| Location | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia |
| Geographic coordinates | 28 00 N, 3 00 E |
| Map references | Africa |
| Area | total: 2,381,740 sq km land: 2,381,740 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas |
| Land boundaries | total: 6,734 km border countries (6): Libya 989 km, Mali 1359 km, Mauritania 460 km, Morocco 1941 km, Niger 951 km, Tunisia 1034 km |
| Coastline | 998 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm |
| 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 |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Tahat 2,908 m lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m mean elevation: 800 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc |
| Land use | agricultural land: 17.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 3.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 13.8% (2018 est.) forest: 0.8% (2018 est.) other: 81.8% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 13,600 sq km (2014) |
| Total renewable water resources | 11.667 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season; droughts |
| Geography - note | 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 11,000 to 5,000 years ago, when the region was completely vegetated |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
