Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the region of. It covers an area of over 2,381,741 square kilometres (919,595 sq mi), and is the and the by land area. With a population of 47 million, Algeria is the in Africa. It is bordered to by ; to by ; to Northern Algerian Berbers traditionally utilize two types of vernacular dwelling: the Chaoui house and Kabyle akham. Shawia housing, traditional to the Berbers of, consists of flat-roofed mud brick houses with stone foundations. The ground floors of chaoui homes contain a central room used for sleeping with a hearth, weaving station, storage room, and water receptacles. These dwellings are sometimes built d.