Algiers’ wind-sheltered seaport serves as a strategic conduit to the Mediterranean Sea and contains two artificial harbors.
Nicknames for Algiers include “Algiers the White” and “Algiers the Dazzling” for its shiny whitewashed buildings.
One of Algiers’ most famous monuments is Notre Dame d’Afrique, built circa 1858 and now accessible by a single cable car.
The International Fair of Algiers was the site where the world’s largest bowl of couscous weighing 13,315 pounds (6.66 tons) was on display. Algiers was also the setting for another Guinness World Record, when 412 people washed dishes simultaneously on June 16, 2017 after an Iftar meal.
Algeria exported an estimated US$34.7 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. The North African country’s most valuable exports are crude oil (43.2% of its global total), petroleum gases (30.5%), refined petroleum oils (19.9%) and nitrogenous fertilizers (2.4%) according to the International Trade Centre.
Capital Facts for Algiers, Algeria: Quick Reference
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Algiers, Algeria.
- Nouria Mérah-Benida, Olympic running gold medalist (born Oct. 19, 1970)
- Islam Slimani, professional soccer/football player (born Jun. 18, 1988)
- Djabir Saïd-Guerni, Olympic running bronze medalist (born Mar. 29, 1977)
- Dalia Chih, pop singer (born Dec. 16, 1997)
- Mohamed Ryad Garidi, Olympic rower (born Dec. 20, 1977)
- Souad Massi, singer-songwriter/footballer (born Aug. 23, 1972)
- Rafik Halliche, soccer/football player (born Sep. 2, 1986)
- Mohamed Serir, Olympic wrestler (born Dec. 6, 1984)
- Summer Nazif, Twitter poet (born Aug. 22, 1994)
- Sofiane Lamali, Olympic handball player (born Jan. 31, 1974)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches mostly targeting published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for an Algerian resident: Algerian
Population: 2,768,000 (Algiers including adjacent suburbs)
Density: 19,771 people per square mile (7,625 per square kilometer)
Population: 43,874,000 (Algeria) at July 10, 2020
Density: 48 people per square mile (18 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Algeria: 28.5 years old
Financial
GDP: US$681.4 billion 2019 (Algeria)
GDP per person: $15,696
Note: The above country-level GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars. Credible city GDP statistics for Algiers were unavailable.
Official currency used in Algiers: Algerian dinar
Geography
Capital landmarks: Notre Dame d’Afrique, Great Mosque (Jamaa el-Kebir) and the Kasbah of Algiers (citadel)
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Africa: Algeria.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Demographia, World Urban Area, 12th Annual Edition.
Guinness World Records, Searched for Algiers.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Official Government Website, People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Algeria.
Wikipedia, Algiers.
Wikipedia, Algiers Province.
WorldOMeter, Algeria Population.
Algerians celebrate Independence Day as a public holiday each July 5, commemorating Algeria’s breakaway from France on July 5, 1962.
The city of Algiers including adjacent suburban areas covers 140 square miles (363 kilometers), within which 2.8 people live.
At the country level, Algeria’s land mass extends over 919,595 square miles (2,381,740 square kilometers)–the world’s 10th largest land area for any country. The national population count was 43.9 million inhabitants as of July 2020.
At 19,771 people per square mile (7,625 per square kilometer), population density is more concentrated within Algeria’s capital city including adjacent suburbs.
Zooming out to Algeria’s national land boundaries, population density dilutes to an average 48 inhabitants per square mile (18 per square kilometer).
