The Maghreb (Arabic: المغرب العربي, Berber: Tamazgha) is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It comprises five countries— Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania—and the disputed territory of Western Sahara (mostly controlled by Morocco). During Al-Andalus era in Spain, the Maghreb's inhabitants, Maghrebis, were known as "Moors".
Historical terms for the region are Numidia (in the early modern era) and Libya or Africa in classical antiquity. The term maghrib is in origin an Arabic word for "west, occident", denoting the westernmost territories that fell to the Islamic conquests of the 7th century. Today, it is used as a proper noun denoting the Maghreb, also known as المغرب العربي al-maghrib al-ʻarabīy "the Arab Maghreb" or المغرب الكبير al-maghrib al-kabīr "the great Maghreb" in Arabic. The definite form al-maghrib is used for the country of Morocco in particular. The popular Berber language alternative term for al-maghrib, popularized by Berber activists in the last quarter of the 20th century is Tamazgha.
The Maghreb (Arabic: المغرب العربي, Berber: Tamazgha) is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It comprises five countries— Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania—and the disputed territory of Western Sahara (mostly controlled by Morocco). During Al-Andalus era in Spain, the Maghreb's inhabitants, Maghrebis, were known as "Moors".
Historical terms for the region are Numidia (in the early modern era) and Libya or Africa in classical antiquity. The term maghrib is in origin an Arabic word for "west, occident", denoting the westernmost territories that fell to the Islamic conquests of the 7th century. Today, it is used as a proper noun denoting the Maghreb, also known as المغرب العربي al-maghrib al-ʻarabīy "the Arab Maghreb" or المغرب الكبير al-maghrib al-kabīr "the great Maghreb" in Arabic. The definite form al-maghrib is used for the country of Morocco in particular. The popular Berber language alternative term for al-maghrib, popularized by Berber activists in the last quarter of the 20th century is Tamazgha.