AREA: 2,381,741 sq km (919,595 sq miles).

POPULATION: 25,324,000

POPULATION DENSITY: 10.6 per sq km.

CAPITAL: Algiers (El Djezaïr). Population: 1,687,579

GEOGRAPHY: Algeria is situated along the North African coast, bordered to the east by Tunisia and Libya, to the southeast by Niger, to the southwest by Mali, and to the west by Mauritania and Morocco. It is Africa's second-largest country, with 1000km (600 miles) of coastline. Along the coastal strip are the main towns, fertile land, beach resorts and 900f the population. Further south lies the area of the Hauts Plateaux, mountains of to 2000m (6600ft) covered in cedar, pine and cypress forests with broad arable plains dividing the plateaux. The remaining 850f the country is the Sahara Desert in its various forms, sustaining only 500,000 people, many of whom are nomadic tribes with goat and camel herds. The oil and minerals boom has created new industrial centres like Hassi Messaoud, which have grown up within previously barely inhabited regions of the northern Sahara. The plains of gravel and sand in the deep south are interrupted by two mountain ranges: the dramatic Hoggar massif, rising to almost 3000m (9800ft), and the Tassili N'Ajjer or `Plateau of Chasms'. Both have long been important centres of Tuareg culture.

LANGUAGE: The official language is Arabic, but French is still used for most official and business transactions. Berber dialects are still spoken in the south. In general, English is spoken only in major business or tourist centres.

Religion: 990f the population adhere to Islam, the majority being Sunni.

TIME: GMT + 1.

ELECTRICITY: 127/220 volts AC, 50Hz. The European 2-pin plug is standard.

COMMUNICATIONS: Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: 213. Outgoing international code: 00. There are public telephones in all post offices, leading hotels and on many main streets. Telex/telegram: Telex facilities are available at the main post office in Algiers (address below) and also at the El-Aurassi hotel. Telegrams can be sent from any post office from 0800-1900. The main post office in Algiers has a 24-hour service. Post: Mail posted in any of the main cities along the coast takes three to four days to reach Europe; posted elsewhere, it could take very much longer. A letter delivery service operates Saturday to Thursday. Parcels sent by surface mail may take up to two months to reach Algeria. All parcels sent by air or surface mail are subject to long delays in customs. Post office hours: generally 0800-1700 Saturday to Wednesday; 0800-1200 Thursday, but the main post office in Algiers (at 5 boulevard Mohamed Khémisti) is open around the clock. Press: Daily newspapers are printed in Arabic or French. El Moudjahid has the highest circulation and is printed in French. Other main dailies printed in French areLe Matin, Le Soir d'Algérie and Le Journal. Al Chaab and El Massaa are the leading Arabic-language dailies. Another daily, Horizons, has an English section.

BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change. See the contents for more information.

VOICE OF AMERICA: MHz 15.21 9.760 6.0405.995

HISTORY: The present borders of Algeria as well as tunisia and Libya were determined when the region became part of the Ottoman Empire, with each of the countries being an administrative subdivision. The coming of the Ottoman Empire lead to the Spanish losing the coastal strip which they had held. It subsequently became a pirate base for attacking European fleets. The French launched a military attack in 1830 and having obtained a foothold in North Africa, held on and expanded it. Algeria achieved independence in 1962, despite opposition from many French quarters. The victorious FLN (Front de Libération Nationale) under Ahmed Ben Bella pursued orthodox socialist policies. Ben Bella was subsequently deposed by the Minister of Defence, Houari Boumediène, who ruled until his death in 1978. After the 1986 revision of the National Charter, the official political emphasis has been more on `pragmatic socialism' rather than Marxism, as a result of which private enterprise and market forces assumed a more important role in society and the economy. Further government decrees loosened restrictions on political organisation and press comment, giving Algeria probably the liveliest media in the Arab world. In the international arena, by this time, Algeria enjoyed a considerable reputation as an `honest broker', mediating in a number of complex international disputes, including the Iran-Iraq war. Algeria has also recently joined the Union of the Arab Maghreb, a regional grouping with Tunisia, Morocco, Libya and Mauritania which is designed to promote political and economic cooperation. However, domestic issues have dominated the agenda in Algeria since the turn of the 90s, beginning with multi-party municipal and local elections which were held for the first time in June 1990: the ruling FLN secured a majority of the seats, but Islamic parties made a strong showing. Prominent among these was the Front Islamique du Salut (FIS, Islamic Salvation Front) whose growing support have since changed the face of Algerian politics. In May the following year, the Government was forced to resign by a FIS-led general strike. Only decisive action by President Chadli, backed by the security forces, prevented an outright FIS takeover. Nonetheless, the Government persevered with its democratisation programme, holding general elections, which resulted in a comprehen-sive victory for the FIS, but was followed by the military's decision to annul the result. The country has since been governed under a state of emergency. Against this background, the State President Mohamed Boudiaf was assassinated. The last 12 months have since seen a stand-off between the Government and the Islamic opposition, as the military have maintained tight control over the security situation.

GOVERNMENT: Since 1962 the country has been a single-party state with the Front de Libération Nationale as the only party. Power is shared between the head of state and the unicameral 281-member National People's Assembly, both elected by universal adult suffrage. Moves towards a multi-party system have been suspended for the time being, and the country is now governed by a Higher State Council.