through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962. Algeria's
primary political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), has
dominated politics ever since. Many Algerians in the subsequent
generation were not satisfied, however, and moved to counter the
FLN's centrality in Algerian politics. The surprising first round
success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991
balloting spurred the Algerian army to intervene and postpone the
second round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared
would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. The army
began a crackdown on the FIS that spurred FIS supporters to begin
attacking government targets. The government later allowed elections
featuring pro-government and moderate religious-based parties, but
did not appease the activists who progressively widened their
attacks. The fighting escalated into an insurgency, which saw
intense fighting between 1992-98 and which resulted in over 100,000
deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate massacres of villagers by
extremists. The government gained the upper hand by the late-1990s
and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in
January 2000. However, small numbers of armed militants persist in
confronting government forces and conducting ambushes and occasional
attacks on villages. The army placed Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA in the
presidency in 1999 in a fraudulent election but claimed neutrality
in his 2004 landslide reelection victory. Longstanding problems
continue to face BOUTEFLIKA in his second term, including
large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing, unreliable
electrical and water supplies, government inefficiencies and
corruption, and the continuing activities of extremist militants.
The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) in 2006 merged
with al-Qaida to form al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb,
which since has launched an ongoing series of kidnappings and
bombings - including high-profile, mass-casualty suicide attacks
targeted against the Algerian government and Western interests.
Algeria must also diversify its petroleum-based economy, which has
yielded a large cash reserve but which has not been used to redress
Algeria's many social and infrastructure problems.
Geography ::Algeria
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco
and Tunisia
Geographic coordinates:
28 00 N, 3 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 2,381,741 sq km
country comparison to the world: 11
land: 2,381,741 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 6,343 km
border countries: Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km,
Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km
Coastline:
998 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm
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
Terrain:
mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,
discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
Land use:
arable land: 3.17%
permanent crops: 0.28%
other: 96.55% (2005)
Irrigated land:
5,690 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
14.3 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 6.07 cu km/yr (22%/13%/65%)
per capita: 185 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and
floods in rainy season
Environment - current issues:
soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices;
desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes,
and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers
and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming
polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff;
inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
People ::Algeria
Population:
34,178,188 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.4% (male 4,436,591/female 4,259,729)
15-64 years: 69.5% (male 11,976,965/female 11,777,618)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 798,576/female 928,709) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 26.6 years
male: 26.3 years
female: 26.8 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.196% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
Birth rate:
16.9 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 124
Death rate:
4.64 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
Net migration rate:
-0.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
Urbanization:
urban population: 65% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 27.73 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 80
male: 30.86 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 24.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.02 years
country comparison to the world: 92
male: 72.35 years
female: 75.77 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.79 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
21,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 1,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
Nationality:
noun: Algerian(s)
adjective: Algerian
Ethnic groups:
Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%
note: almost all Algerians are Berber in origin, not Arab; the
minority who identify themselves as Berber live mostly in the
mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers; the Berbers are also
Muslim but identify with their Berber rather than Arab cultural
heritage; Berbers have long agitated, sometimes violently, for
autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has
offered to begin sponsoring teaching Berber language in schools
Religions:
Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
Languages:
Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.9%
male: 79.6%
female: 60.1% (2002 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years
male: 13 years
female: 13 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
5.1% of GDP (1999)
country comparison to the world: 64
Government ::Algeria
Country name:
conventional long form: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
conventional short form: Algeria
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash
Sha'biyah
local short form: Al Jaza'ir
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Algiers
geographic coordinates: 36 45 N, 3 03 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
48 provinces (wilayat, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain
Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida,
Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa,
El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel,
Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila,
Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi
Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset, Tebessa, Tiaret,
Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen
Independence:
5 July 1962 (from France)
National holiday:
Revolution Day, 1 November (1954)
Constitution:
8 September 1963; revised 19 November 1976; effective 22 November
1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, 28 November 1996,
10 April 2002, and 12 November 2008
Legal system:
socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review of
legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of
various public officials including several Supreme Court justices;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (since 28 April 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed OUYAHIA (since 23 June 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
note - a November 2008 constitutional amendment abolished
presidential term limits; election last held 9 April 2009 (next to
be held in April 2014); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA reelected president for third
term; percent of vote - Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA 90.2%, Louisa HANOUNE
4.2%, Moussa TOUATI 2.3%, Djahid YOUNSI 1.4%, Ali Fawzi REBIANE less
than 1%, Mohamed SAID less than 1%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Council of Nations (Senate)
(144 seats; one-third of the members appointed by the president,
two-thirds elected by indirect vote to serve six-year terms; the
constitution requires half the council to be renewed every three
years) and the National People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Al-Shabi
Al-Watani (389 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: National People's Assembly - last held 17 May 2007 (next
to be held in 2012); Council of Nations (Senate) - last held 28
December 2006 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - FLN 136, RND 61, MSP 52, PT 26, RCD 19,
FNA 13, other 49, independents 33; Council of Nations - percent of
vote by party - NA; seats by party - FLN 29, RND 12, MSP 3, RCD 1,
independents 3, presidential appointees (unknown affiliation) 24;
note - Council seating reflects the number of replaced council
members rather than the whole Council
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Ahd 54 [Ali Fauzi REBAINE]; Algerian National Front or FNA [Moussa
TOUATI]; National Democratic Rally (Rassemblement National
Democratique) or RND [Ahmed OUYAHIA]; National Liberation Front or
FLN [Abdelaziz BELKHADEM, secretary general]; National Reform
Movement or Islah (formerly MRN) [Ahmed ABDESLAM]; Rally for Culture
and Democracy or RCD [Said SADI]; Renaissance Movement or EnNahda
Movement [Fatah RABEI]; Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait
AHMED]; Society of Peace Movement or MSP [Boudjerra SOLTANI];
Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUNE]
note: a law banning political parties based on religion was enacted
in March 1997
Political pressure groups and leaders:
The Algerian Human Rights League or LADDH [Hocine ZEHOUANE]; SOS
Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BIS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,
ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC,
OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO,
UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Abdallah BAALI
chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800
FAX: [1] (202) 667-2174
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador David D. PEARCE
embassy: 05 Chemin Cheikh Bachir, El-Ibrahimi, El-Biar 16000 Algiers
mailing address: B. P. 408, Alger-Gare, 16030 Algiers
telephone: [213] 770-08-2000
FAX: [213] 21-60-7355
Flag description:
two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white; a red,
five-pointed star within a red crescent centered over the two-color
boundary; the colors represent Islam (green), purity and peace
(white), and liberty (red); the crescent and star are also Islamic
symbols, but the crescent is more closed than those of other Muslim
countries because the Algerians believe the long crescent horns
bring happiness
Economy ::Algeria
Economy - overview:
The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy, accounting
for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of GDP, and over 95% of
export earnings. Algeria has the eighth-largest reserves of natural
gas in the world and is the fourth-largest gas exporter; it ranks
15th in oil reserves. Sustained high oil prices in recent years have
helped improve Algeria's financial and macroeconomic indicators.
Algeria is running substantial trade surpluses and building up
record foreign exchange reserves. Algeria has decreased its external
debt to less than 5% of GDP after repaying its Paris Club and London
Club debt in 2006. Real GDP has risen due to higher oil output and
increased government spending. The government's continued efforts to
diversify the economy by attracting foreign and domestic investment
outside the energy sector, however, has had little success in
reducing high unemployment and improving living standards.
Structural reform within the economy, such as development of the
banking sector and the construction of infrastructure, moves ahead
slowly hampered by corruption and bureaucratic resistance.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$233.5 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 49
$225.6 billion (2007 est.)
$218.8 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$159.7 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.5% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
3.1% (2007 est.)
2.1% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$6,900 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
$6,800 (2007 est.)
$6,600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.3%
industry: 62.3%
services: 29.4% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
9.464 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 14%, industry 13.4%, construction and public works 10%,
trade 14.6%, government 32%, other 16% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
12.8% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
11.8% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
23% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 26.8% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
35.3 (1995)
country comparison to the world: 86
Investment (gross fixed):
26.1% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43
Budget:
revenues: $70.06 billion
expenditures: $56.04 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
8.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
37.4% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
3.5% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
4% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 123
4% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
8% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 107
8% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$60.91 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 19
$55.43 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$30.36 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 37
$28.59 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$NA (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle
Industries:
petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical,
petrochemical, food processing
Industrial production growth rate:
3.2% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
Electricity - production:
34.98 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
Electricity - consumption:
28.34 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
Electricity - exports:
273 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
279 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
2.18 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
Oil - consumption:
299,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
Oil - exports:
1.891 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
Oil - imports:
14,320 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
Oil - proved reserves:
12.2 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
Natural gas - production:
86.5 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
Natural gas - consumption:
26.83 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
Natural gas - exports:
59.67 billion cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 5
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205
Natural gas - proved reserves:
4.502 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
Current account balance:
$35.27 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
$30.6 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$78.23 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 42
$60.6 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%
Exports - partners:
US 23.9%, Italy 15.5%, Spain 11.4%, France 8%, Netherlands 7.8%,
Canada 6.8% (2008)
Imports:
$39.16 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54
$26.4 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Imports - partners:
France 16.5%, Italy 11%, China 10.3%, Spain 7.4%, Germany 6.1%, US
5.5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$143.5 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
$110.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$3.753 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 113
$3.957 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$13.76 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
$11.91 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.162 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
$962 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Algerian dinars (DZD) per US dollar - 63.25 (2008 est.), 69.9
(2007), 72.647 (2006), 73.276 (2005), 72.061 (2004)
Communications ::Algeria
Telephones - main lines in use:
3.314 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 46
Telephones - mobile cellular:
31.871 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 30
Telephone system:
general assessment: a weak network of fixed-main lines, which
remains at roughly 10 telephones per 100 persons, is offset by the
rapid increase in mobile cellular subscribership; in 2008, combined
fixed-line and mobile telephone density surpassed 100 telephones per
100 persons
domestic: privatization of Algeria's telecommunications sector began
in 2000; three mobile cellular licenses have been issued and, in
2005, a consortium led by Egypt's Orascom Telecom won a 15-year
license to build and operate a fixed-line network in Algeria; the
license will allow Orascom to develop high-speed data and other
specialized services and contribute to meeting the large unfulfilled
demand for basic residential telephony; Internet broadband services
began in 2003
international: country code - 213; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4
fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe,
the Middle East, and Asia; microwave radio relay to Italy, France,
Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia;
participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 51 (Intelsat,
Intersputnik, and Arabsat) (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999)
Television broadcast stations:
46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995)
Internet country code:
.dz
Internet hosts:
510 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 172
Internet users:
4.1 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 51
Transportation ::Algeria
Airports:
143 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 39
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 57
over 3,047 m: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 29
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 86
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
914 to 1,523 m: 41
under 914 m: 23 (2009)
Heliports:
2 (2009)
Pipelines:
condensate 1,937 km; gas 14,648 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,933 km;
oil 7,579 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 3,973 km
country comparison to the world: 43
standard gauge: 2,888 km 1.435-m gauge (283 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 108,302 km
country comparison to the world: 38
paved: 76,028 km (includes 645 km of expressways)
unpaved: 32,274 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 33
country comparison to the world: 83
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 8, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas
9, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 18 (Jordan 7, UK 11) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Djendjene, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran,
Skikda
Military ::Algeria
Military branches:
People's National Army (Armee Nationale Populaire, ANP), Land Forces
(Forces Terrestres, FT), Navy of the Republic of Algeria (Marine de
la Republique Algerienne, MRA), Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya
al-Jaza'eriya, QJJ), Territorial Air Defense Force (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
19-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript
service obligation - 18 months (6 months basic training, 12 months
civil projects) (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 9,736,757
females age 16-49: 9,590,978 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 8,317,473
females age 16-49: 8,367,005 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 375,852
female: 362,158 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
3.3% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 41
Transnational Issues ::Algeria
Disputes - international:
Algeria, and many other states, rejects Moroccan administration of
Western Sahara; the Polisario Front, exiled in Algeria, represents
the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic; Algeria's border with Morocco
remains an irritant to bilateral relations, each nation accusing the
other of harboring militants and arms smuggling; Algeria remains
concerned about armed bandits operating throughout the Sahel who
sometimes destabilize southern Algerian towns; dormant disputes
include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km still reflected on its
maps of southeastern Algeria and the FLN's assertions of a claim to
Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 90,000 (Western Saharan Sahrawi,
mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern
Algerian town of Tindouf)
IDPs: undetermined (civil war during 1990s) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Algeria is a transit country for men and women
trafficked from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe for the purposes of
commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude; Algerian
children are trafficked internally for the purpose of domestic
servitude or street vending
tier rating: Tier 3 - Algeria did not report any serious law
enforcement actions to punish traffickers who force women into
commercial sexual exploitation or men into involuntary servitude in
2007; the government again reported no investigations of trafficking
of children for domestic servitude or improvements in protection
services available to victims of trafficking; Algeria still lacks
victim protection services, and its failure to distinguish between
trafficking and illegal migration may result in the punishment of
victims of trafficking (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@American Samoa (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::American Samoa
Background:
Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was "discovered" by European
explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in the latter
half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in which
Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US formally
occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern islands with the
excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year.
Geography ::American Samoa
Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way
between Hawaii and New Zealand
Geographic coordinates:
14 20 S, 170 00 W