This is a list of freshwater ecoregions in Africa and Madagascar, as identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The WWF divides the Earth's land surface into ecoregions, defined as "large area[s] of land or water containing a distinct assemblage of natural communities and species". Ecoregions are grouped into bioregions, "a complex of ecoregions that share a similar biogeographic history, and thus often have strong affinities at higher taxonomic levels (e.g. genera, families)." The Earth's land surface is divided into eight biogeographic realms. Most of Africa lies in the Afrotropical realm, although the freshwater ecoregions of North Africa have much in common with the Palearctic.