Factbook
Histoire de Algérie — Chronologie
Dates clés de l'histoire de Algérie, d'après le Factbook Magna et l'Encyclopédie universelle.
1500Under the Turks, the Barbary pirates operated from North Africa and preyed on shipping, from about 1500 until the French captured Algiers in 1830.
1954Algeria's long-dominant political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), was established in 1954 as part of the struggle for independence and has since played a large role in politics, though it is falling out of favor with the youth and current President Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE.
1962A bloody eight-year struggle culminated in Algerian independence in 1962.
1988The Government of Algeria in 1988 instituted a multi-party system in response to public unrest, but the surprising first-round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the 1991 legislative election led the Algerian military 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.
1992An army crackdown on the FIS escalated into an FIS insurgency and intense violence from 1992-98 that resulted in over 100,000 deaths, many of which were attributed to extremist groups massacring villagers.
1999In 1999, Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA won the presidency with the backing of the military, in an election that was boycotted by several candidates protesting alleged fraud.
2000The government gained the upper hand by the late 1990s, and FIS’s armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in 2000.
2004He won subsequent elections in 2004, 2009, and 2014.
2012Languages: Arabic (official), French (lingua franca), Tamazight (official) (dialects include Kabyle (Taqbaylit), Shawiya (Tacawit), Mzab, Tuareg (Tamahaq)) Religions: Muslim (official; predominantly Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Ahmadi Muslim, Shia Muslim, Ibadi Muslim) <1% (2012 est.) Urban population: 75.3% of total population (2023).
2019BOUTEFLIKA resigned in April 2019, and in December 2019, Algerians elected former Prime Minister Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE as the country’s new president.
2019Widespread protests against his decision to seek a fifth term broke out in early 2019.
2020In 2020, Algeria held a constitutional referendum on governmental reforms, which TEBBOUNE enacted in 2021.
2021The new law also eliminated gender quotas in Parliament, and the 2021 legislative elections saw female representation plummet.
2022Major urban areas: 2.902 million ALGIERS (capital), 936,000 Oran (2022) suffering oil and gas economy; lack of sector and market diversification; political instability chilling domestic consumption; poor credit access and declines in business confidence; COVID-19 austerity policies; delayed promised socio-economic reforms Inflation: 4% (2024 est.).
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 98.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 0.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 61.843 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing Agriculture: potatoes, watermelons, wheat, milk, onions, tomatoes, vegetables, oranges, dates, barley (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2024Military spending: 8% of GDP (2024 est.).
2025Population: 47.7 million (2025 estimate).
