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Abdelaziz Bouteflika is the president of Algeria.

Geography: In Northern Africa, Algeria is a country that is ⅘ desert, and it’s the biggest country in Africa. 90% of the people in Algeria live in the fertile land near the Mediterranean, only about 3% of the country. They’re massively impacted by desertification.

Economy: Most of Algeria’s wealth comes from oil and natural gas. Farming really has nothing to do with their economy because of the desertification, and awful droughts, along with lack of machinery. Algeria is only able to produce 25% of the food that it needs.

Population: 34,895,470

Social Structure: The majority of Algerians are poor, and the ones that are better off are mostly Arab and well educated. The rich Algerians look down upon the Berbers (the other ethnic group that takes up about 20% of the population) and people of other dialects.

About Abdelaziz Bouteflika: 73 years old, he was a veteran in Algeria’s war for independence from France. After that, he served as the country’s foreign minister for about 16 years. In 1999, he won the election for president of Algeria, with the Algerian army backing him. Highly credited for restoring peace to the country. He rules the National Liberation Front.

Safety And Rule of Law: 54. He has helped to end a lot of conflict and make things safer for those living in Algeria. He may be a dictator, but a democracy is possibility in the near future. He also maintains a very nice, powerful army, and the army has always supported him.

Participation and Human Rights: 37. In October 1988, he signed a protest that went against government troops mistreating protesters. He’s also been a big advocate of peace, especially when it came to getting their independence from France.

Sustainable Economic Opportunity: 55. Oil and gas are often found in the country, so the money could be used to drill for oil and natural gas. Capitalizing on these would greatly support the economy. He created the Complementary Plan for Economic Growth Support in order to create millions of jobs.

Human Development: 75. He is trying to end desertification by planting pine trees, that way more than 3% of the land is habitable, making more money, allowing Algeria to further advance in their technology. He has also worked on creating peace with other African countries, specifically South Africa, and supports the African Union.

Friends: Abbasi al-Madani,Abdelaziz Belkhadem, Nguyen Minh Triet, South Africa

Foes: al-Qaida

[|__http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3614509.stm__]

[|__http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2045407_2045416_2045449,00.html__]

[|__http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/790556.stm__]

[|__http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/8005.htm__]

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