Albania

• Algeria, country in northwestern Africa that borders the Mediterranean Sea, officially known as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria.

• Algeria is the second largest country on the African continent.

• Only Sudan covers more area.

• The Sahara, a vast desert, spreads over nine-tenths of the country.

• Coastal plains lie near the Mediterranean, separated by mountains from the Sahara.

• The overwhelming majority of Algeria’s people live in the northern part of the country, near the coast.

• Algiers, along the Mediterranean coast, is the country’s capital and largest city.

• Algeria’s name in Arabic, al-Jazā’ir (“the islands”), refers to small islands lying off the coast near the capital.

Algeria Facts and Figures

Basic Facts
Official name
Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria
Capital	Algiers
Area	2,381,741 sq km
	919,595 sq mi
People
Population	32,531,853 (2005 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate	1.22 percent (2005 estimate)
Projected population in 2025	40,254,833 (2005 estimate)
Projected population in 2050	43,983,870 (2005 estimate)
Population density	14 persons per sq km (2005 estimate)
	35 persons per sq mi (2005 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban	59 percent (2003 estimate)
Share rural	41 percent (2003 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Algiers	1,519,570 (1998)
Oran	655,852 (1998)
Constantine	462,187 (1998)