Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa comprises the parts of the African continent lying south of the Sahara Desert, which has functioned as a major geographic and historical barrier separating the region from North Africa since roughly 3900 BCE. It spans Central, East, Southern and West Africa. International bodies count its membership differently: the UN Development Programme applies the sub-Saharan classification to 46 of Africa's 55 countries, while the UN, the World Health Organization and the World Bank draw the line slightly differently, producing counts that range from about 46 to 49 depending on the institution. Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Western Sahara are excluded, forming North Africa instead.