North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, Mauritania, and Western Sahara[1]
The Spanish plazas de soberanía (exclaves) are on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, surrounded by Morocco on land.
The Spanish Canary Islands and Portuguese Madeira Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean are northwest of the African mainland and sometimes included in this region.[citation needed] The Maghreb includes Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, and Libya. The disputed territory Western Sahara (under Moroccan control) is generally included. North Africa generally is often included in common definitions of the Middle East, as both regions make up the Arab World. In addition, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt is part of Asia, making Egypt a transcontinental country.
The distinction between Northern Africa and the rest of Africa is historically significant because of the effective barrier created by the Sahara. Throughout history this barrier has culturally separated the North from the rest of Africa and, as the seafaring civilizations of the Phoenecians, Greeks, Romans and others facilitated communication and migration across the Mediterranean, the cultures of North Africa became much more closely tied to Southwestern Asia and Europe than Sub-Saharan Africa.
