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| Location | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia | | | Geographic coordinates | 28 00 N, 3 00 E | | | Zone | Africa | | | Area | total: 2,381,740 sq km
land: 2,381,740 sq km
water: 0 sq km | | | Land boundaries | total: 6,343 km
border countries: Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km | | | Coastline | 998 km | | | Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm | | | Climate | arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer | | | Terrain | mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain | | | Elevation extremes | lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m | | | Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc | | | Irrigated land | 998 km | | | Natural hazards | mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season | | Environment -
current issues | soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water | | Environment -
international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | | | Geography - note | second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan) | |
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