BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Algeria is situated in northwestern Africa with its northern coastline running along the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered on the east by Tunisia and Libya, in the south by Niger, Mali and Mauritania, and on the west by Morocco and Western Sahara.

    Algeria has a territory of 2.38 million square km and its capital is Algiers.

    Its 33.2-million population is predominantly Arab and about 20 percent are Berbers. The country's official language is Arabic and its national religion is Islam.

    Algeria's economy ranks third in Africa, after South Africa and Egypt. It is rich in gas and oil resources, placed 15th and seventh respectively in the world. Oil and gas play a dominant role in the national economy. In 2007, Algeria's exports of the two energy resources reached 59.3 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for more than 90 percent of its total export earnings. However, the country has to rely heavily on imports for food supplies and other commodities.

    Algeria has 3.67 million hectares of forests and produces 0.2 million cubic meters of lumber each year.

    It also has rich tourism resources, with seven of its natural and cultural spots given UNESCO World Heritage site status. The country currently has more than 170 tourism spots.

    Friendly relations and cooperation between Algeria and China have progressed steadily since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1958. In 2004, the two nations announced the establishment of a strategic cooperation relationship.

    The cordial ties have effectively promoted exchanges and cooperation in many fields, including trade and commerce, with bilateral trade volume reaching 3.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2007, a surge of 83 percent from the previous year.