Ahaggar Mountains
| Ahaggar Mountains | |
| Range | |
 An oasis in the Ahaggar Mountains
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| Country | Algeria |
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| Highest point | Mount Tahat |
| - elevation | 3,003 m (9,852 ft) |
| - coordinates | 23°17′0″N 05°31′0″E / 23.283333°N 5.516667°E |
| Ahaggar National Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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 Locator map |
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| Location | Tamanrasset Province, Algeria |
| Nearest city | Tamanrasset |
| Coordinates | 22°50′N 5°20′E / 22.833°N 5.333°E |
| Area | 3,800 km² |
| Established | 1987 |
The Ahaggar Mountains (Arabic: جبال هقار, Berber: idurar n Ahaggar), also known as the Hoggar, are a highland region in central Sahara, or southern Algeria, along the Tropic of Cancer. They are located about 1,500 km (900 mi) south of the capital, Algiers and just west of Tamanghasset. The region is largely rocky desert with an average altitude of more than 900 metres (2,953 feet) above sea level. The highest peak is at 3,003 meters (Mount Tahat). Assekrem is a famous and often visited point where le Père de Foucauld lived in the summer of 1905. The main city nearby the Ahaggar is Tamanghasset, built in a desert valley or wadi.
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[edit] Environment
The Ahaggar Mountain range is chiefly volcanic rock and contains a hot summer climate, with a cold winter climate (temperatures fall below 0°C in the winter). The mountains are young—about 2 million years old. Rainfall is rare and sporadic. However, since the climate is less extreme than in most other areas of the Sahara, the Ahaggar Mountains are a major location for biodiversity and host relict species. The Ahaggar Mountains compose the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion. It is also one of the national parks of the country.
[edit] Fauna and flora
Slightly to the west of the Ahaggar range, a population of the endangered Painted Hunting Dog ( Lycaon pictus) remained viable into the 20th century, but is now thought to be extirpated within this entire region.[1]
In scat collections there are records of the presence elusive and very rare carnivores {see BUSBY, 2006,[2][3]}
[edit] Cultural significance
Prehistoric settlement is evident from extant rock paintings dating to 6000 BC.[4] The Ahaggar massif is the land of the Tuaregs or Kel Ahaggar. The tomb of Tin Hinan, the god believed to be the ancestor of the Tuareg is located at Abalessa, an oasis near Tamanghasset. According to legend, the origins of Tim Lam are from Tafilalt region in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains.
[edit] See also
[edit] Gallery
[edit] References
- ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2009
- ^ http://users.ox.ac.uk/~some2456/docs/Busby_GBJ_North_African_Cheetah_thesis.pdf.
- ^ http://users.ox.ac.uk/~some2456/docs/Carniv_Mol_Gen_Ahaggar_Report_2006.pdf
- ^ Peter Haggett. 2001
[edit] Further reading
- Peter Haggett. 2001. Encyclopedia of World Geography, Published by Marshall Cavendish, 3456 pages ISBN 0-7614-7289-4, 9780761472896
- C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
- Jeremy Keenan. 1977. "The Tuareg: People of Ahaggar", Published by Allen Lane, Penguin Books Ltd., London, 385 pages, ISBN 0-7139-0636-7
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 23°17′19″N 5°32′03″E / 23.28861°N 5.53417°E
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