Algeria
Algeria (/ælˈdʒɪəriə/ (
listen) or /ɔːl-/), officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria is a North African country. It is the second biggest nation in Africa and the 10th largest world over in terms of total land area. It is situated along the Mediterranean Sea with its borders being Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Western Sahara and Morocco. It has its capital and largest city as Algiers, which is in the far north.
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria | |
|---|---|
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| Motto: | |
| Anthem: | |
.svg) Location of Algeria (dark green) | |
| Capital and largest city | Algiers 36°42′N 3°13′E / 36.700°N 3.217°E |
| Official languages | Arabic • Berber |
| Algerian Arabic (Darja) (lingua franca) French (administration, business and education)[3] Kabyle | |
| Ethnic groups |
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| Religion |
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| Demonym(s) | Algerian |
| Government | Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic |
| Abdelmadjid Tebboune | |
| Sifi Ghrieb (acting) | |
| Salah Goudjil | |
| Ibrahim Boughali | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Council of the Nation | |
| People's National Assembly | |
| Formation | |
| 960 | |
| 1014 | |
| 1235 | |
| 1515 | |
| 5 July 1830 | |
• Independence from France | 5 July 1962 |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,381,741 km2 (919,595 sq mi) (10th) |
• Water (%) | 1.1 |
| Population | |
• 2026 estimate | 48,028,334Algeria Population 2026 (Live). World Population Review. Retrieved March 20, 2026. (32nd) |
• Density | 20.2/km2 (52.3/sq mi) (171st) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2026 estimate |
• Total |  $915.8 billion[5] (35th) |
• Per capita | $15,765[5] (82nd) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2026 estimate |
• Total | $288.0 billion[5] (53rd) |
• Per capita | $4,229[5] (109th) |
| Gini (2011) | 27.6[6][7] low |
| HDI (2026) |  0.763[8]high · 96th |
| Currency | Dinar (DZD) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +213 |
| ISO 3166 code | DZ |
| Internet TLD | .dz الجزائر. |
By 2026, the population of Algeria will exceed 48 million. With fertile land in the north, the majority of the population is situated in the north and the weather is favorable. The Sahara Desert is one of the driest and hottest areas on the Earth that covers over 80% of the country in the south. The country also has the highest point, which is the mountain Tahat, which is of the height of 3,003 meters in this desert area.
Algerian history is quite long. The people of Berber (Amazigh) originally inhabited it. In the course of several centuries, it fell under the reign of various other empires, such as Romans, Arabs, and Ottoman Empire. In 1830, Algeria was overrun by France and monitored a period of more than 130 years. Algeria was finally accorded its independence on July 5, 1962 after a protracted violent war.
Algeria is presently a member of the United Nations, African union and OPEC. The Arabic and Tamazight languages are the official languages, but French is also commonly used. Virtually, all Algerians are Sunni Muslims. The economy of the country is one of the strongest in Africa, this is primarily due to the fact that it contains some of the largest reserves of natural gas and oil in the world. The government has also in the recent years been working towards expanding other sections of the economy like farming and mining.
History
People have lived in Algeria for thousands of years, which can be seen from the cave paintings at Tassili National Park that date to around 7000 BC. By 600 BC, Phoenicians were in Hippo Regius (now called Annaba), Rusicade (now Skikda), and Tipasa in the central coastal part of the country. The Romans had annexed the region by the conclusion of the Punic Wars in 146BC, with what is now modern-day Algeria staying in Roman hands until the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, after which the region was taken over by the Germanic Vandals.
Algeria would become part of the Islamic world when the first Muslim Arabs came to Algeria in the mid-7th century, resulting in many people converting to the new religion of Islam. In the 11th century, the Arab tribes of Banu Hilal and Banu Sulaym were living between Tunisia and eastern Algeria (Constantois). The famous mathematician Fibonacci (1170—1250) lived in Algeria as a teenager.[9] This is where he learned the Hindu–Arabic numeral system. Algeria was made part of the Ottoman Empire in 1517. Enslavement of black people was practiced there as it was throughout the empire.[10]
In the 1500s and 1700s, the Spanish Empire ruled a lot of Algeria. Spain was expelled from Algeria by the Ottoman Empire, who ended up controlling a region known as the Regency of Algiers, before it was attacked and taken by France in 1830, who pushed inwards into Africa, creating the modern day borders of Algeria. In 1954, the National Liberation Front (Front de Libération Nationale or FLN) wanted freedom from France. They fought a war against France to free Algeria. It became independent from France on July 5, 1962.
In 1963, Ahmed Ben Bella became the first President of Algeria.
The Algerian Civil War began in 1991 and ended in 2002. The government decided to end the state of emergency on February 24, 2011.
Geography
A large part of southern Algeria is the Sahara Desert. The Aures and Nememcha mountain ranges are in the north. The highest point is Mount Tahat (3,003 m).
Algeria borders Morocco, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Libya, Tunisia, Niger, Mali and Mauritania.
Languages
The two official languages of Algeria are Arabic and Berber.
Berber was made an official language in 2002.
Many Algerians speak French. French is considered the lingua franca of Algeria.[11][12]
Economy
Algeria has one of the largest economies in Africa. It is projected to have a total wealth (GDP) of approximately $288 billion in 2026. The role of government in the process of money-making and expenditure in the country is very great.
The Algerian economy relies primarily on fossil fuels.
- Oil and Gas: These constitute nearly 90 percent of everything that Algeria exports to other nations. Algeria is the 10th largest in the world in natural gas reserves.
- Mining: There is also plenty of iron ore, phosphates and zinc in this country. Gara Djebilet is a big project that the government is undertaking to extract more iron.
Despite the fact that a large portion of Algeria is desert, agriculture also plays a significant role in the economy.
- Crops: The farmers cultivate wheat, barley, potatoes and dates. Algeria is ranked among the largest date producers in the world.
- Livestock: In rural areas, livestock are kept by many in the form of sheep and goats.
- Imports: Due to the lack of sufficient rainfall to produce all food the country requires, there is a high demand that Algeria imports a lot of wheat and milk.
Since the prices of oil and gas fluctuate frequently, the government is attempting to diversify the other areas of the economy. This is referred to as diversification.
- Solar Power: The Sahara Desert receives abundant amount of sunlight and therefore Algeria is constructing large solar energy plants to generate electricity.
- Manufacturing: The nation is producing more of their own automobiles, garments and medicines such that they do not need to purchase them in other countries.
- Trade: The majority of Algerian products are sold to Italy, France, and Spain. It also purchases most of its products in China.
- Currency: The currency is Algerian Dinar.
- Work: A great number of individuals are employed by the government or in oil industry. The country, however, continues to face a challenge in employment of the young people.
Population
Algeria's population is about 45 million people. There are over 40 cities with more than 100,000 people. The three biggest cities are Algiers, Oran and Boumerdès, as of 2025[13]
Islam is the country's main religion. 99% of Algerians are Muslims, most likely due to the Ummayad Caliphate's (Khalifa) conquest of North Africa .
Algeria used to have one of the oldest and largest Jewish communities in the world. Jews have been in the country since the first century. Now less then 200 Jews live in the country because of harassment by Muslims after the creation of Israel on Palestinian lands.[14]
Politics
The Parliament of Algeria is made up of two chambers:[15]
Provinces
There are 58 provinces in Algeria. In 2019, the number of provinces was changed from 48 to 58. The provinces are:
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UNESCO World Heritage Sites
There are several UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Algeria[16] including Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad, the first capital of the Hammadid empire; Tipasa, a Phoenician and later Roman town; and Djémila and Timgad, both Roman ruins; M'Zab Valley, a limestone valley containing a large urbanized oasis; also the Casbah of Algiers is an important citadel. The only natural World Heritage Sites is the Tassili n'Ajjer, a mountain range.
Algeria Media
National anthem of Algeria, by the U.S. Navy Band
"Algeria" page in the Civitates Orbis Terrarium of 1575
Roman ruins at Djémila
The Arch of Trajan in the Roman ruins of Timgad
Masinissa (c. 238–148 BC), first king of Numidia
The lands which make up modern-day Algeria were part of Byzantine North Africa. Image shows the empire in 555 under Justinian the Great, at its greatest extent since the fall of the Western Roman Empire (vassals in pink).
Roman inscription from Agueneb in the province of Laghouat
Territories controlled by the Maghrawa
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References
- ↑ Constitution of Algeria, Art. 11El-mouradia.dz. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ↑ Constitution of Algeria; Art. 11 (28 November 1996)Apn-dz.org. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 The World Factbook – Algeria (4 December 2013)Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
- ↑ Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook (8 February 2020)Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 World Economic Outlook Database. IMF.orgInternational Monetary Fund. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ↑ Distribution of Family Income – Gini Index. The World FactbookCentral Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 1 September 2009.
- ↑ GINI index (World Bank estimate). data.worldbank.orgWorld Bank. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ↑ Human Development Report 2025: Statistical Annex (2025)United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ↑ Fibonacci - Biography.
- ↑ Loualich, Fatiha. The Emancipated Slaves Faced with the Jurisdiction of Algiers in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (in en). Oriente Moderno 93 (2) (2013-01-01). p. 547–560. doi:10.1163/22138617-12340032.
- ↑ Algeria (in en). The World Factbook (2022-02-11)Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
- ↑ Language Variation in Algeria.
- ↑ Algeria Cities by Population 2025 (in en). World Population Review (2025-12-18). Retrieved 2026-01-05.
- ↑ "Jews of Algeria". Jewish Virtual Library. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jews-of-algeria. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ↑ Embassy of Algeria in Iran - Political Institution - The National People's Assembly. algeriaemb.ir. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
- ↑ UNESCO. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
Notes
- ↑ The CIA World Factbook states that about 15% of Algerians, a minority, identify as Berber even though many Algerians have Berber origins. The Factbook explains that of the approximately 15% who identify as Berber, most live in the Kabylia region, more closely identify with Berber heritage instead of Arab heritage, and are Muslim.
Other websites
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