- Ahaggar Mountains
Geobox|Range
name=Ahaggar Mountains
image_caption=Anoasis in the Ahaggar Mountains
country=Algeria
region_type=
region=
parent=
highest=Mount Tahat
highest_elevation=3003
highest_lat_d=23|highest_lat_m=17|highest_lat_s=|highest_lat_NS=N
highest_long_d=05|highes_long_m=31|highest_long_s=|highest_long_EW=E
map_caption=Infobox_protected_area | name = Ahaggar National Park
iucn_category = II
caption = Locator map
locator_x =
locator_y =
location =Tamanrasset Province ,Algeria
nearest_city =Tamanrasset
lat_degrees =
lat_minutes =
lat_seconds =
lat_direction =
long_degrees =
long_minutes =
long_seconds =
long_direction =
area = 3,800km²
established = 1987
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body ="This article is about the Ahaggar Mountains. For the tribe, see
Ahaggar Tuareg Tribe ."The Ahaggar Mountains (Tuareg: idurar uhaggar), also known as the Hoggar, are a highland region in central
Sahara , or southernAlgeria near theTropic of Cancer . They are located about 1,500 km (900 mi) south of the capital,Algiers and just west ofTamanghasset . The region is largely rockydesert with an average altitude of more than 900 metres (2,953 feet) above sea level. The highest peak is at 3,003 meters (Mount Tahat ).Assekrem is a famous and often visited point where le Père de Foucauld lived in the summer of 1905.Description
The mountain range is mostly volcanic rock and contains a hot summer climate, with a cold winter climate (temperature fall below 0°C in the winter). The mountains are young--about 2 million years old. Rainfall is rare and sporadic. However, since the climate is less extreme than most other areas of the Sahara, the Ahaggar Mountains are a major location for
biodiversity and hostrelict species. The Ahaggar Mountains compose theWest Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion .The main city nearby the Ahaggar isTamanghasset , built in a desert valley orwadi .Today, the Ahaggar region is a prime tourist destination in Algeria.
Cultural significance
The Ahaggar massif is the land of the
Tuareg s or Kel Ahaggar. The tomb ofTin Hinan , the god believed to be the ancestor of the Tuareg is located atAbalessa , an oasis near Tamanghasset. According to legend, the origins of Tim Lam are fromTafilalt region in the MoroccanAtlas Mountains .National park
It is also one of the national parks of the country.
Gallery
See also
*
Ecotourism
*Saharan rock art References
External links
*fr [http://www.cybersahara.com/article.php3?id_article=33 A website about the park]
* [http://www.unep-wcmc.org/wdpa/sitedetails.cfm?siteid=23177&level=nat Park data on UNEP-WPMC]
*coord|22|50|N|5|20|E (Location of the national park)
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