Algeria

In brief

Algeria is a country in North Africa. Its capital is Algiers. With 47.4 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 33rd in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 2,381,741 km². It shares land borders with Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger and Tunisia.

GDP per capita stands at $6,051 (2025), 109th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years (2024). 76% of the population lives in cities.

History of Algeria

Land of the Berber kingdoms of Numidia and later a Roman province, Algeria was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century. In the 16th century the Regency of Algiers came under Ottoman suzerainty. The French conquest began in 1830 and took decades; colonial rule ended after an eight-year war of independence (1954-1962). Independence was declared on 5 July 1962. The country went through a civil war in the 1990s, the “black decade”, and a vast peaceful protest movement, the Hirak, in 2019.

Geography of Algeria

Africa’s largest country since 2011, Algeria is more than 80% Sahara. The north, between the Mediterranean and the Atlas ranges, holds most of the population. In the south, the Hoggar massif peaks at Mount Tahat (2,908 m).

Map of Algeria

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Flag of Algeria

The flag of Algeria is red, white and green. Its official proportions are 2:3 (height to width).

• White48%
• Green46%
• Red6%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Green and white, with a red crescent and star. Green is associated with Islam, white with peace, red with the blood of the martyrs of independence. It was the flag of the National Liberation Front before 1962.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Algeria” and “Flag of Algeria”.

See also: flags with a star, flags with a crescent moon.

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Fact file

Economy and society