What is the capital of Algeria?

The capital of Algeria is Algiers. The city sits on the Mediterranean coast and is also Algeria's largest urban center and principal political hub.

Algiers developed around an ancient Phoenician settlement known to the Romans as Icosium. The modern city was founded in 972 by Buluggin ibn Ziri. Its Arabic name, Al-Jazā’ir, means “the islands,” referring to islands that once lay offshore. That name later gave Algeria its country name through French usage.

Algiers became the capital of the Ottoman Regency of Algiers in 1516 and remained the colonial capital under French rule after 1830. It has been the capital of independent Algeria since independence in 1962. Annaba, Constantine, and Oran are important Algerian cities, but they are regional centers rather than the national capital. The historic Casbah of Algiers is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.