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Location:
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Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
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Geographic coordinates:
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28 00 N, 3 00 E
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Map references:
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africa
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Area:
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total: 2,381,740 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 2,381,740 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas
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Land boundaries:
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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
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Coastline:
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998 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm
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Climate:
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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
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Terrain:
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mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
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Land use:
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arable land: 3.22%
permanent crops: 0.25%
other: 96.53% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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5,600 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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
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Geography - note:
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second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
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