Algeria: Information
09-10-2026
Algeria: Comprehensive Overview, Geography, and Key Facts
Algeria, officially the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, is the largest country in Africa and the tenth largest in the world by land area, situated in the Maghreb region of North Africa.
Geography and Climate
Location: Bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Tunisia to the northeast, Libya to the east, Niger to the southeast, Mali and Mauritania to the southwest, and Western Sahara and Morocco to the west.
Total Area: Approximately 2,381,741 square kilometers (919,595 square miles).
Landscape: Divided primarily into the fertile coastal plains and Tell Atlas mountains in the north, the High Plateaus, and the vast Sahara Desert covering more than 80% of the territory to the south.
Climate: Mediterranean along the coastal strip with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers; arid to hyper-arid across the southern desert expanses.
Demographics and Culture
Capital and Largest City: Algiers.
Official Languages: Arabic and Tamazight (Berber). French serves extensively as an administrative and commercial lingua franca.
Population: Predominantly Arab-Berber, with Islam (principally Sunni) serving as the state religion.
Heritage: Home to numerous UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the ancient Roman ruins of Timgad and Tipasa, the M’Zab Valley, and the rock art of Tassili n’Ajjer.
Economy and Governance
Economic Base: Heavily anchored by the energy sector; Algeria is one of Africa’s leading producers and exporters of natural gas and petroleum.
Currency: Algerian Dinar (DZD).
Government: Semi-presidential republic.