Algeria is the largest nation in Africa by area and is the 10th largest country in the world.
The country has one of Africa’s largest economies, mostly due to its large oil and gas reserves and is a major supplier of natural gas to Europe.
Algeria is a mostly Muslim country with an Islamic heritage and is bounded to the east by Tunisia and Libya.
Away from the vast desert which encompasses the country, Algeria’s capital is Algiers and features a bustling seaside metropolis famed for its history.
Oran is Algeria’s second city, a port on the Mediterranean Sea near Morocco that has become increasingly popular over the years thanks to its education, art and music.
The Algerian Desert, which is found in central North Africa within Algeria and is part of the Sahara, extends between 800 and 1,200 miles and at least 3,000 miles from east to west, covering a whopping one-fourth of Africa.
The UK is approximately 94058.34 square miles (243,610 sq km) while Algeria is approximately 919594.95 square miles (2,381,740 sq km).
This makes Algeria a staggering 878 percent larger than the UK, making it roughly nine times bigger than the UK.
The Sahara covers over 90 percent of Algeria and is crossed by sand dunes, stony terrain, as well as volcanic massifs in the far south.
The Algerian Desert has a population of around 3,600,000 inhabitants, which equals 10.5 percent of the Algerian population.
People who live in the desert are predominantly nomads often moving to different areas depending on the seasons.
While Algeria has reduced poverty by 20 percent in the last two decades, 35 percent of the population still lives below the poverty line.
Algeria’s incumbent President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, was re-elected for a second term in September 2024, with 94.6 percent of the vote.
Among the vast desert land, the Tassili n’Ajjer can be found. This is a national park in southeast Algeria, boasting a unique ecosystem with a fuller vegetation than the surrounding desert.
Despite its dry land, the Algerian desert is home to a number of animals including the world’s smallest fox, known as the fennec fox or the Desert Fox and is often seen roaming the dry lands.
Other animals include the barbary macaque, which is the only African species of macaque, the critically endangered Saharan cheetah, the Algerian nuthatch, the jerboa and many wild boars, jackals, and gazelles.