Tell Atlas

Tell Atlas
Arabic)
Geography
Tell Atlas
Country	Crystalline metamorphic
Climbing
First ascent	unknown
Easiest route	drive

The Tell Atlas (

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 city Constantine 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.

Geography

The Tell Atlas runs parallel to the

The Tell Atlas and the Saharan Atlas form two natural barriers, the first against the

South of the Tell Atlas is the high plateau of the Hautes Plaines (~1000 m in elevation) with level terrain where water collects during the wet season, forming large shallow salt lakes which become salt 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]

The Chelif 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 the Medjerda and the Seybouse River. Only seasonal streams are found flowing south from the Tell Atlas.

Climate and vegetation

The Tell Atlas has a typical

• List of mountains in Algeria
• Saharan Atlas

References