Algeria — Capital, Flag and Country Facts

Explore Algeria: capital Algiers, population, flag, geography, languages, history and culture.

Algeria is in Africa. Its capital is Algiers.

Climate

Arid to semiarid; mild wet winters and hot dry summers along coast; extreme desert interior

Mostly high plateau and desert; Atlas Mountains in the north; Sahara covers over 80% of the land

Algeria is the largest country in Africa by land area.

Algeria's Saharan region contains the Tassili n'Ajjer with prehistoric cave art dating back 12,000 years.

Algeria has the longest coastline of any African country on the Mediterranean Sea at over 1,600 km.

1516: Ottoman Empire establishes control through Barbary corsairs

1830: France invades and begins 132 years of colonial rule

1954: Algerian War of Independence begins against France

1962: Independence from France after a brutal war claiming over 1 million lives

1991: Civil war erupts following cancellation of elections

2019: Hirak protest movement forces President Bouteflika to resign