File:Algiers, Tunisia (MODIS 2017-07-06).jpg

English: Despite a sand storm moving across southern Algeria, most of the sky over Algeria and Tunisia was clear on June 25, 2017. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the countries on that same day.

Algeria, which is roughly fifteen times the size of Tunisia, comprises most of the image. Tunisia sits in the northeast. The image also captures a small portion of western Libya, which sits southeast of Tunisia. The red and tan sands of the Sahara Desert are the prominent feature across the region. The vast quantity of sand, combined with frequent storms and frontal systems which bring high wind, makes sandstorms the most common natural hazard in both Algeria and Tunisia. The Ahaggar (Ahoggar) Mountains, which sit well inland in southern Algeria, can be seen as darker patches of brown that contrast with the reddish sand of the desert. They are partially obscured from view by the camel-colored sandstorm that rolls above the mountain peaks.

In contrast to the arid interior, the region near the Mediterranean Sea sports green vegetation. The topography rises quickly from the coast, forming the Atlas Mountains. The mountains receive enough rainfall to support agricultural and grazing land, and many of the major cities are located on the Mediterranean coast, making the coastal region the most fertile and most heavily inhabited section of Algeria and Tunisia.