Algeria
Algiers · North Africa
Algeria is a country in Africa. Its capital city is Algiers, the official currency is the Algerian Dinar, and the main language is Arabic.
With a population of roughly 45.6 million people spread over 2,381,741 km², Algeria is the 34th most populous country in the world and the 10th largest by area. That works out at about 19 people per square kilometre.
Algeria shares land borders with Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Mali and Mauritania — 6 neighbours in all. Its largest urban centres are Algiers, Oran and Constantine. The highest point in the country is Mount Tahat, at 2,908 metres.
For scale, it covers almost exactly the same area as DR Congo, while its population is closest to that of Iraq.
- Capital
- Algiers
- Region
- North Africa
- Population
- 45,600,000
- Area
- 2,381,741 km²
- Currency
- Algerian Dinar
- Main language
- Arabic
- Highest point
- Mount Tahat
2,908 m - Land borders
- 6
Algeria: things worth knowing
- Algeria is the largest country in Africa, a title it took from Sudan when South Sudan separated in 2011.
- About four fifths of its territory is Sahara, so nearly the whole population lives on the northern coastal strip.
- The Tassili n'Ajjer plateau holds thousands of prehistoric rock paintings showing a once-green Sahara.
Algeria in context
Africa has 54 sovereign countries in total. Algeria ranks 10th among them by population.
See the full list of Africa countries, or browse all 195 countries.