Algeria Geography

What is the terrain and geography like in Algeria?

Overview

Algeria, the second-largest Arab/African country after Sudan, is nearly one-third the size of the continental U.S. It is situated on the Mediterranean coast of Africa about midway between Tangier and Tunis, opposite Majorca.

Its geography is a contrast with the mountainous, fertile terrain of the north and the great expanse of arid desert in the south. Ninety percent of the population lives on the fertile coastal strip that extends about 50 miles inland and stretches about 950 miles from Morocco in the west to Tunisia in the east. Algiers, Oran, and Annaba are located in this area along the coast.

South of this coastal plain rises the beautifully rugged hills and mountains of the Kabylie and the Aures. Behind the mountains lies the high plateau, a semiarid rangeland. Beyond, about 200 miles inland, is the vast Sahara Desert, which comprises 90% of the country.

From the sea, Algiers is a spectacular sight, rising sharply from the port area and business district to the residential areas along tree-covered hills. In sunlight, the white buildings of "Alger la Blanche" gleam against the blue Mediterranean below and the green pines above.

Architecturally, the city is European with a strong Mediterranean flavor. The Casbah, an ancient, congested quarter in the heart of the city, contains most of what remains of the Turkish city of the 16th-18th centuries.

Geography - note

The largest country in Africa

Algeria Use of Natural Resources

Geographic Location	Africa
Total Area	919,590 Square Miles 2,381,741 Square Kilometers
Land Area	919,590 Square Miles 2,381,741 Square Kilometers
Land Boundaries	3,941 Miles 6,343 Kilometers
Irrigated Land	2,198 Square Miles 5,694 Square Kilometers
Border Countries	Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km
Coastline	620 Miles 998 Kilometers
Geographic Coordinates	28 00 N, 3 00 E
Terrain	Mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Highest Point	3,003 Meters
Highest Point Location	Tahat 3,003 m
Lowest Point	-40 Meters
Lowest Point Location	Chott Melrhir -40 m
Natural Resources	Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
Time Zone	UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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