Practically Europe, only with the Arabs and the Sahara – this is a brief portrait of North Africa, the region, most of which is given over to the rule of endless sands and eternal silence, and the smaller part is green for the needs of tourists, acceptable for life and well-maintained in every possible way. Here are the largest states of the continent – Algeria, Sudan and Libya, the “monsters” of the tourist industry – Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco and a couple of miserable territories, some of which still will not formalize their independence (Western Sahara), others – having issued, do not know what to do with do it (South Sudan).
North Africa is the best destination for those who want to immerse themselves in an authentic Moorish-Berber atmosphere, with all its attractive attributes: coffee pots with curved noses, red-walled palaces in the middle of the sands, aching lute melodies and a crazy black starry sky, a high dome leaning over the sighing earth. At the same time, which is no less important, if you are not yet ready to completely break away from civilization, all the components of life in a European way are present: both modern hotels, many of which easily plug their “colleagues” from the Old World into the belt, and excellent roads with signs to Latin, and in general the rules of life of the local population – not without original quirks, of course, but on the whole very reasonable from the point of view of a European.
Let’s go over briefly the list of tourist attractions in North Africa. Firstly, this is one of the world’s most popular beach holiday destinations. The Mediterranean beaches here are wide, with fine white sand (except for a few rocky areas of the coast), and the entry into the water is usually gentle, which is extremely convenient for the smallest and for those who swim like an ax. The most “inhabited” states in the sense of the beach are the familiar Egypt and Tunisia., did not visit which except lazy. Secondly, North Africa has an amazingly rich “excursion”, both historical and natural. An impressive layer of excursion interest is made up of ancient Egyptian monuments, Phoenician and Roman colonies (the latter are collectively called the Proconsular Province of Africa) – from the Valley of the Kings and ancient Carthage to the magnificent Leptis Magna. As for nature, the landscapes here fascinate even skeptics, and the coniferous forests of Tabarka, and the olive chess fields, and the cracked crust of the lifeless Tanezruft, “the land of fear and thirst”, can be seen without crossing any borders, moreover – during the light day.
Finally, let’s mention the urgent tourism matters – what to eat in the countries of North Africa and what to take away as a keepsake. There are two gastronomic pillars here (and both are more Arabic than African) – sharpness and sweetness. Hot peppers and a lot of aromatic spices are indispensable components of North African dishes, so when you go here on vacation, you should learn how to say the local “I, please, not spicy at all.” Well, sweets here are akin to domestic nuts and seeds: if you have a free minute – eat baklava, if there is no time – eat baklava on the run. Souvenirs of North Africa are Berber mats and red fez hats, flower essences, dates and olive oil, leather shoes and openwork bird cages, painted ceramics and blown “cracked” glass… Yes, and be sure to grab some sand from Sahara – draw grooves.
According to Countryaah, North Africa has the following countries:
- Algeria
- Egypt
- Morocco
- Tunisia
