PHYSIOGRAPHY. The entire northern part is traversed by a section of the Atlas Noun thins, which cover the northern part of Africa from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Gabes. The mountain system of Algeria may be divided into two principal chains, running parallel to each other and connected by small ridges. The north ern chain, called Little or Maritime Atlas, runs along the coast.. Of its several ranges, the Jur jura, to the east of Algiers, rises to a height of about 7500 feet. The Great Atlas is situated south of the Little Atlas, and contains some of the highest peaks of Algeria, as Mount Shelia (about 7600 feet) in the Jebel Aures. This range presents a steep wall toward the Sahara, but slopes more gradually on their northern side, where the mountains are covered with extensive forests. They are furrowed by deep and tortuous defiles. The Algerian Sahara is a rocky pla teau, with an average elevation of about 1500 feet. Some geographers distinguish a third chain, the Sahara Border Range, situated be tween the Great Atlas and the Sahara Desert. The coast of Algeria is much broken, and forms numerous bays, the principal among them being the Bay of Algiers and the gulfs of Bougie and Bona.
The surface of Algeria represents three natural divisions or zones. The first, known as the Tell, is the most northern part of the country, extend ing inland for about fifty miles, and taking in the northern slope of the Little Atlas. It is the most productive and best watered part of the country, and contains most of the European set tlements. The second, central zone includes the elevated steppes south of the Tell and the Great Atlas Mountains. It is interspersed with nu merous saline lakes or shotts, which generally evaporate during the dry season, leaving a thick stratum of salt on the bottom. In this section there are only a few little streams, which dry up for a part of the year. The third zone is the Algerian Sahara, with an area estimated at up ward of 100,000 square miles. It is subdivided into three parts, called Fiafi, Kifar, and Falat, respectively. The first term is generally applied to the oases of the desert. They are mostly well watered and covered with vegetation, and contain numerous thriving villages and settlements. The
second refers to those parts of the desert which are covered with grass part of the year. They have no settled population, but are visited by the nomadic tribes on account of the grass. The third part includes the rest of the desert, which is utterly devoid of vegetation, and unfit for human habitation. A remarkable feature of the Algerian Sahara is the dried up river courses. At present, only two such courses are known, called the Wady Igrharghar and Wady Miya, respectively. The first begins south of Algerian Sahara and runs due north, terminating at the Shott Melghir. lts length is over 700 miles, and its breadth, even at present, is about four miles in some parts. The Wady Miya is a branch of Igharghar, which it joins about 60 miles south of Shott MeIghir. There is still Some water running beneath its bottom.
Algeria is rich in minerals. Among the metals which are obtained are iron, lead, copper, and quicksilver. Sulphur is found, and there are valuable deposits of phosphates. Salt is a most important product. Onyx and beautiful white and red marbles are quarried.
The most important river of Algeria is the Sheliff, which has in the main a westerly course, and empties into the Mediterranean near Mosta ganem. Its length is about 400 miles. Among other streams are the Seybouse, which empties into the Gulf of Bona, the Wady el Kebir, which flows past Constantine, and the Tafna in the extreme west. None of these rivers is navigable, but they all contribute considerably to the fer tility of the regions through which they flow.
The climate of Algeria is generally healthful, except in the marshy lowlands. The rainy sea son on the coast lands lasts from October to March.
The mountain forests are filled with cedars and different kinds of oak, as well as pines, ashes, junipers, aloes, dwarf palms, and cactuses, but they are rapidly disappearing, giving place to pastures. The flora of the central zone is con fined mainly to grasses and some aromatic herbs. Myrtles, olives, pistachias, and dwarf palms are among the characteristic plants of the northern zone. The fauna of Algeria is generally African in its character. The lion (now' getting scarce) and other large carnivora are found, and gazelles are numerous.