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Geoheritage, Geotourism, and Geoparks in North Africa: Current State

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The Geology of North Africa

Part of the book series: Regional Geology Reviews ((RGR))

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Abstract

North Africa has a rich geological history that spans from the Archean to the Quaternary period, which is well reflected in its varied geological and geomorphological landscapes. This region has provided a diverse record of ancient life, including fossils from numerous geological periods. Noteworthy geological features, like the Alpine High Atlas Mountains and the Precambrian West African Craton, traverse multiple North African countries. While these landscapes provide valuable insights into Earth’s history and have significant educational potential, they are largely unknown to the public due to limited research on geoheritage, geoconservation, and geotourism. There has been no comprehensive geoheritage inventory in North Africa, with sporadic local efforts often driven by academic entities. Even though North African nations have legislation to protect cultural and natural heritages, the establishment of geoheritage inventory and protection is nascent. This chapter aligned with the goals of the African Geoparks Network, seeks to highlight the existing knowledge on North African geoheritage and promotes the potential of geosites for socio-economic development via geotourism and geoparks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GOTs, Faculté Polydisciplinaire de Safi, Université Cadi Ayyad, Marrakech, Morocco

    Ezzoura Errami

  2. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Benha University, Farid Nada Street 15, Benha, 3518, Egypt

    Emad S. Sallam

  3. Exploration Department, National Oil Corporation, Benghazi, Libya

    Salah S. El-Ekhfifi & Ahmed M. Muftah

  4. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt

    Samir Z. Kamh

  5. Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Geology Department, University of Tunis El Manar, El Manar, Tunisia

    Kmar Ben Ismail-Lattrache

  6. Faculté Des Sciences, EGGPG, Université Chouaïb Doukkali, El Jadida, Morocco

    Mustapha El Hamidy, Jamal El Kabouri, Aymane El Kaichi & Adil Chatir

  7. Geology Department, Laboratory of Geodynamics, Geology of the Engineer and Planetology, University of Science and Technology Houari Boumedienne, Algiers, Algeria

    Abderahmane Bendaoud

Authors
  1. Ezzoura Errami
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  2. Emad S. Sallam
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  3. Salah S. El-Ekhfifi
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  4. Samir Z. Kamh
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  5. Ahmed M. Muftah
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  6. Kmar Ben Ismail-Lattrache
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  7. Mustapha El Hamidy
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  8. Jamal El Kabouri
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  9. Aymane El Kaichi
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  10. Adil Chatir
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  11. Abderahmane Bendaoud
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emad S. Sallam .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Science, Geology Department, Benha University, Benha, Egypt

    Zakaria Hamimi

  2. Earth Science, University Ferhat Abbas, Sétif1, Sétif, Algeria

    Moulley Charaf Chabou

  3. Faculté Polydisciplinaire de Safi, Cadi Ayyad University, Safi, Morocco

    Ezzoura Errami

  4. Geology Department, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Abdel-Rahman Fowler

  5. Geosciences Department Manager, National Oil Corporation, Tripoli, Libya

    Nuri Fello

  6. Faculty of Earth Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Amara Masrouhi

  7. Geosciences Environnement Cergy, CY Cergy Paris University, Neuville sur Oise, France

    Rémi Leprêtre

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Errami, E. et al. (2024). Geoheritage, Geotourism, and Geoparks in North Africa: Current State. In: Hamimi, Z., et al. The Geology of North Africa. Regional Geology Reviews. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48299-1_21

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