N. Africa & SW Asia:
Region-MAGHREB
Physical Geography
Cultural Geography
Economic Geography
Historical Geography
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Historical Geography
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[The text of the following was written by Scott Girhard, San Antonio College from his online course GEOG 1301 World Geography. Used with permission.]
The countries of northwestern Africa are collectively called the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia). Libya faces the Mediterranean between the Maghreb and Egypt and is an oil rich desert state whose population is almost entirely clustered in settlements along the coast. The Atlas mountains form the Nucleus of the settled Maghreb. These high ranges wrest from the rising air enough orographic rainfall to sustain life in the intervening valleys where good soils support productive farming. From the vicinity of Algiers eastward along the coast of Tunisia, annual rainfall averages more than 30 inches, three times the amount recorded at Alexandria in Egypt’s Nile Delta. Where the highlands of the Atlas terminate, desert conditions begin. Eastward two major ranges appear that dominate the landscapes of Algeria proper. The Tell Atlas to the north, facing the Mediterranean and the Saharan Atlas to the south, overlooking the great desert between these two mountain chains each consisting of several parallel ranges and foothills, lies a series of intermountain basins, drier than the northward, facing slopes of the Tell Atlas. In these valleys, the rain shadow effect of the Tell Atlas is reflected not only in the steppe-like natural vegetation but also in land use patterns. The countries of the Maghreb are sometimes referred to as the Barbary States. The regions oldest inhabitants are the Berbers. Berbers livelihood consists of nomadic pastoralism, hunting and farming. Phoenicians and Romans conquered territory building towns and roads, laid out farm fields and irrigation canals and introduced new methods of cultivation. Arabs conquered demanding allegiance to Islam forming an Arab Berber alliance (the Moors). During European colonial era, over a million Europeans settled here, most of them French recognizing the agriculture possibilities of the Tell’s vast Mediterranean agriculture. These agricultural products include wines, dates, olives, oranges, citrus groves, wheats and barleys.
Nationalism emerged as a powerful force and a costly revolutionary war gripped Algeria from 1954 to 1962. Oil discovered in Algeria in 1956 by the French contributed to the economy. Negotiations of Algerian independence guaranteed retention of Frances position in Saharan oil. North Africans have been emigrating to Europe, primarily to France, in search of work. At least 1.5 million North Africans reside in Europe. Algeria and Tunisia face a rising tide of Islamic fundamentalism as their economies have weakened.
Libya is small in population, large in area, rich in oil and not much else. Oil was discovered in 1959 when concessions were granted to many small oil companies as opposed to large oil companies in the Persian Gulf. It was a very high quality “sweet” (low sulfur content) crude in contrast with heavier Persian Gulf crudes. It’s oil was perfect for automobiles and other environmentally suited products. At one point Libya was producing more oil than Saudi Arabia. In 1969 a group of radical young officers led by Muammar Al-Qaddafi, seized control in a coup and demanded an increase in the posted price of oil. After tense negotiations with Occidental Petroleum (led by Armund Hammer) Libya’s share of profit from oil increased to 55 percent. The Libyan agreements decisively changed the balance of power between governments of producing countries and the foreign oil companies for other oil-producing countries in the realm. It had an emboldening effect which would have far reaching consequences down the road. Money derived from oil has built up the country’s military and support revolutionary Arab causes elsewhere in the realm. It has also built up support of the Sudan’s reconstruction as an Islamic Republic and support of Islamic fundamentalism in Egypt and elsewhere.
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