Economy, Transportation

The rail and road systems mainly serve the northern third of the country. Five railroad lines run to the northern edge of the Sahara, and roads link the Sahara oil fields to the coast. In 1999 Algeria had 3,973 km (2,469 mi) of railroad track and 104,000 km (64,623 mi) of roads, of which two-thirds was paved. Algeria’s segment of a trans-Saharan highway, extending from the Mediterranean coast past Tamanrasset to the Niger border, was completed in 1985. The state-owned Air Algerie and the privately owned Khalifa Airways provide domestic and international air service.