North Africa

North Africa is a culturally and geopolitically bounded region of Africa that includes the modern states of Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia and the disputed territory of western Sahara. The United Nations’ definition of northern Africa as a geopolitical subregion also includes Sudan, and Mauritania is also sometimes included. The majority of the regions’ inhabitants are Muslim, although there are significant religious minorities of Jews and Christians, particularly in Egypt.

The region is sometimes referred to as the Maghreb, meaning “west” in Arabic, to denote its position as the western portion of the Islamic world. However, most technical definitions restrict the Maghreb to Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. The region has been of central importance to the development of both Christianity and Islam since its initial Christianization by the third century CE. Central tenets of Christian thought were developed in the region's notable urban centers, particularly Carthage (in modern-day Tunisia), Hippo (in modern-day Algeria), and Alexandria (in modern-day Egypt). Although little is known about religion in the region prior to the arrival of Christianity and Islam, preclassical Egyptian civilization is a significant exception. Written records and archaeological evidence from Egypt have provided some of the best preserved data regarding traditional religion on the continent.

The population of the region is made up of Arabs, Berbers, and Egyptians (in the east) and those of mixed Arab-Berber descent. The term Berber refers to the indigenous peoples of northern Africa, though this label was originally imposed by Roman outsiders, and many Berbers today prefer the term Imazighen. Although Arabic is now the first language of the region, Egyptian or Coptic is still spoken in Egypt, and Berber languages are still spoken by a small minority of those living in the mountains of Morocco. Some Berber groups, including the Kabyles in Algeria and the Chleuh in Morocco, retain much of their traditional culture and identity.

The geography of the region is dominated by the Mediterranean coast along its northern boundary and the Saharan desert in the south, which covers nearly 90% of the region. The Atlas Mountains stretch across Morocco and northern Algeria and Tunisia, forming a steppe landscape that recedes to the Sahara. Berber and Egyptian groups have traditionally cultivated the fertile land found in the valleys of the Atlas Mountains, the Nile valley, and along the Mediterranean coast. Economically, Algeria and Libya rely heavily on rich oil and natural gas reserves. Both Egypt and Tunisia have strong tourist economies, and Egypt has developed significant textile, electronic, and engineering industries as well. Apart from the western Sahara, which is controlled partly by Morocco and partly by an independent military front, the states of the region have been independently governed since the 1950s and 1960s.

Due to the desert boundary, Egyptian history has been politically, religiously, and culturally distinct from the rest of the region. Ancient Egyptian civilization developed along the Nile River with close ties to the Mediterranean world, and this produced remarkable architectural and cultural achievements, including written records dating from the beginning of the 3rd millennium BCE. It is thus one of the oldest recorded civilizations in the world. Today, Egypt is the most industrialized and urbanized country in the region and is highly influential in the Arab world.

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