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Quick answerAlgiers is the capital and largest city of Algeria, with 4,325,000 people inside the city limits in 2025. The wider metropolitan area had about 4.3 million people in 2025. It is best known for the Casbah of Algiers, the Bay of Algiers and the Maqam Echahid. Its official languages are Arabic and Amazigh, and its currency is the Algerian dinar.
Algiers is the capital and largest city of Algeria, with about 4.3 million people (2025). It stands on the Mediterranean coast in the north of the country and is known as the White City for its whitewashed buildings.
Key facts
| Country | Algeria |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 4,325,000 (2025) |
| Population (metro) | 4,325,000 (2025) · Algiers metropolitan area, 2025 |
| Time zone | Africa/Algiers |
| Language | Arabic, Amazigh |
| Currency | Algerian dinar (DZD, د.ج) |
| Coordinates | 36.7325° N, 3.08722° E |
Overview
Algiers is the capital and largest city of Algeria, on the Bay of Algiers on the Mediterranean coast in the north-central part of the country. The capital city had 4,325,000 residents in 2025, and the metropolitan area held the same figure, making it the third-largest city on the Mediterranean and the 19th-largest city in Africa. The city rises from the sea to a highest elevation of 424 metres, with its lowest point only 2 metres above the water.
Algiers was formally founded in 972 by Buluggin ibn Ziri, on the site of the Phoenician trading settlement of Icosium. It became the capital of the Ottoman Regency of Algiers in 1516, then the capital of French Algeria after the invasion of 1830. During the Second World War it briefly served as the administrative centre of Free France, from 1942 to 1944, and it has been the capital of the independent Algerian state since 1962.
Today Algiers is the main tourist destination in Algeria, above all for the Casbah, its old quarter of Ottoman and Andalusian streets, which became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992. The city is known as the White City for its whitewashed buildings, and its landmarks include the Ketchaoua Mosque, Notre-Dame d'Afrique and the Maqam Echahid monument. It is home to the state oil company Sonatrach, Air Algérie and the Bank of Algeria.
What Algiers is known for
- Casbah of Algiers
- Bay of Algiers
- Maqam Echahid
- Notre-Dame d'Afrique
- Ketchaoua Mosque
- White City
Landmarks
- Casbah of Algiers
- Ketchaoua Mosque
- Notre-Dame d'Afrique
- Maqam Echahid
- Algiers Central Post Office
- Botanical Garden Hamma
- Bardo National Museum
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Algiers?
About 4.3 million people live in Algiers (4,325,000 in 2025). The metropolitan area had the same figure, about 4.3 million people. That makes Algiers the largest city in Algeria, the third-largest city on the Mediterranean, and the 19th-largest city in Africa by population.
What is Algiers famous for?
Algiers is famous for its Casbah, a UNESCO World Heritage site of old Ottoman and Andalusian streets, and for its whitewashed buildings, which give it the name the White City. It is also known for the Maqam Echahid monument, Notre-Dame d'Afrique, and its bay on the Mediterranean Sea.
Where is Algiers located?
Algiers is on the Mediterranean coast in north-central Algeria, on the Bay of Algiers, surrounded by the Mitidja Plain and mountain ranges. It is the capital of Algeria and of Algiers Province. Its coordinates are 36.73° N, 3.09° E, and its time zone is Central European Time.
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Keep exploring
- Algeria — the country Algiers is in
- Oran — another city in Algeria
- Annaba — another city in Algeria
- Constantine — another city in Algeria
- All cities in Algeria
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.