Algeria Geography:
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
Geographic coordinates:
28 00 N, 3 00 E
Map references:
Area:
total:
2,381,740 sq km
land:
2,381,740 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 1376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1559 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: 3.22%
permanent crops: 0.25%
other: 96.53%
(2001)
Irrigated land:
5,600 sq km (1998 est.)
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 (not ratified)
Geography - Note:
Second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan) |
