North Africa
Overview of North Africa's countries, Berber roots and cultural shaping by Islam in the region.
- Morocco with the Western Sahara
- Algeria
- Tunisia (smaller Maghreb)
- Libya (larger Maghreb)
- Egypt as well as northern Sudan
Before the Arabs settled in the north of Africa, Berber peoples lived there. They lived much like they do today in the mountainous regions of the Maghreb. Here they found refuge and could protect themselves very well from dangers.
The North of Africa
Due to the difficult geographical conditions, trade is almost exclusively limited to the north, east and west coasts of the continent and the Nile Valley. Although the population has both African and Middle Eastern roots, most North Africans are either Arabic or Berber-speaking Muslims.
Regarding languages, there is a great homogeneity in North Africa. Linguistically significant is the Afroasiatic language group, which extends as far as Ethiopia.
Among the ethnic groups native to North Africa are the Amhara in the northeast. In the Sahara, the nomadic Tuareg are native.
Colonization
The north of Africa was occupied mainly by the French during the First World War, but was also claimed by Libya. Only a few areas were occupied by Britain. Overall, North Africa has a population of around 210 million.
