Atlas

Atlas, the great mountain-system of North-western Africa, stretching from Cape Nun in Morocco to Cape Bon in Tunis, a distance of about 1400 miles. It is not properly a mountain-chain, but rather a very irregular mountainous mass of land formed of many chains running in various directions, meeting in mountain-knots, or connected by short chains of inferior height, and diversified still further by several solitary mountains and groups of mountains. The general direction is from south-west to north-east. Some limit the Atlas proper to Morocco, refusing to include the Algerian heights within the system. The French geographers apply to the latter the names of the Great and the Little Atlas—the native name is Idrar-n-Deren. At any rate the principal chain, Jebel Aïaschin, is entirely within Morocco, forming a three-sided watershed to the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Sahara. The Atlas attains its greatest height (about 13,000 feet) in Miltzin—27 miles SE. of the city of Morocco—Bibawan, and Tagherain. The most southern chain diverging here from the central mass bears the name Jebel-Hadnar. The heights approach the sea, and form the promontories jutting out into the Atlantic. From Morocco, the Atlas gradually decreases in height towards the east. In Algeria, the elevation is only 7673 feet; in Tunis, 4476 feet; and in Tripoli, 3200 feet. The slopes on the north, west, and south are covered with vast forests of pine, oak, cork, white poplar, wild olive, &c. The valleys are well watered and capable of cultivation with great profit. The Atlas seems to be chiefly calcareous in its composition. The mineral wealth remains, however, almost wholly unexplored, though copper, iron, lead, antimony, &c. are stated to exist in abundance.