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Beautiful and mysterious, Algeria is the biggest country in Africa and is the tenth largest in the world. It is bordered by Morocco to the west, Tunisia and Libya to the east, Mediterranean Sea to the north, and Mauritania, Mali, and Niger to the south.
The capital, Algiers, is one of the Maghreb’s most sophisticated and charismatic cities. It is a mix of colonial, modernist architecture and traditional medina. Across the north are stunning coastlines, lush rural hinterlands and a number of well-preserved Roman cities.
Algeria has a population of about 40 million people. Ninety percent of Algerians live in the northern, coastal area. The Saharan region, which makes up 85% of the country, is almost completely uninhabited.
According to the CIA World Factbook, Algeria’s economy is reliant on hydrocarbons. This accounts for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of the GDP, and over 95% of export earnings. The country has the tenth largest reserve of natural gas in the world and is the sixth largest gas exporter. It ranks 16th in oil reserves.
Algeria envisions diversifying its economy, triggering inclusive growth and promoting the emergence of a value-added and job-creating industrial and service sectors by the year 2020.
The goal is to double non-oil revenues by 2025, and to significantly raise non-oil exports to 15% of total exports in 2020, 25% in 2025, and 40% in 2030, all up from 2% in 2012.
It aims to transform its business and investment environment to ensure that the country is among the top three countries in the Mediterranean region and is among the 50 leading nations worldwide.
Natural, cultural and historical endowments make Algeria the perfect tourism destination. Various empires left must-see legacies such as the ancient Roman ruins in Tipaza, Ottoman landmarks like the 400-year old Ketchaoua Mosque, and the city’s Neo-Byzantine Basilica Notre Dame d’Afrique dating back to French colonial rule.