of any organization, agency, institution,
http://www.gale.com
uct, submit your request via Web at http:// publication, service, or individual does not
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED www.gale-edit.com/permissions, or you may imply endorsement of the editors or publish-
No part of this work covered by the copyright download our Permissions Request form and ers. Errors brought to the attention of the pub-
hereon may be reproduced or used in any form submit your request by fax or mail to: lisher and verified to the satisfaction of the
or by any means—graphic, electronic, or publisher will be corrected in future editions.
Permissions Department
mechanical, including photocopying, record-
The Gale Group, Inc.
ing, taping, Web distribution, or information
27500 Drake Rd.
storage retrieval systems—without the written
Farmington Hills, MI 48331–3535
permission of the publisher.
Permissions Hotline:
248–699–8006 or 800–877–4253, ext. 8006
Fax: [phone] or 800–762–4058
ISBN 0-7876-7330-7 (set)
ISBN 0-7876-7331-5 (v.1)
ISBN 0-7876-7332-3 (v.2)
ISBN 0-7876-7333-1 (v.3)
ISBN 0-7876-7334-X (v.4)
ISBN 0-7876-7335-8 (v.5)
ISBN 0-7876-7337-4 (World Leaders 2003)
ISSN 1531-1635 (set)
ISSN 1540-2533 (World Leaders 2003)
This title is also available as an e-book
ISBN 0-7876-7773-6
Contact your Gale sales representative for ordering information.
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
WEN11th.book Page v Friday, September 19, 2003 1:19 PM
C O N T E N T S
For Conversion Tables, Abbreviations and Acronyms, Glossaries, World
Tables, Notes to the Tenth Edition, and other supplementary materials,
see Volume 1.
Guide to Country Articles..............................................vi Libya ........................................................................308
Algeria ..........................................................................1 Madagascar ..............................................................320
Angola ........................................................................17 Malawi .....................................................................332
Benin ..........................................................................29 Mali ..........................................................................343
Botswana ....................................................................40 Mauritania ................................................................355
Burkina Faso ................................................................52 Mauritius ..................................................................366
Burundi .......................................................................62 Morocco ...................................................................375
Cameroon ...................................................................72 Mozambique ............................................................390
Cape Verde .................................................................85 Namibia ...................................................................402
Central African Republic ..............................................92 Niger ........................................................................412
Chad .........................................................................103 Nigeria .....................................................................423
Comoros ...................................................................114 Rwanda ....................................................................440
Congo, Democratic Republic of the...........................122 São Tomé and Príncipe .............................................451
Congo, Republic of the..............................................138 Senegal ....................................................................459
Côte d’Ivoire .............................................................149 Seychelles .................................................................471
Djibouti ....................................................................162 Sierra Leone ..............................................................479
Egypt ........................................................................170 Somalia ....................................................................491
Equatorial Guinea .....................................................186 South Africa ..............................................................503
Eritrea .......................................................................195 Sudan .......................................................................524
Ethiopia ....................................................................204 Swaziland .................................................................537
French African Dependencies ....................................216 Tanzania ...................................................................545
Gabon ......................................................................218 Togo ........................................................................559
Gambia, The..............................................................229 Tunisia ......................................................................570
Ghana .......................................................................237 Uganda ....................................................................583
Guinea ......................................................................251 United Kingdom African
Guinea-Bissau ...........................................................264 Dependencies ........................................................595
Kenya .......................................................................272 Zambia......................................................................597
Lesotho .....................................................................287 Zimbabwe ................................................................609
Liberia .......................................................................297 Index to Countries.....................................................623
v
WEN11th.book Page vi Friday, September 19, 2003 1:19 PM
G U I D E T O C O U N T R Y A R T I C L E S
All information contained within a country article is uniformly keyed by means of small superior
numerals to the left of the subject headings. A heading such as “Population,” for example, carries the
same key numeral (6) in every article. Thus, to find information about the population of Albania, consult
the table of contents for the page number where the Albania article begins and look for section 6
thereunder. Introductory matter for each nation includes coat of arms, capital, flag (descriptions given
from hoist to fly or from top to bottom), anthem, monetary unit, weights and measures, holidays, and
time zone.
SECTION HEADINGS IN NUMERICAL ORDER SECTION HEADINGS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
1 Location, size, and extent 27 Energy and power Agriculture 22 Income 20
2 Topography 28 Industry Animal husbandry 23 Industry 28
3 Climate 29 Science and technology Armed forces 17 Insurance 34
4 Flora and fauna 30 Domestic trade Balance of payments 32 International cooperation 18
5 Environment 31 Foreign trade Banking and securities 33 Judical system 16
6 Population 32 Balance of payments Bibliography 50 Labor 21
7 Migration 33 Banking and securities Climate 3 Languages 9
8 Ethnic groups 34 Insurance Customs and duties 37 Libraries and museums 44
9 Languages 35 Public finance Dependencies 49 Local government 15
10 Religions 36 Taxation Domestic trade 30 Location, size, and extent 1
11 Transportation 37 Customs and duties Economic development 39 Media 45
12 History 38 Foreign investment Economy 19 Migration 7
13 Government 39 Economic development Education 43 Mining 26
14 Political parties 40 Social development Energy and power 27 Organizations 46
15 Local government 41 Health Environment 5 Political parties 14
16 Judicial system 42 Housing Ethnic groups 8 Population 6
17 Armed forces 43 Education Famous persons 48 Public finance 35
18 International cooperation 44 Libraries and museums Fishing 24 Religions 10
19 Economy 45 Media Flora and fauna 4 Science and technology 29
20 Income 46 Organizations Foreign investment 38 Social development 40
21 Labor 47 Tourism, travel, and Foreign trade 31 Taxation 36
22 Agriculture recreation Forestry 25 Topography 2
23 Animal husbandry 48 Famous persons Government 13 Tourism, travel, and
24 Fishing 49 Dependencies Health 41 recreation 47
25 Forestry 50 Bibliography History 12 Transportation 11
26 Mining Housing 42
FREQUENTLY USED ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
ad—Anno Domini etc.—et cetera (and so on) kw—kilowatt(s) pm—after noon
am—before noon f—Fahrenheit kwh—kilowatt-hour(s) r.—reigned
b.—born fl.—flourished lb—pound(s) rev. ed.—revised edition
bc—Before Christ FRG—Federal Republic of m—meter(s); morning s—south
c—Celsius Germany m3—cubic meter(s) sq—square
c.—circa (about) ft—foot, feet mi—mile(s) St.—saint
cm—centimeter(s) ft3—cubic foot, feet Mt.—mount UK—United Kingdom
Co.—company GATT—General Agreement on Mw—megawatt(s) UN—United Nations
Corp.—corporation Tariffs and Trade n—north US—United States
cu ft—cubic foot, feet GDP—gross domestic products n.d.—no date USSR—Union of Soviet
cu m—cubic meter(s) gm—gram NA—not available Socialist Republics
d.—died GMT—Greenwich Mean Time oz—ounce(s) w—west
e—east GNP—gross national product
e—evening GRT—gross registered tons A fiscal split year is indicated by a stroke (e.g. 1998/99).
e.g.—exempli gratia ha—hectares For acronyms of UN agencies and their intergovernmental organiza-
(for example) i.e.—id est (that is) tions, as well as other abbreviations used in text, see the United Nations
ed.—edition, editor in—inch(es) volume.
est.—estimated kg—kilogram(s) A dollar sign ($) stands for us$ unless otherwise indicated.
et al.—et alii (and others) km—kilometer(s) Note that 1 billion = 1,000 million = 109.
vi
Africa_frnt_map.03 10/6/03 6:15 PM Page 1
20° 10°
Algiers Tunis
Oran
Rabat TUNISIA
Madeira Is.
(PORTUGAL) Suez
Marrakesh Tripoli Canal
Tobruk
MOROCCO Alexandria
Canary Is. Cairo
(SPAIN)
30° A L G E R I A
LIBYA
Semara EGYPT
WESTERN
Chegga
SAHARA Tajarhi Al Jawf Lake Aswa¯n
R
(Occupied by Tamanrasset Nasser e
TropicofCancer d
20° MorocNcooMu)akAchUoRttITANIA MALI NIGER FayaA-Laorgzeaouu Strip Nile Port Sudan Sea 20°
Néma Tombouctou Agadez
CHAD Asmara
CAPE VERDE Khartoum
Praia ERITREA
GAMTBHIAE DSaBEkaaNrnEjuGl AL Bamako ONuigaergadougBoUuRKINA Niamey Kano Zinder LCahkaedN'Djamena NyaSla UDAN NileWhiteBlueNile Gulf o f A d e n
Bissau FASO Maiduguri Bousso DJIBOUTI Djibouti
GUINEA- GUINEA Yagaba BENIN NIGERIA
10° BISSAUConakry Freetown CÔTE TOGO Abuja Ben ue Chari Birao Addis Ababa Erigavo 10°
D'IVOIRE Porto-
SIERRA LEONE GHANA Novo CENTRAL AFRICAN ETHIOPIA
Yamoussoukro
Accra REPUBLIC
Monrovia Abidjan Lomé CAMEROON Bangui Juba INDIAN
LIBERIA Douala
Yaoundé
Malabo SOMALIA
Lake
EQUATORIAL GUINEA Lake Turkana
São Tomé BLaibtareville (ZCoainrgeo) Kisangani AlbKearmt pUalGaANDA KENYA Mogadishu OCEAN
SÃO TOMÉ CONGO
& PRÍNCIPE GABON DEMOCRATIC RWANDA Nairobi Equator
0° 0°
(EQAn. GnoUbINónEA) REPUBLIC Kigali Lake
Brazzaville Bujumbura Victoria Victoria
OF CONGO BURUNDI
ANGOLA Kinshasa TanganLyaikkae Dodoma Pemba I.
Kananga
(Cabinda) Zanzibar I.
SEYCHELLES
Ascension Lucapa TANZANIA Mafia I.
(UK) ATLANTIC Luanda
Mbala
Îles Glorieuses
COMOROS (FRANCE)
ANGOLA Lubumbashi MALAWI Moroni
10° OCEAN Dzaoudzi 10°
Lake Antsiranana
Benguela Kitwe Lilongwe Malawi Mayotte
ZAMBIA (FRANCE)
aZ Nampula
m
b
Mavingaezi Lusaka Juan de Nova Mahajanga Tromelin CShaorgaalsd (oMs ACUaRraITjoIUsS)
St. Helena (FRANCE) (FRANCE)
(UK) Harare
MOZAMBIQUE
Muhembo ZIMBABWE Antananarivo
NAMIBIA Mozambique Port Rodrigues I.
(MAURITIUS)
Bulawayo Louis
MADAGASCAR
20° Windhoek BOTSWANA Bas(sFaRsA dNaC IEn)dia St.-Denis MAURITIUS 20°
Réunion
Walvis Bay Gaborone Inhambane Îl(eFsR EAuNrCoEp)a Toliara (FDREENPECNHD AEFNRCICYA)N TropicofCapricorn
Pretoria
Channel
Lüderitz Johannesburg Maputo
Mbabane
SWAZILAND
Oran
ge Maseru
SOUTH LESOTHO
AFRICA
30° 30°
Port
Elizabeth
Cape Town
30° 20° 10° 0° 10° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70°
WEN11th.book Page 1 Friday, September 19, 2003 1:20 PM
A L G E R I A
Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria
Al-Jumhuriyah al-Jaza’iriyah ad-Dimuqratiyah ash-Sha‘biyah
CAPITAL: Algiers (Alger)
FLAG: The national flag consists of two equal vertical stripes, one green and one white, with a red
crescent enclosing a five-pointed red star in the center.
ANTHEM: Kassaman (We Pledge).
MONETARY UNIT: The Algerian dinar (DA) is a paper currency of 100 centimes. There are coins of 1, 2,
5, 10, and 50 centimes and 1, 5 and 10 dinars, and notes of 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 dinars. DA1 =
$0.0127 (or $1 = DA78.46) as of May 2003.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: The metric system is the legal standard.
HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; Labor Day, 1 May; Overthrow of Ben Bella, 19 June;
Independence Day, 5 July; Revolution Day, 1 November. Muslim religious holidays include ‘Id al-Fitr,
‘Id al-‘Adha’, 1st of Muharram (Muslim New Year), and Milad an-Nabi. Christians observe their own
religious holidays.
TIME: GMT.
1LOCATION, SIZE, AND EXTENT October 1980 in a rural area southwest of Algiers left over 2,500
persons dead and almost 100,000 homeless.
Situated in northwestern Africa along the Mediterranean Sea,
Algeria is the second-largest country on the continent. 3CLIMATE
Comparatively, it is slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas,
with a total area of 2,381,740 sq km (919,595 sq mi). Extending Northern Algeria lies within the temperate zone, and its climate is
about 2,400 km (1,500 mi) E–W and 2,100 km (1,300 mi) N–S, similar to that of other Mediterranean countries, although the
Algeria is bounded on the N by the Mediterranean Sea, on the E diversity of the relief provides sharp contrasts in temperature.
by Tunisia and Libya, on the SE by Niger, on the SW by Mali, on The coastal region has a pleasant climate, with winter
the W by Mauritania, and on the W and NW by the Western temperatures averaging from 10° to 12°C (50° to 54°F) and
Sahara and Morocco; the total boundary length is 6,343 km average summer temperatures ranging from 24° to 26°C (75° to
(3,933 mi). Land boundary and claims disputes with Libya were 79°F). Rainfall in this region is abundant—38 to 69 cm (15 to 27
unresolved as of late 2002. in) per year, and up to 100 cm (40 in) in the eastern part—except
in the area around Oran (Ouahran), where mountains form a
Algeria’s capital city, Algiers, is located on the northern
barrier against rain-carrying winds. When heavy rains fall (often
boundary of the country on the Mediterranean Sea.
more than 3.8 cm/1.5 in within 24 hours), they flood large areas
and then evaporate so quickly that they are of little help in
2TOPOGRAPHY
cultivation.
The parallel mountain ranges of the Tell or Maritime Atlas, Farther inland, the climate changes; winters average 4° to 6°C
comprising coastal massifs and northern inland ranges, and the (39° to 43°F), with considerable frost and occasional snow on the
Saharan Atlas divide Algeria into three basic longitudinal zones massifs; summers average 26° to 28°C (79° to 82°F). In this
running generally east–west: the Mediterranean zone or Tell; the region, prevailing winds are westerly and northerly in winter and
High Plateaus, including the regions of Great and Small Kabilia; easterly and northeasterly in summer, resulting in a general
and the Sahara Desert, accounting for at least 80% of Algeria’s increase in precipitation from September to December and a
total land area. About half of Algeria is 900 m (3,000 ft) or more decrease from January to August; there is little or no rainfall in
above sea level, and about 70% of the area is from 760 to 1,680 the summer months.
m (2,500 to 5,500 ft) in elevation. The highest point is Mount In the Sahara Desert, temperatures range from –10° to 34°C
Tahat (3,003 m/9,852 ft), in the Ahaggar Range of the Sahara. (14° to 93°F), with extreme highs of 49°C (120°F). There are daily
Only the main rivers of the Tell have water all year round, and variations of more than 44°C (80°F). Winds are frequent and
even then the summer flow is small. None of the rivers are violent. Rainfall is irregular and unevenly distributed.
navigable. The mountainous areas of the High Plateaus are
poorly watered; most of the rivers and streams (oueds) flow 4FLORA AND FAUNA
irregularly, since they depend for water upon an erratic rainfall.
Characteristic trees of northern Algeria are the olive and the cork
In the High Plateaus are many salt marshes and dry or shallow
oak. The mountain regions contain large forests of evergreens
salt lakes (sebkhas or shotts). Farther south, the land becomes
(Aleppo pine, juniper, and evergreen oak) and some deciduous
increasingly arid, merging into the completely dry desert.
trees; the forests are inhabited by boars and jackals, about all that
Algeria lies on the African Tectonic Plate. Northwestern remain of the many wild animals once common. Fig, eucalyptus,
Algeria is a seismologically active area. Earthquakes on 10 agave, and various palm trees grow in the warmer areas. Esparto
1
WEN11th.book Page 2 Friday, September 19, 2003 1:20 PM
2 Algeria
grass, alfa, and drinn are common in the semiarid regions. On the Palestinians that were well integrated in Algerian society. As a
coastal plain, the grape vine is indigenous. result of the war between the Polisario guerrillas and Morocco
Vegetation in the Sahara is sparse and widely scattered. Animal over the Western Sahara, about 150,000 Sahrawi refugees fled to
life is varied but scarce. Camels are used extensively. Other Algeria. In 1999 there were 165,000 refugees from Western
mammals are jackals, jerboas, and rabbits. The desert also Sahara in the region of Tindouf of southwestern Algeria. As of
abounds with poisonous and nonpoisonous snakes, scorpions, 2000, there was a total of 169,500 refugees remaining in Algeria.
and numerous insects. The net migration rate for Algeria was -1.8 migrants per 1,000
population, which was a loss of 52,000 people. The government
5ENVIRONMENT views the migration levels as satisfactory.
Algeria’s principal environmental problem is encroachment of the
desert onto the fertile northern section of the country. Soil erosion 8ETHNIC GROUPS
from overgrazing adds to the effect. To impede desertification, the The population consists almost entirely of Arabs. Arabs in
government in 1975 began a project to erect a “green wall” of Algeria are chiefly of Berber derivation, particularly in the Kabilia
trees and vegetation 1,500 km (930 mi) long and 20 km (12 mi) and Aurès areas and in the Sahara oases, or admixtures of
wide along the northern fringes of the Sahara. The annual cost of Berbers with invaders from earlier periods. The Berbers, who
this 20-year afforestation project was about $100 million. resemble the Mediterranean subrace of Southern Europe, are
Other significant environmental problems include water descendants of the original inhabitants of Algeria and are divided
shortages and pollution. The small amount of water available in into many subgroups. They account for 99% of the population.
Algeria is threatened by regular droughts. The problem is further The Kabyles (Kaba’il), mostly farmers, live in the compact
complicated by lack of sewage control and pollutants from the oil mountainous section in the northern part of the country between
industry, as well as other industrial effluents. The Mediterranean Algiers and Constantine. The Chaouia (Shawiyyah) live in the
Sea has also been contaminated by the oil industry, fertilizer Aurès Mountains of the northeast. The Mzab, or Mozabites,
runoff, and soil erosion. include sedentary date growers in the Ued Mzab oases. Desert
Endangered or extinct species include the Barbary hyena, groups include the Tuareg, Tuat, and Wargla (Ouargla).
Barbary leopard, Barbary macaque, and Mediterranean monk Europeans are of French, Corsican, Spanish, Italian, and
seal. Of the 92 species of mammals, 15 were threatened as of the Maltese ancestry. Algeria’s European population was estimated at
late 2001, as well as eight of the 192 species of birds. less than 1% of the population in early 1999. About half the Jews
in Algeria were descended from converted Berbers, and the
6POPULATION remainder were mainly descendants of Spanish Jews. Within a
The population of Algeria in 2003 was estimated by the United month after Algeria became independent, about 70,000 Jews
Nations at 31,800,000, which placed it as number 35 in emigrated to France and 10,000 to Israel. Almost all the rest left
population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year Algeria during the next seven years; fewer than 100 Jews
approximately 4% of the population was over 65 years of age, remained as of 1998, and virtually all synagogues had been
with another 35% of the population under 15 years of age. There converted to mosques.
were 102 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003.
According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 9LANGUAGES
2000–2005 is 1.67%, with the projected population for the year The sole official and majority language is Arabic, with many
2015 at 38,142,000. The population density in 2002 was 13 per variations and dialects, but many Algerians also speak French;
sq km (34 per sq mi). The birthrate was down from 29 births per “Arabization” has been encouraged by the government. About
1,000 population in 1996 to 23 per 1,000 in 2002, due in part to one-fifth of the population speaks a wide variety of Berber
government programs. dialects, particularly in Kabilia, in the Aurès, and in smaller,
It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 60% relatively protected areas in the mountains and the Sahara. Berber
of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, is a distinct branch of the Hamitic language group; dialects vary
Algiers, had a population of 1,840,000 in that year. Other large from district to district. In antiquity, the Numidians wrote Berber
cities and their estimated populations include Oran, 700,000; in script form.
Constantine (Qacentina), 500,000; and Batna, 300,000.
According to the United Nations, the urban population growth 10RELIGIONS
rate for 2000–2005 was 3.2%. About 99% of the population adheres to Islam, the state religion.
The population is concentrated in the cultivated areas of the Except for a small minority of Kharijites (Ibadhis) in the Mzab
northern Tell region near the Mediterranean coast. More than region, most Muslims are adherents of the Maliki rite of the
90% of the populace lives in approximately one eighth of the Sunni sect, with a few Hanafi adherents. The law prohibits
country. The plateau and desert regions are sparsely populated. assembling for purposes of practicing any faith other than Islam.
However, there are Roman Catholic churches that conduct
7MIGRATION services without government interference. Non-Muslims usually
In 1962, some 180,000 Algerian refugees were repatriated from congregate in private homes for worship services. Proselytizing of
Tunisia and Morocco; after independence was declared that July, non-Muslim faiths is illegal. Foreigners who practice non-Muslim
about 650,000 French Algerians and more than 200,000 harkis faiths are generally shown a greater degree of social tolerance
(Algerian Muslims who fought on the French side during the war than non-Muslim citizens.
of independence and chose to retain French citizenship) Many citizens who practice non-Muslim faiths have fled the
emigrated to France. The exodus reduced the French population country because of the civil war. The number of Christians and
from about 10% of the total in 1961 to less than 1% in 1981. Jews is thus significantly lower than in the early 1990s. The small
Around 24,000 displaced persons from Mali and Niger located in Christian community, which is mostly Roman Catholic, has
the southern Algerian region of Tamanrasst, Adrar, and Illizi. In approximately 25,000 members, and the Jewish community
1995, UNHCR started the repatriation of the Tuareg refugees numbers fewer than 100.
back to Mali and Niger. Repatriation was complete as of June
1998, benefiting some 6,302 Malians and 3,259 Nigerians. At the 11TRANSPORTATION
closing of the refugee camps, some 200 residual refugees In 2002, Algeria’s nationally owned railroad had about 4,820 km
remained. As of May 1997, there were an estimated 4,000 (2,995 mi) of track. The system consists principally of a main
Algeria 3
ALGERIA
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
0 100 200 300 Miles
0 100 200 300 Kilometers
Golfe
de Bejaïa
Algiers Annaba
Alboran Sea Bejaïa Skikda
Blida
Oran Mostaganem Setif Constantine
Sidi Bel Abbès Batna
Oujda Tlemcen A I N S Djelfa Biskra
Taza N T Redeyef Golfe de
M O U A H A R I E N Gabès
S
M O R O C C O S A S Laghouat Touggourt T U N I S I A
A L
T L A T Ghardaïa
A
Ouargla
Béchar a l
n t
Akka ZaOgouread Draa OuedS Grand E r g O c c i d e El Golea g O rie ntal Dirg
Tindouf Tabelbala aoura PlateauduTademaït G r a n d E r I-n-Amenas
Adrar
WESTERN I-n-Belbel
SAHARA El Mansour Titaf L I B Y A
Chenachane
Tarat
MAURITANIA h
c
e
h
Erg C I-n-Amguel A R M T S . DjanetGhat
G
G
A
H
A
Mt. Tahat
9,573 ft.
Silet 2918 m.
Algeria Tamanrasset
S A H A R A D E S E R T N
W E
M A L I Ti-n-Zaouâtene
S
N I G E R
LOCATION: 18°57′ to 37°5′N; 8°44′W to 12°E. BOUNDARY LENGTHS: Mediterranean coastline, 1,104 kilometers (686 miles); Tunisia, 958 kilometers (595 miles); Libya, 982
kilometers (610 miles); Niger, 956 kilometers (594 miles); Mali, 1,376 kilometers (855 miles); Mauritania, 463 kilometers (288 miles);
Morocco, 1,637 kilometers (1,017 miles). TERRITORIAL SEA LIMIT: 12 miles.
east-west line linked with the railways of Tunisia and Morocco 104,000 km (64,625 mi) of roads, of which about 71,656 km
and of lines serving the mining regions of Béchar (formerly (44,527 mi) were paved (including 640 km or 398 mi of
Colomb Béchar); the esparto grass country on the High Plateaus; expressways), used by 589,900 passenger cars and 396,200
the date-producing areas of Biskra, Touggourt, and Tebessa; and commercial vehicles in 2000. The French colonial administration
the main port cities. built a good road system, partly for military purposes, which
Roads are most adequate in the Tell zone; in the mountainous after independence was allowed to deteriorate to some extent;
and rural areas, they are relatively poor. In 2002 there were however, new roads have been built linking the Sahara oil fields