The People's Democratic Republic of Algeria is one of the largest political units in Africa and the Middle East. Located in North Africa on the Mediterranean Sea, Algeria is bordered by Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, and Tunisia. Almost nine-tenths of the country’s total area is desert. Throughout history, the northern coastlands have been influenced by a variety of different civilizations – including the Romans, Vandals, Arabs, and Ottomans. The Berbers are the earliest inhabitants identified historically in Algeria. The current population consists almost entirely of Berbers, Arabs, and people of mixed Arab and Berber ancestry. The country has seen a re-emergence of an Islamist movement into mainstream political life since the 1980s.