- Saharan Atlas
The Saharan Atlas of
Algeria is the eastern portion of theAtlas Mountains . Not as tall as theGrand Atlas ofMorocco they are far more imposing than theTell Atlas range that runs closer to the coast. The tallest peak in the range is the 2236 m highDjebel Aissa .The Saharan Atlas includes a series of shorter ranges: the "Amour", "Ksour" and "Ouled-Naïl" Mountains. The Tell Atlas and the Saharan Atlas merge in the east to join together into the "Tébessa" and "Medjerda "mountains.
The Saharan Atlas is one of the vast plateaus of
Africa , formed of ancient base rock covered by the sediment of shallow seas and alluvial deposits.Encyclopædia Britannica , 2005]Among the rivers of the Atlas, the Saharan Atlas feeds
wadi s. Among these are the "Chelif " and "Touil " wadis, riverbeds that contains water only during wet periods, respectively draining the "Amour" and "Ouled-Naïl" ranges of the Saharan Atlas.The Saharan Atlas Mountains mark the northern edge of the
Sahara Desert . The mountains see some rainfall and are better suited to agriculture than theplateau region to the north. Today most of the population of the region areChaoui Berbers. The mountains have also long been home to exiles expelled from the fertile coastal regions.The Sahara desert is one of the largest in the world.References
The Saharan Atlas ( Morocco) visit: www.atlasandsaharatours.com
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
