Algeria

Location

• Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
• largest country in Africa but 80% desert; canyons and caves in the southern Hoggar Mountains and in the barren Tassili n'Ajjer area in the southeast of the country contain numerous examples of prehistoric art -- rock paintings and carvings depicting human activities and wild and domestic animals (elephants, giraffes, cattle) -- that date to the African Humid Period, roughly 5,000 to 11,000 years ago, when the region was completely vegetated

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Algiers	2,364,230	Capital
Oran	803,329
Constantine	448,028
Annaba	342,703
Blida	331,779
Batna City	289,504
Bab Ezzouar	275,630
Djelfa	265,833
Sétif	252,127
Sidi Bel Abbes	210,146

Size

• 919,590 square miles
• 2,381,740 square kilometers
• slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas

History

Algeria has known many empires and dynasties, including the ancient Numidians (3rd century B.C.), Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, over a dozen different Arab and Amazigh dynasties, Spaniards, and Ottoman Turks. Under the Turks, the Barbary pirates operated from North Africa and preyed on shipping, from about 1500 until the French captured Algiers in 1830. The French southward conquest of Algeria proceeded throughout the 19th century and was marked by many atrocities. A bloody eight-year struggle culminated in Algerian independence in 1962. Algeria's long-dominant political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), was established in 1954 as part of the struggle for independence and has since played a large role in politics, though it is falling out of favor with the youth and current President Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE. The Government of Algeria in 1988 instituted a multi-party system in response to public unrest, but the surprising first-round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the 1991 legislative election led the Algerian military to intervene and postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. An army crackdown on the FIS escalated into an FIS insurgency and intense violence from 1992-98 that resulted in over 100,000 deaths, many of which were attributed to extremist groups massacring villagers. The government gained the upper hand by the late 1990s, and FIS’s armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in 2000. FIS membership is now illegal. In 1999, Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA won the presidency with the backing of the military, in an election that was boycotted by several candidates protesting alleged fraud.  He won subsequent elections in 2004, 2009, and 2014. Widespread protests against his decision to seek a fifth term broke out in early 2019. BOUTEFLIKA resigned in April 2019, and in December 2019, Algerians elected former Prime Minister Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE as the country’s new president. A longtime FLN member, TEBBOUNE ran for president as an independent. In 2020, Algeria held a constitutional referendum on governmental reforms, which TEBBOUNE enacted in 2021. Subsequent reforms to the national electoral law introduced open-list voting to curb corruption. The new law also eliminated gender quotas in Parliament, and the 2021 legislative elections saw female representation plummet. The referendum, parliamentary elections, and local elections saw record-low voter turnout.

Climate

arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer

Terrain

mostly high plateau and desert; Atlas Mountains in the far north and Hoggar Mountains in the south; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Languages

Arabic (official), French (lingua franca), Tamazight (official) (dialects include Kabyle (Taqbaylit), Shawiya (Tacawit), Mzab, Tuareg (Tamahaq))major-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim (official; predominantly Sunni) 99%, other (includes Christian, Jewish, Ahmadi Muslim, Shia Muslim, Ibadi Muslim) <1% (2012 est.)

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest approved by referendum 1 November 2020amendment process: proposed by the president of the republic or through the president with the support of three fourths of the members of both houses of Parliament in joint session; passage requires approval by both houses, approval by referendum, and promulgation by the president; the president can forego a referendum if the Constitutional Council determines the proposed amendment does not conflict with basic constitutional principles; articles including the republican form of government, the integrity and unity of the country, and fundamental citizens’ liberties and rights cannot be amended
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: mixed system of French civil law and Islamic law; judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials including several Supreme Court justices
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE (since 12 December 2019)head of government: Prime Minister Sifi GHRIEB (since 28 August 2025)cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the presidentelection/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister nominated by the president after consultation with the majority party in Parliamentmost recent election date: 7 September 2024election results: 2024: Abdelmadjid TEBBOUNE (NLF) 94.7%, Abdelaali Hassani CHERIF (MSP) 3.2%, Youcef AOUCHICHE (FFS) 2.2%2019: (FLN) 58.1%, Abdelkader BENGRINA (El-Bina) 17.4%, Ali BENFLIS (Talaie El Hurriyet) 10.6%, Azzedine MIHOUBI (RND) 7.3%, Abdelaziz BELAID (Future Front) 6.7%expected date of next election: 2029
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court or Le Cour Suprême, (consists of 150 judges organized into 8 chambers: Civil, Commercial and Maritime, Criminal, House of Offenses and Contraventions, House of Petitions, Land, Personal Status, and Social; Constitutional Council (consists of 12 members including the court chairman and deputy chairman)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the High Council of Magistracy, an administrative body presided over by the president of the republic, and includes the republic vice-president and several members; judges appointed for life; Constitutional Council members - 4 appointed by the president of the republic, 2 each by the 2 houses of Parliament, 2 by the Supreme Court, and 2 by the Council of State; Council president and members appointed for single 6-year terms with half the membership renewed every 3 yearssubordinate courts: appellate or wilaya courts; first instance or daira tribunalsnote: Algeria's judicial system does not include sharia courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Parliament (Barlaman)legislative structure: bicameral

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• suffering oil and gas economy; lack of sector and market diversification; political instability chilling domestic consumption; poor credit access and declines in business confidence; COVID-19 austerity policies; delayed promised socio-economic reforms
• Budget: revenues: $55.185 billion (2019 est.)expenditures: $64.728 billion (2019 est.)
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
• Industries: petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing
• Agricultural Products: potatoes, watermelons, wheat, milk, onions, tomatoes, vegetables, oranges, dates, barley (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 17.3% (2022 est.)arable land: 3.2% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.4% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 13.8% (2022 est.)forest: 0.8% (2022 est.)other: 81.8% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: wheat, plastics, cars, milk, corn (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 24%, France 12%, Italy 8%, Turkey 7%, Brazil 6% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: natural gas, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, fertilizers, iron bars (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Italy 29%, France 14%, Spain 13%, USA 6%, Netherlands 4% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports