Maghreb

Modern Maghreb

The Maghreb (Arabic: المغرب العربيcode: ar is deprecated al-Maġrib al-ʿArabī)^[1] is the western part of the Arab world. It is in North Africa. The term is generally applied to all of Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, but in older Arabic usage meant only the area of the three countries between the high ranges of the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia). Historically, some writers also included Muslim ruled regions in Spain, Portugal, Sicily and Malta in the definition. Malta, in particular, still speaks Maltese, a language based on Maghrebi Arabic. Many Maghrebis (Algeria, Morocco) emigrate to Western Europe (especially the nearby France and Spain).

The Maghreb can be best understood by the many ways the region is both like and unlike other countries around the Mediterranean Sea and the Western Cape in South Africa, and the contrasts with the rest of Africa. The region faces various challenges, including security issues related to terrorism and migration. The population is mainly Arab or of Berber origin, or a mixture of the two. Arabic is the dominant language, but many populations also speak other languages, such as Tamazight. The region has mountain ranges (notably the Atlas), coastal plains, and the Sahara Desert. Historically, it was the westernmost point of the Islamic world, and the term was used to refer to regions beyond Egypt. Couscous is an emblematic dish of the region. The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) is a regional organization for political and economic cooperation, which includes Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

Maghreb Media

Maghreb (orthographic projection)
Maghreb head ornament (Morocco)
Roman trireme on a mosaic in the Bardo Museum, Tunisia
Theater in the Roman town of Cuicul in Djemila
The Great Mosque of Kairouan, founded by the Arab general Uqba Ibn Nafi (in 670), is the oldest mosque in the Maghreb city of Kairouan, Tunisia.
Comparison of Africa in 1880 and 1913, showing the "Scramble for Africa" by the European powers. Until the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire loosely controlled the area east of Morocco.
Dwarf fan palm, grown in Maghrebi countries
Berber village in the High Atlas mountains of Morocco
Taghit oasis in Grand Erg Occidental
El Gour in El Bayadh Province, Algeria