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France controlled and colonized the region of the Barbary Coast along North Africa’s western waterfront, including Algeria, Tunisia, and parts of Morocco. North Africa was later dominated by European colonialism. After the fall of the Roman Empire, common bonds of religion and language were created for the people through the invasion of the Arabs, who introduced the Islamic faith. The Romans built ports, aqueducts, roads, and valuable infrastructure. The Roman Empire controlled much of the coastal area of the Mediterranean during its zenith. The historical geography of North Africa is not complete without an understanding of the European influences that have dominated or controlled this region for centuries.

Islamic architecture and influence remain part of the heritage of Iberia. Islam was eventually pushed out of the Iberian Peninsula and held south of the Strait of Gibraltar. The Islamic influence thrived in Iberia and would have continued into mainland Europe if not stopped by Christian forces such as Charles Martel’s army in the famous Battle of Tours. The Arab-Berber alliance, called the Moors, invaded Spain in 711 CE. Islam diffused through North Africa to the Berber people of the Maghreb and entered Europe across the Strait of Gibraltar to the Iberian Peninsula. Map courtesy of University of Texas Libraries. The three main areas of interest are the Maghreb of the northwest the Nile River valley in the east and the African Transition Zone, where the Sahara Desert transitions into the tropical type A climates of Central Africa’s equatorial region. Modern Egypt has become the cornerstone of the Arab world more Arabs live in Cairo than in any other city on Earth. When Islam diffused into North Africa, the Arab influence and culture were infused with it. Historically, the ethnicity of North Africa was predominantly Berber with the nomadic Tuareg and other local groups interspersed. Today, it is a Muslim-dominated realm with Arabic as its primary language. North Africa’s primary connection with the Middle East and Central Asia is that Islam diffused to North Africa from the Middle East and Central Asia.