In tropical West to Central Africa, from coastal southern Morocco and the Senegal River to the central Congo River basin, its range is almost continuous.[1][7] In northeastern Africa the redbelly tilapia occurs throughout much of the Nile basin, from its delta in northern Egypt to Lake Albert in DR Congo–Uganda, as well Lake Turkana in Ethiopia–Kenya; it is not native to the other African Great Lakes, although it has been introduced to some of them.[3][3][4] In the Maghreb and Sahara where fewer aquatic habitats are available, the range is much more spotty but with several relict populations in seasonal rivers, lakes and oasis (gueltas).[7][8] Outside Africa, its natural distribution is limited to the Jordan River system, including Lake Tiberias (Kinneret), in Israel, Jordan and Syria, as well as coastal systems in Israel.[3][9]