Algeria Geography Profile 2009

Location

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia

Geographic coordinates

28 00 N, 3 00 E

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 2,381,741 sq km
land: 2,381,741 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas

Land boundaries

total: 6,343 km
border countries: Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km

Coastline

998 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 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; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc

Land use

arable land: 3.17%
permanent crops: 0.28%
other: 96.55% (2005)

Irrigated land

5,690 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

14.3 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 6.07 cu km/yr (22%/13%/65%)
per capita: 185 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards

mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season

Environment - current issues

soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)