| Tell Atlas | |
|---|---|
 View of the southern slopes of the Haizer Range in theDjurdjura Mountains | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Lalla Khedidja |
| Elevation | 2,308 m (7,572 ft) |
| Coordinates | 36°0′0″N2°0′0″E / 36.00000°N 2.00000°E /36.00000; 2.00000[1] |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 1,500 km (930 mi) E/W |
| Width | 115 km (71 mi) N/S |
| Naming | |
| Native name | الاطلس التلي' (Arabic) |
| Geography | |
  Tell Atlas | |
| Countries | Morocco,Algeria andTunisia |
| Parent range | Atlas Mountains |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Alpine orogeny |
| Rock age | Miocene |
| Rock type | Crystallinemetamorphic |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | unknown |
| Easiest route | drive |
TheTell Atlas (Arabic:الاطلس التلي,al-ʾaṭlas al-tlī) is a mountain chain over 1,500 km (932 mi) in length, belonging to theAtlas mountain ranges inNorth Africa, stretching mainly across northernAlgeria, ending in north-easternMorocco and north-westernTunisia.
The ranges of this system have an average elevations of about 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and form a natural barrier between the Mediterranean and theSahara. Its highest summit is the 2,308 m (7,572 ft) highLalla Khedidja in theDjurdjura Range.[2]
Several large cities such as the Algerian capital,Algiers, with ~1,500,000 residents (2005) and Oran with ~770,000 residents (2005) lie at the base of the Tell Atlas. The Algerian cityConstantine with approximately 505,000 residents (2005) lies 80 km inland and directly in the mountains at 650 meters in elevation. A number of smaller towns and villages are situated within the Tell; for example,Chiffa is nestled within the Chiffa gorge.
The Tell Atlas runs parallel to theMediterranean coast. Together with theSaharan Atlas to the south, it forms the northernmost of two more or less parallel ranges which approach one another towards theeast, remaining quite distinct from one another inWestern Algeria and merging inEastern Algeria. At the western end, it ends at theRif andMiddle Atlas ranges in Morocco. The Tell Atlas is also a distinct physiographic section of the largerAtlas Mountains province, which in turn is part of the largerAfrican Alpine Systemphysiographic division.
The Tell Atlas and the Saharan Atlas form two natural barriers, the first against theMediterranean and the second against theSahara. Between them lies the valley of theChelif and various lesser rivers.
South of the Tell Atlas is the high plateau of theHautes Plaines (~1000 m in elevation) with level terrain where water collects during the wet season, forming large shallow salt lakes which becomesalt flats as they dry. Agriculture includes grazing of sheep and goats on the grass in better-watered high plateau areas and some farming; dry-land barley is grown there.[3]
TheChelif is a 725 km long river with headwaters in the Tell Atlas to its discharge into the Mediterranean. The Chelif is characterized by an extremely fertile valley. Other noteworthy rivers having their sources in this range are theMedjerda and theSeybouse River.Only seasonal streams flow south from the Tell Atlas.
The Tell Atlas has a typicalMediterranean climate, warm with dry summers and mild, rainy winters with snow at upper elevations. As a consequence, the northern slopes of the Tell Atlas are forested with theendemicAbies numidica, andAtlas cedar,pine, andcork oak. In the summer a hot, dry wind, theSirocco, blows north from the Sahara across the Tell Atlas, causing dusty, dry conditions along the northern coast of Africa.
Despite the arid climate, some agriculture for barley and wheatfarming is found in the Tell Atlas region.[4] TheChiffa gorge is situated within the Tell Atlas; this location is one of the few remaining habitats for theendangeredprimate, theBarbary macaque,Macaca sylvanus.[5]
Media related toTell Atlas at Wikimedia Commons| Tell Atlas | |
|---|---|
| Saharan Atlas | |
| Saharan massifs | |
| Peaks | |
