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the world’s largest desert; it dominates much of North Africa
Sahara
the longest river in the world; located in North Africa
Nile River
finely ground fertile soil that is good for growing crops
silt
a high mountain range in northwestern Africa
Atlas Mountains
the capital of Egypt
Cairo
a city in which almost no taxes are placed on goods
Free Port
This writing system used pictures and symbols that stood for ideas or words. Each symbol represented one or more sounds in the Egyptian language.
hieroglyphics
a canal in Egypt that links the Mediterranean and Red seas
Suez Canal
a wave of pro-democracy uprisings that spread throughout Northern Africa and Southwest Asia in 2011
Arab Spring
a ruler who has almost absolute power
Dictator
a marketplace or bazaar in the Islamic world
souk
Following a series of protests in 2011, this country's government made reforms. It lifted a 19-year state of emergency.
Algeria
an ethnic group who are native to North Africa and speak their own language
The Berbers
a region in North Africa that includes western Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco; it means “west” in Arabic
Maghreb
From 1969 to 2011, this country was ruled by a dictator, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. In 2011 pro-democracy protests broke out here.
Libya
In January 2011 protesters forced longtime President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali from power in this country
Tunisia