Algiers

Algiers is the national capital of Algeria, set along a bay of the Mediterranean Sea in North Africa. The city extends across the coastal plain and climbs the slopes of the Sahel hills.

Phoenician traders established an outpost named Icosium on the coast during the 3rd century BC. Bologhine ibn Ziri rebuilt the settlement in the 10th century as a commercial port called al-Jaza'ir. Ottoman forces under Hayreddin Barbarossa took control in 1516, turning the port into the seat of the Regency of Algiers. French troops landed in the 1830s, initiating colonial rule that added seaside boulevards, administrative quarters, and parks. Algiers became the capital of independent Algeria in 1962. Ottoman fortifications gave way during the 19th century to paved roads connecting the waterfront with newer hillside neighborhoods.

Government ministries, foreign embassies, and the national parliament operate in Algiers as the country's political headquarters. The commercial harbor handles international container freight, passenger ferries, and shipping across the Mediterranean. State energy company Sonatrach directs its oil and natural gas operations from offices in the city. National financial institutions include the Banque d'Algérie and the national stock exchange. Industrial plants in surrounding districts produce refined petroleum, pharmaceuticals, commercial trucks, cement, and processed foods. Algérie Télécom maintains its central network facilities here, alongside national rail operator SNTF.

The Casbah rises above the bay as a walled district of whitewashed houses, steep stairways, and Ottoman palaces. Completed in the 1980s, the concrete Monument of the Martyrs stands on a hill overlooking the harbor. Djamaa el Djazair features a minaret reaching 265 m (869 ft) into the coastal skyline. The University of Algiers traces its academic foundation to the early 20th century, providing programs in law, medicine, and science. Football club USM Alger competes in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1, drawing supporters across the coastal districts.