Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2019
North Africa (NA) is defined as the northernmost geographical region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara from the south and separated from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea. It encompasses five countries from east to west: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco; these are also known as Maghreb countries. From the political point of view, at the regional level, Mauritania is considered part of the Maghreb. The current population size is estimated to be around 75 million. A set of features affects markedly the prevalence and distribution of the genetic diseases in the region. The demographic features include high population growth rates, high birth rates, and high infant mortality rates. The family structure was as large as that of Arab families, with more than six children per woman until the middle of the twentieth century. Nowadays, North African (NAf) families show reduced rates of fertility that reach their lowest point at 1.06 children per decade in Tunisia (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2010).
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