Algeria, officially the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in North Africa. Algeria is bordered to the northeast by Tunisia; to the east by Libya; to the southeast by Niger; to the southwest by Mali, Mauritania, and Western Sahara; to the west by Morocco; and to the north by the Mediterranean Sea. It is considered to be a part of the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has a semi-arid geography, with most of the population living in the fertile north and the Sahara dominating the geography of the south. Algeria covers an area of 2,381,741 square kilometres (919,595 sq mi), making it the world’s tenth largest nation by area, and the largest nation in Africa, being more than 200 times as large as the smallest country in the continent, The Gambia. With a population of 44 million, Algeria is the ninth-most populous country in Africa, and the 32nd-most populous country in the world. The capital and largest city is Algiers, located in the far north on the Mediterranean coast.
Countries
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of the South Caucasus region, and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia (Republic of Dagestan) to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Türkiye to the west, and Iran to the south. Baku is the capital and largest city.
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula and shares borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, while having maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran. Abu Dhabi is the nation’s capital, while Dubai, the most populous city, is an international hub.
Aruba
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. The island was previously called Iyonola, the name given to the island by the native Arawaks, and later Hewanorra, the name given by the native Caribs, two separate Amerindian peoples. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique.
Syria
The ongoing conflict in Syria continues to disrupt its telecommunications services. Frequent internet blackouts and reduced mobile network coverage persist due to significant damage to infrastructure from the war. Despite some recent improvements, a substantial portion of the population remains offline. As of early 2024, approximately 15.28 million Syrians, or 64.2% of the population, did not use or have access to the internet.
Internet governance
The country’s socio-political environment has significantly hindered Syria’s involvement in developing a digital ecosystem. The ongoing conflict and political instability have impeded the establishment of coherent and effective digital policies. This situation limits the country’s ability to harness digital technologies for economic and social development, leaving it behind in the global digital transformation.
Before the civil war, Syrian stakeholders were active participants in various internet governance forums and initiatives at the regional and global levels.
Digital strategies
The 2020-2030 Syria Strategic Plan (National Development Program for Post-War Syria) included a list of the key conclusions and objectives reached at the analysis stage of Syria’s development situation between 2018 and 2020 and outlined the 2030 vision and objectives based on a knowledge-based diversified economy through sustainable development. The strategic objectives include ‘the use of ICT to raise competitiveness, effectiveness, and productivity in institutions and for individuals’ and ‘the provision of digital content and online interactive education (electronic school)’.
Cybersecurity
Despite the conflict, online anonymity and privacy tools like VPNs remain legal and accessible in Syria. The government does not block VPN services or similar privacy-enhancing technologies, which contrasts with stricter controls seen in some other Middle Eastern nations. This openness allows some level of digital privacy and security for its citizens, though overall cybersecurity awareness and government policies on digital security are lacking.
On 18 April 2022, Syria issued Law No. 20 of 2022, relative to cybercrime. The law provides for reorganising criminal legal rules governing digital crime, which is included in Legislative Decree No. 17 of 2012.
Article 1 of Law No. 20 broadened the scope of cybercrime definition, bringing under its mantel all forms and patterns of shared digital content, including posts and footage uploaded onto social media. The law comprises 50 articles which aim to re-establish new criminal legal principles for the concept of cybercrime, previously encompassed by Law No. 17 of 2012, known as the Law of Network Communication against Cybercrime.
Syria has an officially recognised National CRRT, which is part of the National Agency for Network Service (NANS).
AI strategies and policies
Syria does not have AI strategies and policies.
Syria’s position on the AI Readiness Index at 193rd place, just above North Korea, underscores its challenging circumstances for AI development. The country’s ongoing socio-political issues have greatly impeded its ability to engage with and implement AI technologies, placing it at a severe disadvantage in the global landscape of digital innovation and AI readiness. This ranking highlights the significant barriers Syria faces in integrating advanced technologies into its development strategies.
Taiwan
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is a sovereign country in the West Indies. It lies at the juncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Leeward Islands part of the Lesser Antilles, at 17°N latitude. The country consists of two major islands, Antigua and Barbuda, approximately 40 km. (25 mi.) apart; and several smaller islands, including Great Bird, Green, Guiana, Long, Maiden, Prickly Pear, York Islands, and Redonda. The permanent population is approximately 97,120 (2019 est.), with 97% residing in Antigua. St. John’s, in Antigua, is the country’s capital, major city, and largest port. Codrington is Barbuda’s largest town.
Bahrain
Bahrain is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centred on Bahrain Island, which makes up around 83 percent of the country’s landmass. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi), and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore. The capital and largest city is Manama.
Bahamas
The Bahamas, is a country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago’s land area and is home to 88% of the archipelago’s population. The archipelagic state consists of more than 3,000 islands, cays, and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, and is located north of Cuba and northwest of the island of Hispaniola (split between Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and the Turks and Caicos Islands, southeast of the US state of Florida, and east of the Florida Keys. The capital is Nassau on the island of New Providence.