Population density: 13/km² (35/mi²)

Main languages spoken: Arabic, Tamazight (Kabyle, Shawia, Tamashek), French

The population is predominantly Arab, under 30 years of age, and urban; around a quarter are Berber. More than 85% speak Arabic and 99% are Sunni Muslim. Mosques also provide social and medical services. Of the million or so French who settled in Algeria before independence, only about 6000 remain. Most Berbers consider the mountainous Kabylia region their homeland. Protests there have met with violent police crackdowns, particularly in the Berber Spring of 1980, and since its anniversary in 2001. The Berber language, Tamazight, was recognized as a "national," though not official, language in 2002.

THE URBAN/RURAL POPULATION SPLIT

RELIGIOUS PERSUASION

ETHNIC MAKEUP

POPULATION AGE BREAKDOWN

From "The Financial Times World Desk Reference" © Dorling Kindersley 2004