Algeria

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

Political map of Algeria showing its national boundaries with neighboring countries, major cities including Algiers, Oran, and Constantine, and key geographic features such as the Mediterranean coastline and the Touat Oases. An inset locator map highlights Algeria's position in northern Africa.

Map highlighting Algeria in North Africa, shaded in tan, with surrounding countries labeled, including Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, and Western Sahara. The Mediterranean Sea borders Algeria to the north, and the capital city, Algiers, is marked near the northern coast.

Tall, narrow minaret of the mosque at Ghardaia rises above clustered, earth-toned buildings in the M'zab oasis, central Algeria, with palm trees in the foreground.

Aerial view of Algiers, Algeria, showing city buildings, a harbor with ships, and the coastline curving along the blue Mediterranean Sea.

Physical map of Algeria highlighting major landforms such as the Tell Atlas and Saharan Atlas mountain ranges in the north, the vast Sahara Desert regions including the Great Western Erg and Great Eastern Erg, the Hoggar Mountains with Mount Tahat, and key plateaus and oases. Neighboring countries and the Mediterranean Sea are labeled, and an inset locator map shows Algeria's position within northern Africa.

At a Glance

Algeria summary

Algeria

country, Africa

Also known as: Al-Jumhūriyyah al-Jazāʾiriyyah al-Dīmuqrāṭiyyah al-Shaʿbiyyah, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria(Show More)

Written by

L. Carl BrownAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 10, 2026 •History

Algeria, large, predominantly Muslim country of North Africa. From the Mediterranean coast, along which most of its people live, Algeria extends southward deep into the heart of the Sahara, a forbidding desert where Earth’s hottest surface temperatures have been recorded and which constitutes more than four-fifths of the country’s area. The Sahara and its extreme climate dominate the country. The contemporary Algerian novelist Assia Djebar has highlighted the environs, calling her country “a dream of...

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