Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spiritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4% (2000 census)
Languages
Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Portuguese (official and most widely spoken language); note - less common languages include Spanish (border areas and schools), German, Italian, Japanese, English, and a large number of minor Amerindian languages
Exports
petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%
transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos
External Debt
$4,699,000,000 $
$397,500,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Algerian dinars (DZD) per US dollar - 63.25 (2008 est.), 69.9 (2007), 72.647 (2006), 73.276 (2005), 72.061 (2004)
reals (BRL) per US dollar - 1.8644 (2008 est.), 1.85 (2007 est.), 2.1761 (2006), 2.4344 (2005), 2.9251 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
3.300%
1.700%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
2
15
Location
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Area
2,381,741 km sq
8,514,877 km sq
Coastline
998 km
7,491 km
Climate
arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer
