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Africa, Northern

Medical Definition: The geographical area of Africa comprising ALGERIA; EGYPT; LIBYA; MOROCCO; and TUNISIA. It includes also the vast deserts and oases of the Sahara. It is often referred to as North Africa, French-speaking Africa, or the Magreb. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p856)
Guide Notes: = Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia collectively: prefer specifics; titles often refer to the Maghreb or Maghrib, the Arabic name for Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia & sometimes Libya collectively: check text for possible specificity, otherwise index unde
Also Called: Sahara
Africa, Northern Categories.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Algeria - A country in northern Africa between MOROCCO and LIBYA. Its capital is Algiers. It was known to the Romans as Numidia. From 430 A.D. until 1942 it was successively in the hands of the Vandals, the Eastern Roman Empire, the Arabs, the Ottoman Empire, and the French, and gained independence in 1962. The country took its name from its capital, from the Arabic al (the) + jaza'ir (islands), with reference to four islands lying off the coast at Algiers but joined to the mainland by 1525. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p31 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p14)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Egypt - A republic in northwest Africa. Its capital is Cairo. It was a very ancient kingdom which, by ca. 3000 B.C., was one of the early civilizations of the ancient world. It was the center of Hellenistic culture 330-323 B.C. and part of the Roman Empire from 30 B.C. until 640 A.D.
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Libya - A country in northern Africa. Its capital is Tripoli. The general geographical area has been known since ancient times to the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans. Although the name is ancient and appeared in Egyptian hieroglyphics as early as 2000 B.C., the meaning is not known. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p668)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Morocco - A kingdom in northern Africa, west of ALGERIA. Its capital is Rabat. It was known to the Romans as Mauretania, part of the Carthaginian empire (not to be confused with the modern MAURITANIA, a country of western Africa). Morocco was invaded by the Muslims in the 7th century A.D. It engaged in hostilities with England, France, and Spain from 1662 to 1911. The country gained independence in 1956. The name is from the Arabic marukus, the name of the former capital Marrakech, from a Berber word meaning fortified. The Arabic name for Morocco is al-magrib al-aasa, the far west. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p708, 792 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p362)
Canadian Medical Guide Definition Tunisia - A republic in northern Africa between ALGERIA and LIBYA. Its capital is Tunis, which occupies the site of ancient Carthage. Tunisia became a French protectorate in 1881 but was reorganized in 1922. France recognized its independence in 1956. The country takes its name from the capital, which some authorities derive from the name of the Phoenician goddess Tanith, the meaning of which is uncertain. (Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p1235 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p558)

Africa, Northern Medical Definitions and Terms

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