Location
Algeria lies in the Maghrib region of northwestern Africa. Other countries in the Maghrib include Morocco, which is west of Algeria, and Tunisia and Libya, which are situated to the east. The Mediterranean Sea forms Algeria’s northern coast. Mauritania and Mali border Algeria to the southwest, and Niger lies to the southeast. The second largest African country, Algeria has a land area of 919,595 square miles, making it more than three times the size of Texas. Small, rocky islands off its northern shores inspired Algeria’s name –al-Jazair, meaning "the islands" in Arabic, the language of modern Algerians. The 750-mile Mediterranean coastline was the site of the region’s first ports and trading settlements. Under French rule, European designers planned new neighborhoods and industries in the northern cities. Most population centers, farms, and factories still lie on or near the coast.
Algeria has four main physical regions. However, ninety five percent of the inhabitants live in one sixth of the national territory. This area is in the north, along the Mediterranean coast and extending inland for 80 to 190 kilometers. This area is called the Tell. The region consists of a narrow and discontinuous coastal plain backed by the mountainous area of the Tell Atlas. The numerous valleys of this region contain most of Algeria's arable land. The country's principal river, the 725 kilometer long Chelif, rises in the Tell Atlas and flows to the Mediterranean Sea; no permanent streams are found south of the Tell.