Algeria

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
  - The Tell
  - The Sahara
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic groups
- Languages
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Resources and power
  - Hydrocarbons
  - Mining
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Trade
- Services
- Labour and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Cultural milieu
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- French Algeria
  - The conquest of Algeria
  - Colonial rule
  - Nationalist movements
- World War II and the movement for independence
- The Algerian War of Independence
- Independent Algeria
  - From Ben Bella to Boumedienne
  - Bendjedid’s move toward democracy
  - Civil war: the Islamists versus the army
    - Army prevents Islamist election victories
    - Constitutional referendum and the election of Abdelaziz Bouteflika
  - Presidency of Abdelaziz Bouteflika
    - End to the civil war and amnesty for peace
    - Opposition, reform, and continued corruption
      Bouteflika’s third term and the Arab Spring protests of 2011
      Bouteflika’s fourth term, though he had suffered a stroke
  - Anti-government protests and the presidency of Abdelmadjid Tebboune
    - Resignation of Bouteflika
    - Continued protests
    - Election of Abdelmadjid Tebboune and the 2020 constitution
  - Foreign relations
    - Relations in North Africa
    - Relations with Europe

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

Ghardaïa, Algeria

Algiers, Algeria

Fort Mers-el-Kebir, Oran, Algeria

Physical features of Algeria

Algeria: Ethnic composition

Algeria: Religious affiliation

For Students

Algeria summary

Algeria: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Jul 08, 2025

News •

A French writer and a journalist are likely excluded from pardon measures granted by Algerian president • July 6, 2025, 4:48 AM ET (Le Monde)

French writer jailed in Algeria won't appeal • July 6, 2025, 4:01 AM ET (Le Monde)

French sports journalist Christophe Gleizes imprisoned in Algeria: 'If we weren't so sad and devastated, we would laugh' • July 5, 2025, 11:47 PM ET (Le Monde)

SPORTS BRIEFS • July 5, 2025, 2:36 AM ET (Taipei Times)

Algerian court upholds writer's 5-year sentence in a case that’s strained ties with France • July 1, 2025, 8:22 AM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	Al-Jumhūriyyah al-Jazāʾiriyyah al-Dīmuqrāṭiyyah al-Shaʿbiyyah • People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
Head Of State And Government	President: Abdelmadjid Tebboune, assisted by Prime Minister: Nadir Larbaoui
Capital	Algiers
Population	(2025 est.) 47,803,000
Form Of Government	multiparty republic with two legislative houses (Council of the Nation [144¹]; National People’s Assembly [462])
Official Languages	Arabic; Amazigh
Official Religion	Islam
Official Name	Al-Jumhūriyyah al-Jazāʾiriyyah al-Dīmuqrāṭiyyah al-Shaʿbiyyah (Arabic) (People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria)
Total Area (Sq Km)	2,381,741
Total Area (Sq Mi)	919,684
Monetary Unit	Algerian dinar (DA)
Population Rank	(2025) 32
Population Projection 2030	49,373,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2025) 52
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2025) 20.1
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2024) 75.7% • Rural: (2024) 24.3%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2018) 77.1 years • Female: (2018) 78.4 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2018) 87% • Female: (2019) 74%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2023) 228,481
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 4,950
¹Includes 48 nonelected seats.

Photos and Videos

Ghardaïa, Algeria

Algiers, Algeria

Fort Mers-el-Kebir, Oran, Algeria

Physical features of Algeria

Ahaggar plateau

Atlas Mountains

Physiography of the Sahara.

See how Allied commanders Eisenhower and Montgomery trapped Rommel to end Axis North Africa campaigns

National anthem of Algeria

See All Videos, Images, Audio and Interactives →

Topics

ʿAbd al-Wādid Dynasty nation-state OPEC Arab League Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa Organization of the Islamic Cooperation Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries Operation Torch Association of Algerian Muslim Ulama flag of Algeria United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle

president of France

Abdelkader

Abdelkader

Algerian leader

Ahmed Ben Bella

Ahmed Ben Bella

president of Algeria

Bouteflika, Abdelaziz

Abdelaziz Bouteflika

president of Algeria

Jacques Soustelle

French anthropologist and politician

Ferhat Abbas

Ferhat Abbas

president of Algeria

Lakhdar Brahimi

Algerian diplomat

Liamine Zeroual

president of Algeria

Georges Bidault

prime minister of France

Frantz Fanon

West Indian psychoanalyst and philosopher

Charles-Denis-Sauter Bourbaki

French general

Hanotaux, detail of an engraving by Dujardin after a portrait by Benjamin Constant

Gabriel Hanotaux

French statesman and historian

Raoul Salan

French general

Jean-Baptiste Drouet, count d’Erlon

French marshal

Houari Boumedienne

president of Algeria

Thomas-Robert Bugeaud, duke d’Isly

marshal of France

Abdelaziz Belkhadem

prime minister of Algeria

Crémieux, lithograph by L.-E. Coedès

Adolphe Crémieux

French politician

Christophe-Louis-Leon Juchault de Lamoricière

French general

Clauzel, lithograph by A.-L. Lemercier after a portrait by A. Maurin

Bertrand, Count Clauzel

marshal of France

A map of the continent of Africa, including its countries, boundaries, and capital cities. It also shows parts of Europe and Asia and surrounding bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean.

Africa

continent

North Africa

North Africa

region, Africa

Algiers

Algiers

national capital, Algeria

Oran

Oran

Algeria

Constantine, Algeria

Constantine

Algeria

Kabylie

region, Algeria

Middle East

Middle East

region, Asia, Africa, and Europe

Tipasa, Algeria

Tipasa

Algeria

Tlemcen, Algeria

Tlemcen

Algeria

Annaba

Annaba

Algeria

Biskra

Algeria

Tamanrasset

Algeria

Date-palm grove, Béchar, Algeria.

Béchar

Algeria

Bejaïa

Algeria

Saïda

Algeria

Actual continental drift of plates. Thematic map.

Geography Fun Facts

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Countries of the World

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Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz

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Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz

Mount Kenya in Mount Kenya National Park is the highest mountain in Africa. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Giant Lobelia in foreground. (Mt. Kenya; Mt. Kenya National Park; mountains; rugged mountain; African geography, African landscape, stratovolcano)

Africa’s Physical Features

7:023 Geography: Think of Something Big, globe showing Africa, Europe, and Eurasia

Which Country Is Larger By Area? Quiz

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Countries & Their Features

Church of Saint George (Bet Giyorgis), Lalibela, Ethiopia. UNESCO World Heritage site.

Geography of Africa Quiz

10:087 Ocean: The World of Water, two globes showing eastern and western hemispheres

You Name It!

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The Country Quiz

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Which Country Is Larger By Population? Quiz

Tomb of Mohammed Bin Ali, Salalah, Oman.

A View of the Middle East

The President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano at the Quirinale Palace (cropped out), shakes hands with the President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, Rome, Oct. 17, 2009. egypt protests 2011, protests in egypt 2011

Before They Were World Leaders: Middle East Edition

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Which Country Is Larger? Quiz