Why is there no definite article in the phrase "viennent d'Afrique"?

Asked Oct 23 '17 at 00:37

Active Oct 23 '17 at 00:46

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I would like to say, "The immigrants come from Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa." So far I have,

Les immigrés viennent du Maghreb et d'Afrique sub-saharienne.

The contracted article "du" makes sense here, but why is there no definite article before Afrique? I would expect to see either "du", "de la" or even "des" depending on gender and number. What is it that I am missing?

edited Oct 23 '17 at 00:46

asked Oct 23 '17 at 00:37

ktm5124

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Both are correct. It's complicated. – Gilles 'SO nous est hostile' Oct 23 '17 at 00:51
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You say "venir d'Asie" (without an article) to refer to the entire Asian region in general, whereas for just some specific areas of the region in particular, you say (with a definite article) "venir de l'Asie du Sud-Est". – Con-gras-tue-les-chiens Oct 23 '17 at 01:04
@Alone-zee Thank you! That helps, especially since the related thread is mostly in French. – ktm5124 Oct 23 '17 at 01:06

Why is there no definite article in the phrase "viennent d'Afrique"?

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