Algiers Map

Description: This map shows neighborhoods, streets, roads, beaches, piers, harbors, buildings, lighthouses, railways, railway stations, and parks in Algiers.

Description: This map shows streets, trails, viewpoints, houses, buildings, cafes, bars, restaurants, museums, hotels, monuments, parking lots, shops, mosques, churches, points of interest, restrooms, and parks in Algiers City Centre.

Algiers (Arabic: الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; French: Alger) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. It lies on the Mediterranean coast in the north-central part of the country, on the western side of the Bay of Algiers. Algiers is also the administrative centre of Algiers Province and is the country's main political, economic and cultural centre.

The city's name comes from the Arabic for "the islands." It refers to small islands that once lay off the coast and were later joined to the mainland.

The area was first settled as a Phoenician trading post called Ikosim, which later became the Roman town of Icosium. The modern city was founded in the 10th century by Buluggin ibn Ziri, the founder of the Zirid dynasty. In the early 16th century the Barbarossa brothers took control of the city, and it became the seat of the Ottoman Regency of Algiers. During this period it served as a major base for Barbary corsairs in the Mediterranean. French forces captured Algiers on 5 July 1830, and it became the capital of French Algeria. The city was a key site of the Algerian War of Independence, including the Battle of Algiers in 1956–1957. When Algeria became independent in 1962, Algiers remained the national capital.

The historic centre, the Casbah of Algiers, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992. The city is sometimes called "Alger la Blanche" (Algiers the White) because of its white buildings rising from the waterfront. Notable landmarks include the Ketchaoua Mosque, the Basilica of Notre-Dame d'Afrique, the Maqam Echahid (Martyrs' Memorial) and the Great Mosque of Algiers, whose minaret is the tallest in the world.

Algiers has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters.

The city is served by Houari Boumediene Airport, the Port of Algiers and the Algiers Metro, which opened in 2011. Algiers is also home to the University of Algiers and to the headquarters of many national institutions and companies, including the state energy company Sonatrach.

Main sights in Algiers