ABSTRACT
Most political analyses of Algeria are limited to the country’s northern regions. This is not at all surprising, considering that the vast bulk of the country’s population, some 95 per cent, is located to the north of a line running roughly from around El Oued in the east to around Bechar in the west. Nevertheless, even though the country’s extreme south is of little demographic significance, it should not be ignored for it is likely to play an increasingly important strategic and political role in the country’s future.
