Jebel Dair (also Jabal ad-Dayr) (Arabic: جبل الدائر) (the very dark, highly fractured structure near the center of the photograph) is a mountain in central Sudan. This igneous mountain rises over 1000 m above the surrounding terrain and 1451 m above sea level. The flanks of the mountain (fairly broad reddish-tan ring) apparently have been denuded of vegetation, although it appears that water exists in some of the meandering stream channels within the darker, vegetated wadis. A small muddy reservoir can be seen near the northwest corner of the photograph. With the exception of Dair Mountain, most of the region is fairly flat and is marginally suited for subsistence agriculture, as well as for commercial crops of peanuts, sesame, and gum arabic. A series of low, linear sand dunes discernible along the northwest edge of the photograph is a reminder that this region experiences wide variations in annual precipitation, making agricultural activities somewhat tenuous. Drainage patterns dominate this hot, semiarid landscape in central Sudan west of the White Nile River. Several major wadis, intermittently flowing watercourses, merge west and northwest of Jebel Dair.
Sudan
