The Altima (pronounced ALL-teh-mah) is a mid-size car (formerly compact) manufactured by the Japanese automaker Nissan, and is arguably a continuation of the "bloodline" that began with the Nissan Bluebird in 1957. It has historically been larger, more powerful, and more luxurious than the Nissan Sentra but less so than the Nissan Maxima.
In addition to North America, the Altima is available in the Middle East. In other markets, Nissan sells a related mid-size sedan called the Nissan Teana, built on the same FF-L platform used by the 2002-2006 Nissan Altima.