Algeria Natural Environment

Algeria is on the northern coast of Africa bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia.  It has a total area of 2,381,740 sq. km. The 1200 kilometers of discontinuous coastal plain along the Mediterranean, constituting of 12% of the country, is inhabited by most of the country’s population because it is relatively fertile, but it is punctuated by hills. 

South of this is the Tell Atlas mountain range with its imposing peaks and gentle valleys. The mountain range extends into the High Plateaus, which consist largely of barren plains. Further south is the Saharan Atlas range and the Sahara Desert, which covers over 80% of Algeria’s land area.  The highest mountain is Mount Tahat in the Sahara with its peak rising to 3000 meters.  The mountainous areas suffer occasional severe earthquakes and mud slides.  Only 3% of the land is arable; there is little land for forests and woodlands.  Crops, which are grown in more fertile regions include wheat, sorghum, barley, corn and oats.  Natural resources include petroleum, iron ore, uranium, zinc, lead, natural gas and uranium.  Other plants grown are tobacco dates, figs, fruits, olives and vegetables.

The climate is arid and semiarid, depending on the part of the country, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters along the coast.  On highlands, the summers are hot and the winters are cold.  In the Sahara, the temperature can be 55 ºC or more.  Rain in north averages 10 cm annually and certain parts of the Sahara may receive no rain for many years.  A hot, dust/sand-laden wind called sirocco is especially common in summer.

Generally, in the north the dry season is from June to September and the wet season is from October to March, whereas in the south March to October is hot, and November to February is cool.