Geography

Area

Climate

ranging from arid to semiarid climates; characterized by mild and wet winters alongside hot and dry summers along the coastline; experiencing drier conditions with cold winters and hot summers in the elevated plateau regions; the sirocco is a hot wind laden with dust and sand, particularly prevalent during the summer months

Terrain

predominantly consisting of high plateaus and desert; features the Atlas Mountains in the northernmost regions and the Hoggar Mountains in the southern part; includes a narrow and discontinuous coastal strip

Land use

Location

located in Northern Africa, adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea, situated between Morocco and Tunisia

Coastline

998 km

Elevation

Irrigated land

13,819 sq km (2019)

Major aquifers

Lullemeden-Irhazer Aquifer System, Murzuk-Djado Basin, North Western Sahara Aquifer, Taoudeni-Tanezrouft Basin

Map references

Africa

Land boundaries

Maritime claims

Natural hazards

mountainous regions that are prone to significant seismic activity; experiences mudslides and flooding during the rainy season; faces periods of drought

Geography - note

the largest nation on the African continent, with 80% of its territory consisting of desert; the southern Hoggar Mountains and the desolate Tassili n'Ajjer area in the southeast house numerous instances of prehistoric art, including rock paintings and carvings that illustrate human activities and wildlife, such as elephants, giraffes, and cattle. These artworks date back to the African Humid Period, approximately 5,000 to 11,000 years ago, a time when the region was fully vegetated

Natural resources

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

Area - comparative

slightly less than 3.5 times larger than Texas

Geographic coordinates

28 00 N, 3 00 E

Population distribution

the overwhelming majority of the population resides in the extreme northern region of the country along the Mediterranean coast

Major watersheds (area sq km)