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This Big Year will be conducted on the African mainland, including birds occurring within 200 nautical miles (370 km) off the continent. It includes all islands occurring within 200 nautical miles off the African mainland but excludes those areas of the European and Asian continents and its associated islands situated within the 200 nautical miles range.

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In the Mediterranean this excludes Malta (288 km from the closest African coast) and the nearby Italian island of Lampedusa (127 km from the African coastline), as well as Pantelleria (71 km from the African continent).  All these islands are generally included within Europe, if grouped with any continent at all. Cyprus, admitted to the EU in 2004, is also excluded. It also excludes the Greek North Aegean Islands and the Dodecanese islands which are situated on the Asian continental shelf off Turkey.

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American Birding Association (ABA) Recording Rules:

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(ii) A subarea of the ABA Area, or other prescribed area, is as defined by its legal boundaries. If not legally defined otherwise, it includes adjacent waters (rivers, lakes, bays, sounds, etc.) out to half the distance to a neighboring area, but not beyond 200 miles.

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(iii) Birds observed on or over an ocean are counted for the area having jurisdiction over the nearest land, if within 200 miles.

 

In the Strait of Gibraltar Europe and Africa are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.3 km) of ocean at the strait's narrowest point. This means that birds seen here within 3.85 nautical miles or 7.15 km off the African coast may be included, whereas those north of the imaginary halfway boundary are excluded.

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The land border between Africa and Asia is the Suez Canal. The usual line taken to divide Africa from Asia today is at the Isthmus of Suez, the narrowest gap between the Mediterranean and Gulf of Suez, the route today followed by the Suez Canal. This makes the Sinai Peninsula geographically Asian, and Egypt a transcontinental country.

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In the Atlantic the area includes the inshore islands off the west coast of Africa: Bioko, São Tomé, Príncipe and Annobón in the Gulf of Guinea, as well as the Canary islands, as these islands are all situated within 200 nautical miles of the African mainland. It excludes oceanic islands such as Ascension, St Helena, Tristan da Cunha, Gough, and the West African offshore islands such as the Cape Verdes, Madeira and the Azores.

Distances: 200 Nautical miles = 370km

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Distance from African mainland:

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Zanzibar                                            36 km             Included

Bioko                                                 40 km             Included

Pemba                                               50 km             Included

Socotra                                              80 km             Included

Canary                                             100 km             Included

São Tomé                                        240 km             Included

Príncipe                                           250 km             Included

Annobon                                         350 km             Included

Madagascar                                    400 km             Excluded

Mayotte                                           514 km             Excluded

Madeira                                            660 km            Excluded

Cape Verdes                                    643 km            Excluded

Marion                                              1769 km          Excluded

Gough                                              2700 km          Excluded

Tristan da Cunha                             2800 km          Excluded

St Helena                                         3134 km          Excluded

 

The ABA’s African Region excludes the Comoro Islands, which are situated in the Indian Ocean Region, although the islands of Grand Comoro (Ngazidja) and Mohéli (Mwali) fall within the 200 nautical miles (370 km) limit off the African continent.