Genetic history of North Africa

Common card · No. 496079

The most important source of gene flow to North Africa from the Neolithic Era onwards was from Western Asia, whereas the Sahara Desert to the south and the Mediterranean Sea to the north formed barriers to gene flow from the rest of Africa (sub-Saharan Africa) and parts of Europe in prehistory. North Africa is connected to Western Asia via the Isthmus of Suez and the Sinai Peninsula, while at the Straits of Gibraltar, North Africa and Europe are separated by only 15 km (9 mi), similarly Malta, Sicily, Canary Islands, Lampedusa and Crete are close to the coasts of North Africa, with the indigenous Guanche people of the Canary Islands being North African Berbers. North Africa is a genetically heterogenous and diverse region, and is characterized by its diverse ethno-linguistic groups, the main ones being Arabic and Berber-speaking people. Although historically and sociologically this consideration is assumed, no genetic differences have been reported between Arabs and Berbers when analyzing...

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