The Mediterranean woodlands and forests occupy an area of 357,900 square kilometers (138,200 sq mi) in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, the Spanish plazas de soberanía, and Libya.

The main portion of the ecoregion extends along the coastal plains and hills of the Maghreb, from near Agadir on the Atlantic coast of Morocco in the west to Sfax on the Gulf of Gabes in Tunisia.

Native carnivores include the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) red fox (Vulpes vulpes), common jackal (Canis aureus), caracal (Felis caracal), common genet (Genetta genetta), and Egyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon).

Subspecies of the great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major numidus) and grey shrike (Lanus meridionalis algeriensis) are endemic to the ecoregion and the adjacent Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests.

It is home to several large cities, including Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, and Fez in Morocco, Algiers and Oran in Algeria, Tunis in Tunisia, and Benghazi in Libya.