What Race Are North Africans?

Are north Africans, white, Black, mixed or Arab? Let’s look at the genetics and origins of people from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and more.

Join me on Patreon

Please support the website & don’t forget to subscribe

Click the texts in red to view these additional videos:

Find out why I’m no longer on YouTube
This is why you should join my Patreon.
What is the difference between race, nationality, ethnicity and culture?

If You liked this please remember to share & leave a comment. Join in the conversation.

---

This website relies on the generosity & kindness of our subscribers & visitors. If you’d like to help us to keep creating hard hitting uncensored content without fear of being silenced, then please consider making a donation or join our Patreon for exclusive live-streams & IKYG family events. Thank you.

The time has come to discuss North Africa, but are they white, Black, Middle Eastern or arab? What are the genetics of countries of Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya?

North African Ethnicity

The North Africa region includes modern-day Morocco, Algeria, Western Sahara and Libya. These countries, along with Mauritania and Tunisia, are often referred to as the Maghreb. It’s an area of stark contrast, with the hospitable Mediterranean coast to the north and the vast, harsh Sahara to the south. In fact, the majority of the population in this region lives within about 50 miles of the Atlantic or Mediterranean coasts.

North African History

Two significant geographic characteristics have helped define northwest Africa. The Atlas Mountains run 1,200 miles from southwest Morocco to the northeast, through northern Algeria into Tunis. They form a natural fence, holding back the second defining feature, the great Sahara Desert, which begins where their southern slopes end and dominates most of Western Sahara, Algeria and Libya. The mountains and the desert also demark cultural enclaves to some extent. The Atlas Mountains remain a bastion of Berber culture, and various nomadic groups still travel the deserts, while Arabic influences are found closer to the coast. With oceans on one side and the world’s largest desert to the other, the great movements of people in North Africa have typically been east to west.

North Africa has seen a long succession of empires come and go. The Phoenicians spread across the North African coast and into the Iberian Peninsula, establishing the city-state of Carthage in 650 B.C. The Romans destroyed Carthage in 146 B.C. and incorporated parts of North Africa into the Republic. The Germanic Vandals ruled portions of North Africa until they were overthrown by the Byzantines. But the most lasting influence came with the Muslim conquests in the 7th century. By 709 A.D., North Africa was under Muslim rule, and the Iberian Peninsula fell in 711. The Arabs brought three lasting influences to the area: language, culture and Islam.

Other dynasties followed: the Berber Almoravids and Almohads, as well as the Ottomans. Eventually European powers set their sights on the coast: France and Spain in Morocco, France in Algeria, and Italy in Libya.

The Berbers

As empires and armies came and went, the indigenous Berber people remained. Evidence of prehistoric people in North Africa goes back millennia. The Berbers have lived in North Africa for thousands of those years. The term Berber has come to refer to the indigenous peoples of North Africa, many of whom speak (or spoke) one of the Berber languages—but they are not a single ethnic group. They call themselves Amazigh or Imazighen (plural) which means, roughly, “free people” or “free men.” Many eventually converted to Islam, and they helped the Muslims take the Iberian Peninsula in 711. But many struggled to maintain a degree of independence. For example, the Berbers of Morocco revolted in 740 and later established their own empires and dynasties.

Arabs and Berbers make up the overwhelming majority of the population throughout the Maghreb today. The primary languages spoken in the region are local dialects of Arabic, followed by various Berber languages and dialects. Islam has been the dominant religious force since the Muslim conquests; however, this region has remained culturally diverse. The traditions of Berber groups have remained strong, especially in the harsher mountain and desert environments.

Migration To And From This Region

While migration to this region tended to be from east to west, both Arabic and Berber traders were heavily involved in the thriving trans-Saharan trade, which brought gold, ivory and enslaved people north and carried salt, cloth and Islam south. The Berbers also occupied much of Spain and Portugal for almost 800 years. Even though they were expelled from Iberia in 1492, there are still traces of North African ancestry in people across Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands, and vice versa.

But What Race Are North Africans?

The genetic history of North Africa has been heavily influenced by geography and invasion. The Sahara desert to the south and the Mediterranean Sea to the North were important barriers to gene flow in prehistoric times. However, Africa is connected to Western Asia via the Isthmus of Suez, whilst, North Africa and Europe are separated by only 9 miles.

Although North Africa has experienced gene flows from the surrounding regions, it has also experienced long periods of genetic isolation, allowing a distinctive genetic “Berber marker” to evolve in the native Berber people. Today, this genetic “Berber marker” is consistently found in the regions and populations that still predominantly speak the Berber languages.

Were The Original North Africans Black?

There has been much debate especially online in regards to the race of the original or indigenous North Africans. Were they Black, white, mixed, arab, or were they their own distinct ethnic and racial group?

In this video we break down all the details and answer the question of what race are North Africans as well as how did North Africans become mixed. 
Comment your thoughts below.