Which African country is the largest by land area?

Algeria is the African country with the largest land area. It covers roughly 2.38 million square kilometres, making it the continent’s biggest country and the world’s tenth-largest by area.

Most of Algeria lies in the Sahara, which stretches across the country’s southern regions. The populated north contains the Mediterranean coastline, fertile plains, and the Atlas mountain ranges, while the desert interior accounts for more than four-fifths of the national territory. Algiers, on the northern coast, is the capital.

A frequent historical mix-up involves Sudan. Sudan was Africa’s largest country before South Sudan became independent in 2011, reducing Sudan’s territory and leaving Algeria in first place. Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan are all enormous countries, but each has a smaller total area than Algeria. Algeria is also the largest country bordering the Mediterranean Sea, a distinction shared by its vast north-to-south geography.