Algeria is the largest country by area with Arabic as an official language, covering about 2,381,741 square kilometres.
Arabic is one of Algeria’s two official languages, alongside Tamazight. Algeria’s enormous territory stretches from the Mediterranean coast deep into the Sahara, making it Africa’s largest country by area. Its vast southern regions account for most of its landmass.
The ranking can be confusing because several other very large countries also give Arabic official status. Saudi Arabia covers roughly 2.15 million square kilometres, Sudan about 1.89 million, and Libya about 1.76 million. All are smaller than Algeria.
Algeria became Africa’s largest country after South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011. Another common mix-up is treating French as Algeria’s official language: French remains widely used in administration, education, business, and media, but the constitution identifies Arabic and Tamazight as official languages.