Algeria
wiktionary
Modified from French Algérie, from the French Alger(“Algiers”) + -ie, from Algerian Arabic الدزَاير (al-dzayir), from Arabic اَلْجَزَائِر (al-jazāʾir, “the islands”) (with elision of the first vowel), plural of جَزِيرَة (jazīra, “island”), referring to the several small islands that once existed in the Bay of Algiers. [1]
etymonline
Algeria
North African country, named for Algiers, city chosen by the French as its capital when they colonized the region in 1830 + Latinate "country" suffix -ia. The city name is Arabic al-Jazair, literally "the islands" (plural of jezira) in reference to four islands formerly off the coast but joined to the mainland since 1525. Related: Algerian (1620s); a resident of the place (especially indigenous, as opposed to French colonists) also could be an Algerine (1650s), and that word was practically synonymous with "pirate" in English and U.S. usage early 19c.
