Facts

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia

Area (only Total) total: 2,381,740 sq km

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

Population: 33,769,668 (July 2008 est.)

Main Language (only first): Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

Government type: Republic

Capital (Name): Algiers

Capital (Time Difference): UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Independence: 5 July 1962 (from France)

National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 November (1954)