Real size
How big is Algeria really?
2.32 million km²
897,000 sq mi · 11th largest of the 167 here · about the size of DR Congo
Normal web maps draw it 1.3× too big
Algeria covers 2.32 million km² (897,000 sq mi), about the size of DR Congo. A normal web map draws it about 1.3 times too big: not much, but enough to make it look bigger than countries nearer the equator.
Measured from our map outlines, so official figures can differ by a few percent. Ranks count the 167 countries and territories on these pages: those over 5,000 km², not counting disputed territories.
AlgeriaGreenland
AlgeriaGreenland
- Real area
- 2.32 million km²
- Size rank
- 11th of 167
- On a normal web map
- 1.3× too big
- Latitude
- 28°N
Countries about the same size
- DR CongoAbout the same size
- GreenlandAlgeria is 1.1 times the size of Greenland
- KazakhstanKazakhstan is 1.2 times the size of Algeria
- MexicoAlgeria is 1.2 times the size of Mexico
- ArgentinaArgentina is 1.2 times the size of Algeria
Algeria through history
Borders here have moved many times. Step through our maps, from 2000 BCE to today, to see who ruled this land before, and how big their realms really were.
Open the history map →Browse the eras →
Common questions
- How big is Algeria?
- Algeria covers about 2.32 million km² (897,000 sq mi). It is the 11th largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Why does Algeria look so big on maps?
- Most web maps use the Mercator projection, which keeps shapes right but stretches area more and more toward the poles. Averaged over the whole country, it draws Algeria about 1.3 times too big.
- Is Algeria bigger than Greenland?
- Yes. Algeria is about 1.1 times the size of Greenland.
- Is Algeria bigger than DR Congo?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.