The 7 Largest Empires in History
Published: Feb 27, 2026written by Greg Beyer, BA History & Linguistics, Journalism Diploma Share CiteSummary The British Empire was the largest in history, covering nearly 24% of the world’s land area at its peak. The Mongol Empire created the largest contiguous land empire ever, stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the Danube. The British EmpireThe British Empire in 1921, including territory handed over by the Germans and the Ottomans to the British after WWI. It was the largest contiguous land empire in history, and covered 9.27 million square miles (24 million square kilometers), accounting for over 16% of the world’s land surface. At its height around 1790, the Qing Dynasty controlled 5.68 million square miles (14.7 million square kilometers), representing 10% of the world’s land surface.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 18:21 UTC
Mohamed Rifai’s “Cool” Tops OLT20 in Lebanon and Popnable in Morocco, With Anghami #1s Across the Region
Sung in Egyptian Arabic, Rifai’s performance marked by warmth and emotional clarity connects strongly with listeners drawn to modern Egyptian pop rhythms and cross‑regional pop releases. His credits include standout hits such as “NtiBaghia Wahed” (performed by Saad Lamjarred, 2014) and “Blach Blach” (performed by Jamila, 230M+ YouTube views), while his own collaborations such as “Kifach Nkhalik” with Hind Sdassi have reached 72M+ YouTube views. Connect with Mohamed RifaiInstagram | TikTok | YouTube | SpotifyAbout SS Heliodor AustraliaSS Heliodor is an Australia-based independent record label and creative studio dedicated to developing distinctive Arabic and global crossover artists. SS Heliodor collaborates with emerging and established talent to deliver high-impact singles, music videos, and live experiences that connect Arabic artistry with global platforms. Connect with SS Heliodor AustraliaInstagram | TikTok | YouTubeMedia ContactOlivia Smithproduction@ssheliodor.comView source version on MusicWire: press releaseSOURCE: MusicWire
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 18:19 UTC
This lesser-known African nation is this year’s adventure destination
But those on the far shore were actually across the border in Mauritania, a huge desert country I knew little about at the time. Travel newsletter Your weekly round-up of the best travel inspiration, guides, hotel reviews and advice from our experts. Four times the size of the UK and approaching 90 per cent pure desert, Mauritania straddles the transition zone between north and west Africa. It was then I understood that Mauritania was no longer a mystery, but a destination finally ready for its debut. Finally, ride the world-famous Iron Ore Train for an overnight journey to the Atlantic.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 15:31 UTC
Ordeal of Sahrawis held against their will highlighted in Geneva – The North Africa Post
A high-level conference at the Palais des Nations in Geneva placed long-term displacement in Africa at the centre of discussions, with speakers drawing particular attention to the dire humanitarian conditions in Algeria’s Tindouf camps. The event, held on the sidelines of the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council, was convened by several NGOs with consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council, in coordination with the Sovereign Order of Malta. Representatives of the Order of Malta, Nigerien human rights networks, legal experts, and humanitarian actors from the Democratic Republic of Congo also contributed to the debate. Several participants highlighted territorial development models as a means to stabilize vulnerable regions, pointing to infrastructure investment and improved living standards in Morocco’s southern provinces as an example of resilience-focused planning. The conference also reviewed worsening displacement across the Sahel, driven by armed conflict and climate fragility, including the rising recruitment of children.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 11:28 UTC
Praxis Africa Accelerator Backs 12 Founders to Drive Jobs, Health, Finance and Food Security Across the Continent
Praxis has launched its first Africa Accelerator cohort, bringing together 12 early stage founders who are building businesses that address some of the continent’s most urgent challenges. The organization focuses on making mental health support accessible and culturally relevant in places where professionals are limited. PBR Life Sciences, Fellows Ayodeji Alaran and Adeoye Sobande, is transforming health data access across Africa and emerging markets. Policy Innovation Lab Africa, led by Fellow Carolyn Kandusi, works at the systems level. In digital payments, TapReady, founded by Fellow Gideon Mojolaoluwa, is building mobile native payment infrastructure for emerging markets.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 10:48 UTC
Cazaly Resources secures prospecting licence for the Abenab North project
Cazaly Resources Ltd. has secured an exclusive prospecting licence for the Abenab North project in northern Namibia, expanding its footprint in the highly prospective Otavi Fold Belt, part of the Pan-African Damara Copper Belt. “We believe the project hosts significant potential for discoveries, with several untested magnetic anomalies located within the licence area,” French said. Midas Minerals Ltd., which holds ground in the district, recently reported high-grade sediment-hosted copper intercepts at its Otavi Copper Project, reinforcing the region’s ongoing prospectivity. Cazaly has since reprocessed regional aeromagnetic data over the project area, identifying a large 800-metre-diameter magnetic high known as the Cadix anomaly. Abenab North adds to the growing pipeline of copper and critical minerals exploration projects within Namibia’s northern carbonate platform.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 08:58 UTC
How did Ivory Coast and Ghana’s cocoa sales crisis come about?
Farmers then sell their beans to local collectors at this price, and the collectors in turn sell them on to licensed buyers. After receiving the cocoa, licensed buyers either sell directly to global traders or to local traders who sell on to global traders.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 07:26 UTC
Almost 8,000 migrants died or vanished on routes in 2025: UN
Thousands of people died or went missing along global migration routes last year, the UN migration agency has reported. At least 7,667 people went missing or died on migration routes worldwide last year, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) . In North and South America, fewer people likely attempted dangerous migration routes in 2025, the IOM said. For the third consecutive year, the highest number of deaths on migration routes occurred in Asia and on routes between the Horn of Africa and Yemen and the Gulf states, where nearly 4,000 people died. "The continued loss of life on migration routes is a global failure we cannot accept as normal," said IOM Director General Amy Pope.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 05:42 UTC
Algeria’s pro-separatism diplomacy collapses on Spanish, French and Sahel rocks – The North Africa Post
The change suggests not just tactical adjustments but a broader rethink of how military-run Algiers wants to position itself. When Paris decided to back Morocco’s sovereignty over Sahara, Algeria responded immediately: it recalled its ambassador, froze aspects of security cooperation, arrested a French novelist and a French journalist and hardened its rhetoric. French Interior minister was received in Algiers, and sensitive files, including security, migration and returns of unwanted migrants are back on the table. After Madrid backed Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara, Algeria recalled its ambassador, froze the friendship treaty and announced economic pressure. Disagreements over armed groups in northern Mali and the implementation of the Algiers Accords have led Bamako to question Algeria’s mediation.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 05:13 UTC
King Receives Newly Appointed Ambassadors to Morocco – The North Africa Post
King Mohammed VI received, on Thursday at the Royal Palace in Rabat, newly appointed ambassadors to Morocco. The Diplomats handed the Monarch their credentials as plenipotentiary and extraordinary ambassadors of their countries in the Kingdom. The Monarch thus received Ambassador of the Vatican, Monsignor Alfred Xuereb, Ambassador of India Sanjay Rana; Ambassador of Japan, Nakata Masahiro; Ambassador of Australia, Damien Patrick Donovan; as well as the ambassadors of of several African, European, and Latin American Countries. The Monarch received the ambassadors representing European countries, namely Berit Basse, Ambassador of Denmark; Dirk-Jan Nieuwenhuis, Ambassador of the Netherlands; Valentin Zellweger, Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation; and Gilles Heyvaert, Ambassador of Belgium. The Monarch also received the credentials of Isbeth L. Queil Murcia, Ambassador of Panama; Arnaldo Tomás Ferrari, Ambassador of Argentina; and Marco Tulio Gustavo Chicas Sosa, Ambassador of Guatemala.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 05:09 UTC
Morocco Reclaims Investment Grade Rating, Standing Alone in Africa – The North Africa Post
Morocco has become the first — and currently only — African sovereign to hold an investment grade rating from Standard & Poor’s on the eurobond market, a distinction that marks a significant turning point in the country’s financial standing and its positioning among emerging market economies. The upgrade places Morocco alongside Botswana (BBB), Mauritius, and Saint Helena (BBB-) — well above regional heavyweights such as South Africa (BB), Egypt (B), and Nigeria (B-). GDP growth is projected to average around four percent annually between 2025 and 2028. It is an implicit contract with markets, conditional on continued reforms, debt discipline, and transforming investment into inclusive growth,” warned economist Adnane Benchekroune. The investment grade label, analysts agree, is a credibility milestone — but the harder task of converting it into tangible economic gains lies ahead.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 03:58 UTC
African UN Security Council Members Praise Morocco’s Peace-building Role in CAR – The North Africa Post
Three African non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have formally commended Morocco for organizing a landmark international conference in support of the Central African Republic, reinforcing Rabat’s growing diplomatic role on the continent. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, and Liberia — collectively known as the “A3” — voiced their appreciation during a Security Council briefing on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) held Wednesday in New York. The session focused on progress achieved since the Partners’ Roundtable on the CAR, hosted by Morocco in Casablanca last September. The meeting also provided a platform for Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, to brief the Security Council on peace-building advances in the CAR. On behalf of the Peace-building Commission, he congratulated President Faustin Archange Touadéra on his re-election and on the Central African government’s commitment to democracy and institutional continuity.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 03:48 UTC
North Africa: Firm Taps Biometric Tech to Boost Healthcare Access in N. Africa
Nairobi — A humanitarian initiative in northern Mauritania is leveraging biometric technology to improve healthcare access for thousands of patients without official documentation. HumanCoop, a volunteer-led medical organisation operating in the Tiris Zemmour region, will deploy facial biometric solutions from Identy.io to identify patients during medical missions in Bir Mogrein and Zouerate. By integrating biometric verification tools, the organisation expects to reduce duplicate records, speed up access to patient histories and improve treatment traceability. The initial rollout will establish a biometric patient database in Bir Mogrein, with gradual expansion planned across other operational areas. The initiative reflects a growing trend of humanitarian organisations adopting digital identity solutions to bridge healthcare access gaps for displaced and undocumented populations.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 27, 2026 02:16 UTC
Kim Jong Un vows to strengthen nuclear program, watches military parade with daughter
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to strengthen his country’s nuclear weapons program on Wednesday, before presiding over a nighttime military parade, accompanied by his daughter. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attends a military parade with his daughter, believed to be named Ju Ae, on Wednesday night. Members of North Korea's military march during a military parade involving 14,000 troops in Pyongyang on Wednesday. Rodong Sinmun/KCNANorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un promised to strengthen his country’s nuclear weapons program on Wednesday, before presiding over a nighttime military parade. Rodong Sinmun/KCNAAlongside the promise for more nuclear weapons, Kim also reiterated plans for stronger ICBMs, submarine-launch capabilities, and developments involving drones and artificial intelligence.
Source:The North Africa Journal
February 26, 2026 23:52 UTC
Israel in a New Strategic Era
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Source:The North Africa Journal
February 26, 2026 17:06 UTC