Introduction and details of Atlas Mountains

Location The Atlas Mountains are located in the northwest of Africa, with a total length of 2,400 kilometers, spanning Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia (including Gibraltar Peninsula), and separating the southwest coast of the Mediterranean from the Sahara Desert. The highest peak is Jebel Bokar (4167m above sea level), which is located in the southwest of Morocco (3103' 43 "north latitude and 754' 58" west longitude).

Atlas Mountains, the largest folded and fractured mountain area in Africa. Part of the Alps. Located in northwest Africa. It starts from the Atlantic coast of Morocco in the southwest, passes through Algeria in the northeast, and reaches Serik Peninsula in Tunisia. It's northeast-southwest-west. It is1800km long and about 450km wide from north to south.

The name comes from the Atlas Mountains, and it is mainly inhabited by Berbers. In Berber, the word "mountain" is Adrar or Adras, which is considered to be the origin of the name of Atlas Mountain.

Geomorphological features Geological features In ancient times, because Europe, Africa and North America were connected, the Atlas Mountains were built by Abramovich in geology.

Part of the movement. These mountains were formed when Africa collided with North America, and they are much higher than the Himalayas today. Today, traces of this mountain range can still be seen on the steep slopes of the eastern United States or the Appalachian Mountains. The Sierra Nevada in southern Spain was also formed in the same movement.

It is divided into Morocco's Great Atlas Mountain (Middle Atlas Mountain, High Atlas Mountain and Anti-Atlas Mountain), Tel Atlas Mountain with short coast and Sahara Atlas Mountain with high depth in the south. The last two are in Algeria.

Atlas mountain system is shaped like an elongated ellipse, and there is a vast complex of plains and plateaus between mountains. It includes different atlas of northern mountains and atlas of southern mountains and Sahara. Mountains form the edge of the vast plateau in eastern Morocco and northern Algeria. In the east, in Tunisia, they are connected with Mount Megill at Mount Tebesa; To the west, in Morocco, they join the towering and rugged peaks of Middle Atlas and Great Atlas. The anti-Atlas Mountains extend southwest from the Great Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. Geologically speaking, Taylor Atlas is a young and wrinkled mountain range, which is related to the European Alps. However, sub-Saharan Atlas belongs to a different structural group, that is, the vast and ancient plateau group on the African continent.

This landform is a part of the Alps folded mountain system. It is located in Tunisia, Algerian and Moroccan in northwest Africa. The mountain range is roughly parallel to the coastline, extending from southwest to northeast, with a length of about 2400 kilometers and a maximum width of 450 kilometers. The western section is complex and steep, and consists of four mountains: Reeve Mountain, Middle Atlas Mountain, Great Atlas Mountain (main vein) and Outer Atlas Mountain. It is more than 2500 meters above sea level, and the highest peak is 4 165 meters. The mountains gradually decrease eastward, mainly divided into two branches, Taylor Atlas Mountain and Sahara Atlas Mountain, with an average elevation of about 1 1,500 m, and a plateau with an elevation of about 1 1,000 m in the middle. This mountain area is rich in apatite, iron and other mineral deposits. The northern slope has a Mediterranean climate, with specialty Quercus variabilis and many forests and orchards. The rest belong to semi-desert climate. There are many salt lakes in mountainous plateau, and also rich in alpha grass.

Natural features The Atlas mountain system is shaped like an elongated ellipse, and there is a vast complex of plains and plateaus between the mountains. It includes different atlas of northern mountains and atlas of southern mountains and Sahara. Mountains form the edge of the vast plateau in eastern Morocco and northern Algeria. In the east, in Tunisia, they are connected with Mount Megill at Mount Tebesa; To the west, in Morocco, they join the towering and rugged peaks of Middle Atlas and Great Atlas. The anti-Atlas Mountains extend southwest from the Great Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean. Geologically speaking, Taylor Atlas is a young and wrinkled mountain range, which is related to the European Alps. However, sub-Saharan Atlas belongs to a different structural group, that is, the vast and ancient plateau group on the African continent.

(1) water system. Seasonal rainfall is rainstorm, which determines the water system nature of atlas.

The dry riverbed of the Maghreb originates from the Atlas Mountains. Among the perennial rivers, Moulouya River originated in the middle of Atlas Mountain. The Cherif River rises in the Amur Mountains.

(2) soil. At the higher altitude in Atlas area, good soil is scarce, and there is often nothing except bare rocks, rubble and materials falling from landslides. There are two main substances: limestone and marl. Scarce sandstone is beneficial to the growth of forests. Alluvial soil is the best soil on terrace slopes and valley bottoms.

(3) Animals and plants. The soil in Atlas has been eroded and deteriorated due to lack of vegetation. Only about 65,438+0,065,438+0,000 square kilometers (39,000 square miles) have forests. In Reeve Mountain, Kabilie Mountain and Crumiri Mountain, which have little rainfall, the cork trees in their wet forests are covered with wild strawberry shrubs and rhododendron shrubs, and there are also half-day flowers and lavender everywhere. When the rainfall was less than 762 mm (30 inches) and there was limestone, green oak trees and golden cypress were covered with soil, forming a bright and dry forest and a thin and dense understory. The taller ones are dominated by snow pine trees. In the Sahara Atlas dry peak, vegetation is reduced to sporadic green oak trees and juniper trees.

Agricultural reclamation reduced the forest coverage of Atlas Mountains; Animals also retreated. There are only a few jackals and some monkeys left, and occasionally a group of wild boar appears in the oak forest.

Berbers live in the mountains. They keep their own language, traditions and beliefs, and at the same time accept Islam to some extent.

Berber society pays attention to maintaining its own characteristics, which has been proved in the choice of residence. Villages with fortresses generally live on the top of high mountains. Although small in scale, this village includes houses, mosques, threshing floors and meeting places for Presbyterian church, which manages the affairs of each community. Families live separately in rooms around quadrangles.

Shilu of Great Atlas in Morocco lives in a valley deep in the mountains. Their village is always above 2000 meters (6500 feet) above sea level. Each village has hundreds of residents living in row houses. Each family is next to the other, and the threshing floor of the fortress is often the first one, or the threshing floor of the powerful family and around the house. The nearby hillside is divided into pasture and farm. Some non-irrigated fields use dry seed method to grow grain. The water used to irrigate the land is drawn from major rivers, and this kind of land can be harvested twice a year-planting grain in winter and vegetables in summer. Passers-by use cow dung as fertilizer. Raising livestock is increasing. Cork, the main commodity of forest production, has also brought considerable income.

Reeve in Morocco and kabir in Algeria are very similar in many ways. The Berber tribes on both sides live on the same wet hillside covered by oak forest. They are also obsessed with barren land and tend to live in isolation. Different from the lifestyle of Berbers in the Great Atlas Mountains and the Middle Atlas Mountains, animal husbandry plays a secondary role in their rural life. They grow some sweet sorghum (as feed), while women grow vegetables in the small garden next to their house. But their main income is fig trees and olive trees on the hillside where they live. Kabyle is also a skilled craftsman who can process wood, silver and wool. They used to be vendors, selling carpets and jewels to people on the plains.

The Orasi Mountains, located in the northeast of Algeria alone, are probably the least developed mountains in the Maghreb region. Shawia〔Chaouia〕] is a resident, living a semi-nomadic life, part farming and part nomadic. They live in a terraced stone village with rows of houses, which are fortified granaries. When winter comes, the residents of highland valley will take their sheep to the lowlands around the hills, where they either camp or live in caves. In summer, they return to the highlands, irrigate the land where sorghum and vegetables are planted, and maintain apricot trees and apple orchards, while shepherds take their sheep to the pasture on the top of the mountain.

Despite the unstable living conditions, Atlas Mountain is still crowded with people-even in some places. For example, the population density around Cabilla Tizi Ouzou is 270 people per square kilometer (700 people per square mile).

Economic (1) resources. Although the Atlas Mountain is desolate and inaccessible, it still plays an important role in the modernization of Maghreb countries. The construction of water storage dam can not only store a large amount of water for irrigation plain, but also make hydropower generation possible. In Morocco, the dam was built on the northern slope of Great Atlas, crossing the el-Abid and el-Rhira rivers, while the dam on the southern slope crossed the Draa and Ziz rivers. Hydroelectric power stations have been developed in kabylie district of Algeria, which are located in Agrioun River and Djendjene River respectively.

The geological structure of Atlas is rich in minerals, among which lead, zinc, copper, manganese and phosphate are the most important. These raw materials are usually processed in coastal towns. For example, iron ore from Ouenza is supplied to the ironmaking industry in annaba.

Among forestry products, cork is more important than wood, and the production is concentrated in kabylie district, especially in Collo Massif.

Tourism is also very developed, especially in the Greater Atlas area of Morocco, Africa.

(2) Transportation. Atlas Mountain has its own internal transportation system. These villages are connected by paths. Go out or walk, ride a mule, or take a local bus.

Hills hinder traffic, and roads and railways have to be crossed by tunnels or viaducts, which is expensive. However, Dashan has many natural ties or channels to provide convenience. Nomads use an inclined narrow channel (that is, a channel formed by folds in the rock, and the strata in the rock sink from both ends to the center) to separate the ridges of the Sahara Atlas Mountains. Bisquerra Gap is located between Ouled-Nail and Oré s mountains, and has a natural passage, which is convenient for traffic between Constantine in Rhumel River and Touggourt in Sahara Desert. Both roads and railways between Algeria and Morocco pass through Atlas along the Tacha Pass, cutting off the continuity between Rif and Central Atlas. The passage is a natural road across mountain obstacles, which constitutes a strategic point. For example, Tizi Wuzu, the transportation center of Greater Kabiya, is located at the Ge Pass and has actually become the capital of the mountain. The ancient motorcade route from Marrakech to Della Canyon used the nTest Pass, so this passage became an extremely important commercial place.

The research and exploration of European powers trying to control northwest Africa began in the15th century. Portugal's activities are limited to the Strait of Gibraltar and the Atlantic coast of Morocco, where they have established several forts. Spain's activities began in16th century, including seizing Mediterranean ports and gradually infiltrating inward, first in Rive area, and then in other parts of Morocco after 1860. France's influence was relatively extensive, starting with the occupation of Algiers in 1830, and finally extending to areas outside Atlas Rivian, including the exercise of protectorate power over most parts of Morocco (19 12~ 1956). Roads are built to control mountainous areas and facilitate the movement of people and goods, thus improving the traffic level in once isolated and scattered areas, which are often ignored by lowland authorities. Today, Atlas Mountain is no longer the focus of exploration and development in Europe, but a remarkable place in Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisia and other independent countries.

Climate Features Atlas Mountain is the intersection of two different air masses ── the humid and cold polar air mass from the north and the dry tropical air mass from the south.

Taylor Atlas has more rainfall than Sahara Atlas, and the northeast is more than the southwest. The place with the most rainfall is the east of Taylor Atlas. The annual rainfall of Ayn ad-Kroumirie in mountainous area is 65,438+0,524 mm (60 inches); In Little Atlas, south of Great Atlas, there is no place where the annual rainfall will exceed 500mm (17 inch). The northern slope of the mountain has more rainfall than the southern slope.

With the elevation, the temperature drops rapidly; Although the coastal hills are near the sea, they are all cold areas. The 2004m (6575ft) babur Peak in Little kabylie can be covered with snow for 4-5 months; Morocco's Great Atlas Mountain is covered with snow all the year round until it melts in late summer. The cold winter in Atlas brings inconvenience to residents.

According to historical legends, the Atlas Mountains in Africa originated from Atlas, the descendant of Titan in Greek mythology. He is the brother of Prometheus, the fire thief. He is extremely tall. Atlas once fought Zeus with other titans. After his failure, Zeus ordered him to stand at the intersection of western heaven and earth and carry the sky on his shoulders. Later, the Greek hero Poerxiusi killed Medusa, the gorgon, and passed through the Atlas kingdom, hoping to spend the night in the Golden Seven Fruit Garden guarded by Atlas's daughter and the dragon. Atlas was afraid that his treasure would be stolen, so he was expelled from the palace. Poerxiusi was very angry and took out Medusa's head. As a result, when Atlas saw Medusa's head, everyone turned to stone. His body immediately became a mountain, his beard and hair became a vast forest, his shoulders, hands and bones became ridges, and his head became a towering mountain. This is the famous Atlas Mountains in Africa.

Tourism resources Atlas Mountains, with a total length of more than 400 kilometers, extend from the white beaches of the Atlantic Ocean to the Sahara Desert. The main peak is magnificent, comparable to the Albers Mountains and the Pyrenees. The dreamy naked pink granite peaks outline winding canyons and steep cliffs, just like a crescent-shaped landscape painting. Occasionally there are rich oases dotted in it; Clusters of houses are brightly colored and hidden among green palm trees. Most importantly, Little Atlas has convenient access: if you want to travel for a day, you might as well rent a car and ask the driver to be a tour guide; If you want to go swimming for a week or more, you can take a rented car, explore secluded places on the narrow and rugged mountain "ski trails" and stay in an inn on the mountain at night. Walking in the country is refreshing, not as difficult as climbing Atlas Mountain. In addition, the local Berbers are gentle and friendly.

The Earth Observatory of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States released a set of satellite photos today, showing the scene of heavy snow in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

20 12 February, the weather system that brought bad winter climate to many parts of Europe affected North Africa. According to Reuters, the weather system has brought mixed results to North Africa. Farmers in Algeria and Tunisia are grateful that its precipitation has eased the drought, while Moroccan farmers are worried about frost.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite took these two photos on February 20/KOOC-0/3/KOOC-0/2 (the first photo) and February 20/KOOC-0/4/KOOC-0/0/4 (the second photo) respectively. Although some peaks of Atlas Mountain have snow in 1 month, the main snowfall occurs in February.

Snow in Morocco is not uncommon. Two ski resorts near the Atlas Mountains-one near Marrakech and the other near Hibraim-regularly snow in January and February every year. In fact, compared with February of 20 1 1 year, the snowfall in 201year does not look very abnormal. However, the low temperature in February of 20 12 is threatening the beet and sugarcane crops in Morocco.

20 12 February, Africa and other parts of southern Europe faced an unusually harsh winter climate. According to Reuters, the "heaviest snowfall" occurred in Algiers, the Algerian capital. In addition, Italy is also covered by heavy snow, roads are frozen by sub-freezing temperatures, schools are closed, and goods on supermarket shelves are snapped up.

Snow in the Atlas Mountains not only helped Morocco's ski industry. Snow also provides important reservoir water for Morocco's agricultural economy. It is interesting to monitor the snowfall in this area, partly because of uneven precipitation and high evaporation rate. ( *** )