The country of Algeria is located in Northern Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea between the countries Morocco and Tunisia, with Algiers as the capital city. Algeria, being the second largest city in Africa, has a total land area of 2,381, 740 square kilometers, without any water area. There are a total of 48 provinces located in the country of Algeria. The climate is arid to semiarid with mild, wet winters and hot dry summers along the coats. The high plateau area has drier areas cold winters and hot summers. The terrain of Algeria features high plateau and desert with some mountains and a narrow coastal plain. Natural resources that make up the region are natural gas, petroleum, phosphate, iron, ore, uranium, lead, and zinc. The country's agriculture products consist of wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus fruits, sheep, and cattle. Imported goods include foodstuffs, consumer goods, and capital goods. The country exports petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products. Main trading partners are Italy, U.S, Spain, Brazil, Netherlands, France, Canada, Turkey, and Belgium. Algeria has diplomatic relations with the United States and is apart of the United Nations. Chief of Mission Richard W. Erdman is the U.S. ambassador to Algeria, and Chief of Mission Idriss Jazairy is a Algerian ambassador to the U.S. The dominant and state religion in Algeria is Sunni Muslim, which accounts to ninety-nine percent of the population followed by Christianity and Jewish at one percent. There are two ethnicity groups in Algeria, Arab-Berber that makes up ninety-nine percent of the population and European accounts for one percent. Arabic is the official language of Algeria, and other languages include French, and Berber dialects.
The legal system of Algeria is socialist and is based on French and Islamic law. The chief of state President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and head of government Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia makes up the Executive branch of government.
