Middle Atlas
The Middle Atlas (
The Barbary macaque is native to the Middle Atlas, and chief populations occur only in restricted range in parts of Morocco and Algeria. Snow persists in the Middle Atlas in the winter and can appear starting at 600 m above sea level.
Geography and ecology
The Middle Atlas provinces cover 23,000 km2 in area, and comprise 18% of the total mountainous surface of Morocco. The provinces of
lie in the Middle Atlas region. Béni Mellal on the Oum Er-Rbia River is designated "the doorway to the Middle Atlas".The Middle Atlas is a solid mountainous mass of 350 km in length in the north-east of
Its geo-morphologic structure is:
- Primarily limestone.
- Tabled rock in the west, running to elevations of 800 to 1,000 metres.
- Folded rock toward the northeast and running to elevations exceeding 3000 m, with a highest point, the Jbel Bou Naceur at 3340 m.
- Interspersed with volcanic plateaus.
Over the mountain slopes, extensive forests of
The Middle Atlas is crossed by one of the principal access roads to the south of Morocco, connecting Fes with
The highest point of the Middle Atlas is Jbel Bou Naceur (3340 m). 15 km north west lies second highest mountain massif of Moussa ou Sabel (3172 m) and Jbel Bou Iblane (3081 m), which lies close to Immouzer Marmoucha.
Climate
Because of its elevation, the Middle Atlas experiences snow during the winter months and a cool climate during the summer. The town of Ifrane enjoys sufficient snow during the winter months that it provides accommodations quite rare in Africa: it is a ski resort.
Major catchments
The Middle Atlas includes four major catchment areas:
- The basin of Sebou: of a surface of approximately 40,000 km2, discharging to the Atlantic Ocean.
- The basin of Oum Errabiaa: extends on a surface from 35,000 km2, discharging to the Atlantic Ocean.
- The basin of Bou Regreg: cover a surface of about 10,000 km2, discharging to the Atlantic Ocean.
- The basin of Moulouya: takes its source in the Almssid region and drains both the Middle and the High Atlas, with a watershed of 74,000 km2, discharging to the Mediterranean.
The Middle Atlas contributes abundant and the relatively regular flows to these rivers. Reservoirs have been developed for flood control, to improve tourism, and to create water reserves supporting the development of the arboriculture important to the agricultural industry of the region.
See also
- Mediterranean woodlands and forests
- Cèdre Gouraud Forest
- Idriss I (dam)
- Ouergha River
References
- C. Michael Hogan. 2008. Barbary Macaque: Macaca sylvanus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
- Marshall Cavendish Corporation. 2006. World and Its Peoples, Published by Marshall Cavendish, ISBN 978-0-7614-7571-2