Barbary coast

The Barbary coast is the somewhat dated term for the coast of North Africa from the western border of Egypt to the Atlantic Ocean. It was known by Europeans as a haven for pirates, and many expeditions were undertaken to scour the area and make it less hospitable for these scourges of Mediterranean commerce.

The term Barbary is a form of the more modern adjective Berber, which refers to the dominant tribe in the area. The term Barbary states refers to Tunisia, Tripoli, Algeria, and sometimes Morocco.