North Africa
A region defined by the UN as seven countries, part of the broader MENA area.
North Africa, also called Northern Africa, is a region that, according to the United Nations geoscheme used by the UN Statistics Division, comprises seven countries: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. This definition is one of several; the region has no standardized definition and groupings may vary. As part of the broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, North Africa shares a number of cultural, economic, and environmental similarities across its countries. The term 'MENA' is often used in academia, military planning, disaster relief, media planning, and business writing, and some of the most extreme impacts of climate change will be felt in MENA.
- Region
- North Africa
- Major countries
- Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Western Sahara
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Lore & Background
The United Nations geoscheme defines Northern Africa as including Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. This is just one of many definitions for the region; the Middle East and North Africa has no standardized definition, and different organizations define the region as consisting of different territories. For example, a 2003 World Bank study included 21 countries or territories in its MENA region, listing Algeria, Djibouti, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, the Republic of Yemen, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, and West Bank and Gaza, plus six Gulf Cooperation Council members. A 2010 UNHCR report defined MENA as 18 countries including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. A 2015 FAO report listed 21 MENA countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The UNAIDS regional classification, per a 2019 UNICEF report, includes 20 countries/territories: Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Reader's Guide
When exploring North Africa, it's important to recognize that its definition is not fixed. The United Nations geoscheme provides one official list—Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara—but other organizations use different groupings. For instance, the World Bank's MENA region as of January 2021 includes 21 countries/territories: Algeria; Bahrain; Djibouti; Egypt, Arab Rep.; Iran, Islamic Rep.; Iraq; Israel; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon; Libya; Malta; Morocco; Oman; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Syrian Arab Republic; Tunisia; United Arab Emirates; West Bank and Gaza; Yemen, Rep. The UNICEF website as of January 2021 groups 20 countries as MENA: Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, State of Palestine, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen. Historians Michael Dumper and Bruce Stanley in 2007 defined the MENA region as stretching from Morocco to Iran and from Turkey to the Horn of Africa, including the 22 countries of the Arab League, Turkey, Israel, Iran, and Cyprus. The term 'WANA' (West Asia and North Africa) is preferred by some, especially in sciences like agriculture and climatology, due to the geographic ambiguity and Eurocentric nature of the term 'Middle East'. The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) defined its WANA region in a 2011 study as 27 countries/territories: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gaza Strip, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Did You Know?
- The United Nations geoscheme defines Northern Africa as including Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.
- The term 'MENA' is often used in academia, military planning, disaster relief, media planning, and business writing.
- Some of the most extreme impacts of climate change will be felt in MENA.
- The term 'WANA' (West Asia and North Africa) is preferred by some in sciences such as agriculture and climatology due to the geographic ambiguity of 'Middle East'.
- ICARDA's 2011 WANA definition included 27 countries/territories, from Afghanistan to Yemen.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is North Africa?
North Africa is a geographic region covering the northern part of the African continent, generally stretching from the Atlantic coast of Western Sahara eastward to the Red Sea shores of Egypt and Sudan. There is no single universally agreed-upon boundary, so different sources draw the region's edges slightly differently.
Which countries make up North Africa?
The region is most commonly associated with Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. These nations share a stretch of coastline along the Mediterranean Sea with the Sahara Desert lying to their south.
Who were the earliest people in North Africa?
The area has been home to human ancestors for millions of years, with some of the oldest hominid remains on the continent found there. Later, Berber peoples, Ancient Egyptians, and Nubians developed distinct civilizations before waves of Phoenician, Greek, Roman, and Arab influence arrived.
What major historical periods shaped North Africa?
The region saw the Neolithic Revolution around 10,000 BC, followed by Phoenician and Greek colonization in the 7th century BCE and Roman conquest beginning in 146 BC. The Arab conquests of the 7th and 8th centuries then brought lasting Islamic and Arab cultural influence that persists to this day.
What is North Africa's modern cultural identity?
Today the region is broadly considered part of both the Arab world and the Muslim world, reflecting centuries of Arab-Islamic heritage layered over older indigenous traditions. This dual identity shapes the region's languages, religions, and cultural practices across its modern nations.
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