Overview of North Africa

Quick Overview

North Africa is, as its name suggests, the northernmost part of the African continent bordering the Mediterranean. It is sometimes also called the Maghreb, although this designation theoretically only refers to Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Countries of North Africa

• Algeria: the largest country in the region, rich in natural and cultural assets, but its tourist appeal has long been affected by a not always straightforward situation.

• Egypt: halfway between Africa and the Middle East in many respects. A huge cultural and tourist potential undermined by recent events for some time now.

• Libya: all tourist travel throughout the country is formally discouraged for security reasons.

• Morocco: deserts, the Atlas Mountains, a vast heritage, plus Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines for this country, which remains one of the world's top tourist destinations.

• Tunisia: the smallest country in the region with an undeniable tourist tradition that, after liberating itself through its Arab Spring, now unfortunately faces an Islamist threat.

Note that beyond these countries, North Africa is sometimes considered to include other areas such as Sudan or Mauritania. Similarly, Morocco includes two Spanish enclaves within its territory, Ceuta and Melilla, as well as Western Sahara, which is claimed by both Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

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Tourism

With Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt, North Africa has enormous tourist potential, which has been widely exploited for decades despite the ups and downs of history. However, due to recent events and local situations, tourist numbers have declined somewhat compared to the past. Overall, Morocco is faring the best, unlike Egypt, which is still struggling.

(): reference year - Sources: UNWTO and others