Ancient Nile Valley States of Africa

By 3500 BC the favorable wet phase was coming to an end and the Saharan steppe again gave way to full desert. As the desert expanded, herders and cultivators concentrated in areas of perennial water sources, notably the Nile Valley. In what is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt, the north-flowing Nile forms a great S-shaped curve and passes through six cataracts (rapids or waterfalls), which are numbered from north to south. In this area, known as Nubia, the concentration of settlements between the first and fourth cataracts prompted the clearing of riverside vegetation and exposure of the fertile floodplain. Large-scale projects such as this required communal labor and, consequently, the development of political and religious authority capable of commanding large workforces. Clan chiefs became kings, with each king acting as the guardian of his kingdom’s god.

 

Algeria Facts and Figures

Algeria Facts and Figures

Basic Facts
Official name
Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria
Capital

Algiers

Area

2,381,741 sq km

919,595 sq mi

People
Population

33,739,635 (2008 estimate)

Population growth
Population growth rate

1.21 percent (2008 estimate)

Projected population in 2025

40,254,833 (2025 estimate)

Projected population in 2050

43,983,870 (2050 estimate)

Population density

14 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)

37 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)

Urban/rural distribution
Share urban

60 percent (2005 estimate)

Share rural

40 percent (2005 estimate)

Largest cities, with population
Algiers

3,060,000 (2003 estimate)

Oran

655,852 (1998)

Constantine

462,187 (1998)

Ethnic groups
Arab

83 percent

Berber

16 percent

European

Less than 1 percent

Languages
Arabic (official), Tamazight, Berber dialects, French
Religious affiliations
Muslim (Islam is the official religion)

96 percent

Nonreligious

3 percent

Christian, Jewish, and other

1 percent

Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total

73.8 years (2008 estimate)

Female

75.5 years (2008 estimate)

Male

72.1 years (2008 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

28 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)

Population per physician

1,182 people (2004)

Population per hospital bed

476 people (1998)

Literacy rate
Total

72.2 percent (2005 estimate)

Female

63.6 percent (2005 estimate)

Male

80.6 percent (2005 estimate)

Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP)

5.1 percent (1996)

Number of years of compulsory schooling

9 years (2002-2003)

Number of students per teacher, primary school

28 students per teacher (2002-2003)

Government
Form of government

Republic

Voting qualifications

Universal at age 18

Constitution
19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 1988, 1989, 1996, 2002
Armed forces
Total number of military personnel

137,500 (2004)

Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP)

3.4 percent (2003)

Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$)

$115 billion (2006)

GDP per capita (U.S.$)

$3,440 (2006)

GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing

8.5 percent (2005)

Industry

61.5 percent (2005)

Services

30.1 percent (2005)

Employment
Number of workers

13,887,214 (2006)

Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing

21 percent (2004)

Industry

26 percent (2004)

Services

53 percent (2004)

Unemployment rate

20.1 percent (2004)

National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue

$49.76 billion (2006)

Total expenditure

$20.21 billion (2006)

Monetary unit

1 Algerian dinar (AD) , consisting of 100 centimes

Major trade partners for exports
Italy, United States, France, Spain, Netherlands
Major trade partners for imports
France, United States, Italy, Germany, Spain
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources

99.83 percent (2003 estimate)

Electricity from hydroelectric sources

0.17 percent (2003 estimate)

Electricity from nuclear sources

0 percent (2003 estimate)

Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources

0 percent (2003 estimate)

Number of radios per 1,000 people

242 (1997)

Number of telephones per 1,000 people

78 (2005)

Number of televisions per 1,000 people

107 (2000 estimate)

Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people

0.27 (2003)

Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people

27 (1998)

Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people

53 (1997)

Paved road as a share of total roads

70 percent (2004)

Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

Alberta Facts and Figures

Alberta Facts and Figures

General Information
Capital

Edmonton

Entry into federation

September 1, 1905

Provincial motto

Fortis et liber

(Strong and free)

Abbreviation

AB

Land
Total area

661,848 sq km

255,541 sq mi

Rank among provinces and territories in total area

6th

Land area

642,317 sq km

248,000 sq mi

Highest point

Mount Columbia

3,747 m/12,293 ft

Forested land as a share of land area

57 percent

People
Population

3,474,000 (2007 estimate)

Rank among provinces and territories in population

4th

Population growth rate

1.6 percent (2004-2005)

Population density

5.1 persons per sq km (2006 estimate)

13.3 persons per sq mi (2006 estimate)

Urbanization

81 percent (2001)

Largest cities (by population)
Calgary

988,193 (2006)

Edmonton

730,372 (2006)

Red Deer

82,772 (2006)

Lethbridge

74,637 (2006)

Medicine Hat

56,997 (2006)

Language groups
Speakers of English

88.8 percent (2006)

Speakers of French

0.6 percent (2006)

Speakers of English and French

6.9 percent (2001)

Speakers of other languages

1.1 percent (2001)

Health and Education
Life expectancy

80.3 years (2005 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

7 deaths per 1,000 live births (2005 estimate)

Health-care expenditure per capita

4,275 Canadian dollars (2004 estimate)

Adult population with high school diploma

83 percent (2001 estimate)

Government
Provincial government
Premier

Ed Stelmach

Legislature

Legislative Assembly

83 members

National representation
Members of the Canadian Senate

6

Members of the Canadian House of Commons

26

Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in Canadian dollars)

C$240 billion (2006)

Income per capita

C$32,603 (2001 estimate)

GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

2.6 percent (2004)

Industry
Construction

8.3 percent (2004)

Manufacturing

9.9 percent (2004)

Mining

16.4 percent (2004)

Transportation and utilities

7.9 percent (2004)

Services
Finance, insurance, and real estate

17.3 percent (2004)

Government

4.1 percent (2004)

Retail trade

5.2 percent (2004)

Wholesale trade

5.2 percent (2004)

Other services

23.1 percent (2004)

Employment
Number of workers

1,875,500 (2006)

Unemployment rate

3.5 percent (2006)

Source
Statistics Canada (www.statcan.ca)