Geography & environment — Algeria
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Geography & environment at a glance
Location, land area, terrain, climate, and natural resources. Key figure for Algeria: Africa
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Location & size
- Geographic Location
Africa
- Geographic Coordinates
28 00 N, 3 00 E
- Total Area
919,590 Square Miles 2,381,741 Square Kilometers
- Land Area
919,590 Square Miles 2,381,741 Square Kilometers
- Land Boundaries
3,941 Miles 6,343 Kilometers
- 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
620 Miles 998 Kilometers
Physical geography
- Terrain
- Mostly high plateau and desert
- some mountains
- narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
- Highest Point
3,003 Meters
- Highest Point Location
Tahat 3,003 m
- Lowest Point
-40 Meters
- Lowest Point Location
Chott Melrhir -40 m
- Natural Resources
Petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
- Irrigated Land
2,198 Square Miles 5,694 Square Kilometers
Climate & time
- Time Zone
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate
- Climate
- In Algeria, the climate varies. Coastal areas, including Algiers, are hot in summer and chilly and rainy for several months in winter. Inland mountain regions between the coast and the desert have cooler weather
- temperatures are below freezing for long periods of winter. Spring and fall in the "Tell" (a part of northern Algeria in which the average annual rainfall is 16 inches or more, making it usable for agriculture), are mild and enjoyable. The Tell and the Sahara have climate extremes, although in different ways. The Tell is very cold in winter and very hot in summer. The Sahara's extremes are between daytime (warm in winter
- hot in late spring, summer, early fall) and nighttime (cold year-round). Algiers has four distinct seasons, with temperature variations ranging normally between 40-110°F. It tends to be extremely hot during the month of August, and some winters can be cold and rainy. In general, however, the weather is quite pleasant, but mold and mildew can be a real problem. Despite its warm summer, Algiers has what is often described as a "cold climate with a hot sun." Winter temperatures rarely fall below freezing. Cool-weather generally begins in November and lasts into March. The rainy season spans about five months.
- Terrain
- Mostly high plateau and desert
- some mountains
- narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
- Location
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
- Total Area
919,590 Square Miles 2,381,741 Square Kilometers
- 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
Environment
- 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
the 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