North Africa

Chapter 21

North Africa includes Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Western Sahara (which is occupied by Morocco.)

North Africa stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea.

The northern border is the Mediterranean Sea.

Landforms Coastal plains are the main landforms where North

Africa meets the sea and ocean. Beyond the coastal plain, the Atlas Mountains run

parallel to the coastal plains. The Sahara, the largest desert in the world, extends

all across North Africa below the Atlas Mountains and acts as a natural barrier between North Africa and the rest of the African continent.

The Sahara covers about 3.5 million square miles (roughly the size of the USA)

ERGS – Basins covered with high shifting sand dunes creating a sea of sand.

REGS – Where the wind has blown the sand and dust away, leaving a gravel covered plain.

Other Landforms• Large, low areas are called depressions. In Egypt, the

Qattara Depression is 440 ft. below sea level and is a wilderness of quick sand and salt marsh.

• Rainwater also carves outwadis, which are dry streambeds that only fillwith water after rain falls.

Other Landforms• In the eastern Sahara, the Nile River flows north through

Egypt into the Mediterranean. The Nile is a long oasis in the desert. Water from the river and Nile Delta supports crops and other vegetation, creating a fertile green strip across Egypt.

Climates• Mediterranean climate along the coast – warm, dry

summers and mild rainy winters• Semiarid between coastal areas and the Sahara• Arid climate covers most of North America

The highest temperature ever recorded on Earth was 135 degrees on the northern edge of the Sahara in Libya.

Natural Resources Oil and natural gas are the

region’s most valuable resources.

Oil is found in every country in North Africa (Libya has the most).

Morocco is the world’s largest exporter of sardines (350,000 tons are caught each year).

Egypt is an important cotton and rice producer.

History The first people in North

Africa were hunter-gatherers.

About 3000 BC the great civilization of Egypt grew along the Nile River.

They depended upon the Nile flooding for survival (silt spilling out on the bank.)

Later, as Egyptian power weakened, Phoenicians, Greeks, and the Romans controlled North Africa.

History The Phoenicians set up trading colonies such as Carthage

in what is today Tunisia. Alexander-the-Great founded the city of Alexandria in

Egypt. The Roman Empire became a great power in North Africa

after it destroyed Carthage. The Vandals (from Spain) set up a kingdom that became

what is now Libya. Eventually Arabs swept across North Africa and

conquered Morocco. Most people in North Africa became Muslim and Arabic became the main language of the area.

People and Languages The countries of North Africa share a similar history and

Muslim culture. Almost all people of North Africa consider themselves Arab

(even tribes like the Berbers and the Bedouins). Arabic is the official language of every country in North

Africa. Many people also speak

European languages: French iswidely used in Algeria, Morocco,and Tunisia. Italian is spoken inLibya, and English is used widelyin Egypt.

Settlement and Land Usage Most North Africans live along the Mediterranean coast

or in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains. Exception: Egypt – about 99% of the people live in the

Nile River Valley and Delta. Cairo, the capital of Egypt, is the largest urban area in

North Africa.

Religion Most North Africans are Muslims

(except for small Christian and Jewish minorities).

Islam plays an important role in North African life – prayer 5 times a day, many businesses closed on Fridays, etc.

Wedding celebrations are very important and can last for several days. Women’s and men’s celebrations are held separately except for the last day of the wedding.