Algeria is the second-largest country in Africa after Sudan and the tenth-largest country in the world. It is located in northwest Africa, in an area known as the Maghreb. Maghreb means "sunset" in Arabic. The region is so named because it lies to the west of other Arab nations. To the north of Algeria is the Mediterranean Sea, to the east are Tunisia and Libya, to the south are Niger and Mali, to the southwest are Mauritania and Western Sahara and to the west is Morocco.

The Tell region stretches along the Mediterranean coast. This is where most Algerians live, since almost all of Algeria's arable land can be found in this region. Algeria's largest cities-Algiers (Al Djazair), Oran and Annaba-are located on the coast. This region has warm summers and rainy winters. A hot, dry sirocco wind blowing north from the Sahara during the summer season brings blinding sand and dust storms to the coastal region.

South of the Tell region lie the Tell Atlas mountains and the Saharan Atlas Mountains. Between these two mountain ranges is an area called the High Plateau. The High Plateau is mostly a barren wasteland covered with esparto grass (halfa), which is used for making paper, ropes, sandals and baskets. This region also has large shallow basins that collect water during rainy seasons. In the hot season, they become dry lakebeds or salt flats called chotts. Algeria has limited water resources and no navigable rivers. The Cheliff River is the country's longest waterway. Its source is in the Tell Atlas Mountains, south of Algiers.

South of the Atlas Mountains lies the Sahara Desert, which occupies about 85% of Algeria. It is mostly an arid flatland, but there are a few mountainous areas, including the Hajjar Massif, a volcanic highland in the south. Jebal Tahat, located in the Hajjar Massif, is the highest peak in Algeria at 2,900 metres. Within the Sahara are two large expanses of sand dunes, called the Great Western 'Irq and the Great Eastern 'Irq. Dates are cultivated and small-scale farming is carried out in scattered oasis settlements on the edges of the dunes. The climate is hot and dry; some areas may not see any rainfall for as much as 20 years at a time.

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The Sahara Desert stretches across Africa from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the east and covers 9 million square kilometres. (By comparison, Canada covers 9.9 million square kilometres.) In the flat, barren areas of the Sahara, the temperature is often 45°C and may reach 50°C.

A small number of antelope live in remote mountainous regions. Hares and gazelles also inhabit the Tell region. Snakes, lizards, hyenas, jackals and vultures can be found in the Sahara. Camels are often used as a mode of transportation in the desert, since they can survive for long periods without water.