North Africa

Introduction
Ancient North Africa
- Early humans and Stone Age society
- The Carthaginian period
  - The Phoenician settlements
  - Carthaginian supremacy
  - Trade
  - Wars outside Africa
  - Treatment of subject peoples
  - Political and military institutions
- The city
  - Religion and culture
  - Carthage and Rome
  - The Greeks in Cyrenaica
- The rise and decline of native kingdoms
- Roman North Africa
  - Administration and defense
  - The growth of urban life
  - Economy
  - Later Roman Empire
  - Christianity and the Donatist controversy
  - Extent of Romanization
  - The Vandal conquest
  - The Byzantine period
  - Roman Cyrenaica
From the Arab conquest to 1830
- Khārijite Berber resistance to Arab rule
- The Maghrib under Muslim dynasties in the 8th–11th centuries
  - The Rustamid state of Tāhart
  - The Banū Midrār of Sijilmāssah
  - The Idrīsids of Fez
  - The Aghlabids
  - The Fāṭimids and Zīrids
- The Maghrib under the Almoravids and the Almohads
- Political fragmentation and the triumph of Islamic culture (c. 1250–c. 1500)
- The Maghrib from about 1500 to 1830
  - Morocco under sharifian dynasties
  - Ottoman rule in the Maghrib
North Africa after 1830
- Advent of European colonialism
- Nationalist movements

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Map of the Carthaginian Empire in the western Mediterranean region, showing Carthaginian territory in 265 BC in green, territorial losses by 238 BC in pink, and territorial gains by 219 BC in orange. The map highlights locations across North Africa, southern Spain, and several Mediterranean islands, with major cities such as Carthage, Gades, and Carthago Nova marked.

The rise and fall of the Carthaginian empire

Historical map showing the territories of the last medieval Berber (Amazigh) dynasties in North Africa during the 13th and 14th centuries, shaded in purple. The map labels the Marinid Dynasty in present-day Morocco, the Zayyanid Dynasty in western Algeria, and the Hafsid Dynasty in eastern Algeria, Tunisia, and western Libya. Major cities such as Fez, Marrakech, Tlemcen, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli are marked, as well as surrounding regions including parts of southern Spain, Portugal, and Medite

Map showing the Atlas Mountains across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia in North Africa, with color shading to indicate elevation changes. Major mountain ranges, cities, rivers, and physical features such as the High Atlas, Anti-Atlas, Saharan Atlas, and surrounding deserts are labeled. An inset locator map highlights the region's position in northern Africa.

Map of the Sahara Desert region in northern Africa showing physical features such as mountain ranges, plateaus, major sand areas, and elevation with color shading. Country boundaries, major cities, and select spot elevations are labeled. An inset locator map highlights the Sahara's position within Africa and the Mediterranean region.

Discuss different irrigation methods used in northern Africa such as shadoofs, water scoops, and modern pumps

Related Questions

North Africa

region, Africa

Written by

Michael BrettAll

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 12, 2026 •History

North Africa, region of Africa comprising the modern countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. The geographic entity North Africa has no single accepted definition. It has been regarded by some as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Morocco in the west to the Suez Canal and the Red Sea in the east, though this designation is more commonly referred to as northern Africa. Others have limited it to the countries of Morocco, Algeria, and...

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