Algiers Port"Algiers, the white," Algerians call their capital, here awakening under a pale winter sun. The city's arcaded quay was built by the French, whose 132-year rule of this North African land ended in 1962. Beyond Algiers, on opposite sides of a rugged mountain range, lie fertile coastal plains and the vast oil-rich desert.—From "Algeria: Learning to Live With Independence," August 1973, National Geographic magazine
Photograph by Thomas J. Abercrombie

Algeria Photos

See photos of Algeria, including Algiers and Erg Bourarhet, in this photo gallery from National Geographic.

Published November 5, 2009