North Africa, also known as Arab Africa, encompasses the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region.
The most common definition for the region's boundaries includes Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Western Sahara, the territory disputed between Morocco and the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The United Nations’ definition includes all these countries as well as Sudan. The African Union defines the region similarly, only differing from the UN in excluding the Sudan and including Mauritania.
The countries of North Africa are part of the Arab world, as members of the Arab League. Most countries in North Africa use Arabic as at least one of their official languages.
Map of North Africa
Geographic Features of North Africa
North Africa has three main geographic features: the Sahara desert in the south, the Atlas Mountains in the west, and the Nile River and delta in the east.
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South of the Atlas Mountains is the dry and barren expanse of the Sahara desert, the largest sand desert in the world. The Sahara covers the southern part of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, and most of Libya. Most of Egypt is also desert, with the exception of the Nile River and the irrigated land along its banks.
Sheltered valleys in the Atlas Mountains, the Nile Valley and Delta, and the Mediterranean coast are the main sources of fertile farming land. A wide variety of valuable crops including cereals, rice and cotton, and woods such as cedar and cork, are grown. Typical Mediterranean crops, such as olives, figs, dates and citrus fruits, also thrive in these areas.
The People of North Africa
The inhabitants of North Africa are roughly divided in a manner corresponding to the principal geographic regions of North Africa: the Maghreb, the Nile valley, and the Sahel.
The countries making up North Africa all have Modern Standard Arabic as their official language. Additionally, Algeria and Morocco recognize Berber as a second official language after Arabic. French also serves as an administrative language in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
The largest and most numerous ethnic group in North Africa are the Arabs. In Algeria and Morocco, Berbers are the second largest ethnic group after the Arab majority.
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Countries in Northwest Africa
In this article, North Africa is defined as including a total of seven countries. These countries are Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. Instead of going neck deep into all seven, let’s focus on three of the countries in North Africa.
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Spotlight on Select North African Countries
Algeria
Located in the northernmost part of North Africa, the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria is also situated in a part of Africa called the Maghreb Region. The capital city of Algeria is Algiers, which has GPS coordinates of 36°42′ N and 3°13′ E. Algeria encompasses a total of 919,595 square miles.
Approximately 42,579,496 people live in Algeria to date, which makes the North African country’s population density just about 47 people per square mile of area. Algeria is not only the largest African country across all five regions, but Algeria also happens to be the biggest Arab country across the planet.
Compared to every country on a global scale, Algeria ranks in the top ten, securing the title of the tenth largest country in the world. The majority of Algeria’s various dynasties migrated to the country and set up their respective empires after relocating to this North African country, but the one group that has always inhabited Algeria is the Berbers.
Morocco
The North African country of Morocco is situated along the upper northwestern corner of Africa, and as a coastal country, Morocco has direct access to the North Atlantic Ocean, the Strait of Gibraltar, and a slight percentage of the Mediterranean Sea.
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The Western Sahara borders the southwestern part of Morocco, while Algeria is to the east of the North African country. The capital city of Morocco is Rabat. The most commonly spoken languages, aside from the country’s official languages of Berber and Arabic, include French, Spanish, and English.
Roughly 36,569,350 people live in Morocco. The country comprises a total area of 172,317 square miles, which amounts to a population density of about two hundred thirteen people for every square mile of Moroccan land.
Western Sahara
Situated along the coastline of northwestern Africa, the Western Sahara has a beautiful scenic view of the North Atlantic Ocean. Morocco lies to the north of the Western Sahara and Mauritania shares the country’s southernmost border.
The Western Sahara ranks as the one hundred seventieth largest country on Earth when looking solely at the country’s population. As of 2019, it is estimated that the Western Sahara has a population of 580,230 people, which falls below 0.01% of the global population. The total area of the country is about 102,703 square miles.
Population of African Countries (2025 Projection)
Here's a table showcasing the projected populations of African countries in 2025, as per United Nations data:
| # | Country | Population 2025 | Subregion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 237,527,782 | Western Africa |
| 2 | Ethiopia | 135,472,051 | Eastern Africa |
| 3 | Egypt | 118,365,995 | Northern Africa |
| 4 | DR Congo | 112,832,473 | Middle Africa |
| 5 | Tanzania | 70,545,865 | Eastern Africa |
| 6 | South Africa | 64,747,319 | Southern Africa |
| 7 | Kenya | 57,532,493 | Eastern Africa |
| 8 | Sudan | 51,662,147 | Northern Africa |
| 9 | Uganda | 51,384,894 | Eastern Africa |
| 10 | Algeria | 47,435,312 | Northern Africa |
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