Relief features and minerals of Algeria. Geography and structure of the country's mineral resources

Give a description of the country according to the plan, show economic activity population.

Develop the ability to establish cause and effect relationships.

Bring up humanistic attitude to the peoples of the world.

Lesson objectives:

• Improve the ability to work with atlas maps, textbook text, make tables.
• To ensure the development of abilities for evaluative actions, to express judgments.
• Develop the ability to work in a team; develop mutual assistance.

Equipment : physical map world, political map of Africa, illustrations, tables, educational pictures, textbook, notebook, workbook, atlas, universal encyclopedia for youth (countries and peoples), geographical atlas of the world, multimedia technologies (technical equipment).

Forms of work : group with elements of a role-playing game.

Lesson type : for didactic purposes - the study of new material; on teaching methods - role-playing game.

Lesson plan:

1. Organization of the lesson.

2. Actualization of students' knowledge. Statement of educational tasks. Exploring a new topic.

3. The work of students in groups. Results of work in tables. Student responses.

4. The result of the lesson. Evaluation of student responses. Achievement of the goal.

5. The practical part of the lesson.

Completing the task in the workbooks on page 43.

6. Homework.

The course and content of the lesson.

1. Stage - organizational.

Greetings. Ready for the lesson. Mark absentees in the journal.

2. Stage - updating the knowledge of students.

Teacher. We continue to study the mainland Africa. Africa is the ancestral home of man. The most ancient remains of human ancestors and tools of his labor were found in rocks that are 27 million years old. Guys, let's update our knowledge.

Question #1 What are the geographic coordinates of a point on the earth's surface?

Answer: Latitude and longitude are geographic coordinates of a point on the earth's surface.

Question number 2 Define the concept of "geographical location".

Answer: The geographical position is the position of any point or object on the earth's surface in relation to other points or territories.

Question number 3 In what climatic zones is mainland Africa?

Answer: Africa is located in the equatorial, subequatorial, tropical and subtropical climatic zones.

Question number 4 Name the largest countries in terms of area.

Answer: Russia, China, Brazil, USA, Canada.

Teacher: According to natural conditions, the composition of the population, Africa can be divided into four parts: North, West and Central, East and South.

Lesson topic: “Countries North Africa. Algeria".

The purpose of the lesson : characterize the country according to the plan, show the economic activity of the population. (students write the date, the topic of the lesson in their notebooks).

3. Stage - a group form of work.

Teacher: Guys, today we work in groups. To compile the characteristics of the country, a standard plan is used (textbook - p. 313).

The template is displayed on the screen. (Attachment 1)

The questions of the plan are reflected in the tables presented to each member of the group. Groups have three questions, including evaluation sheets (Appendix 2), the organizer is determined, who distributes questions, listens, evaluates answers.

You work with atlas maps, which provide 80% of the information, with the text of the §31 textbook and additional literature. The results of the work are entered in the table.

The fourth group will prepare additional information about Algeria.

Groups begin to work, the time allotted for the tasks is 10 minutes.

Upon completion of the work, the groups give a description of the country according to the plan.

(In the course of characterization, each of the groups enters the results of the other group into the table).

Description of the country according to the plan.

1. What maps should be used when describing a country?

The physical map of Africa, the climatic map of Africa, the map of the natural zones of Africa, the political map of Africa.

2. In what part of the mainland is the country located? What is the name of its capital?

Algiers is located in northwestern Africa. This is one of the major developing states of the mainland, freed from colonial dependence.

The capital of the country is Algeria, geographic coordinates are 37 degrees north latitude. and 3 degrees east

3. Features of the relief (general nature of the surface, the main forms of relief and the distribution of heights). Minerals.

Due to the large extent from north to south, in Algeria, Northern Algeria and the Algerian Sahara are distinguished.

The Atlas Mountains amaze with their beauty. The ridges, rising up, end with sharp peaks with sheer cliffs.

Two main mountain ranges stretch along the coast - the Tell Atlas and the Saharan Atlas.

The highest peak - Shelia(2328 m) in the Ores mountains. Most of the southern part of the country is an elevated plain, while highlands rise in the east Ahaggar. Most of the surface of the Algerian Sahara is rocky; and sands are found only in some areas. The bowels of Algeria contain large reserves of fuel minerals – oil and gas, ore - iron and polymetallic, chemical - phosphorites.

From iron ore cast iron and steel are smelted, non-ferrous metals are smelted from polymetallic, and mineral fertilizers are smelted from phosphorites.

4. Climatic conditions in different parts of the country(climatic zones, average temperatures in July and January, annual precipitation). Differences by territory and by seasons.

Climatic zones - subtropical, tropical. The climate of the coast is subtropical, Mediterranean.

The subtropical climate is characterized by dry, hot summers and warm, wet winters.

Northern part of Algeria: average temperature: January +8 degrees C, July +32 degrees C, average annual precipitation in millimeters -100-1000.

Southern part of Algeria: average temperature: January +16 degrees C, July +32 degrees C, the average annual rainfall is less than 100 mm. The reasons are the geographical latitude, the influence of the oceans and seas, the relief features, the prevailing air masses.

5. Large rivers and lakes.

There is almost no surface water here and only one river flows - Shelf.

In the Algerian Sahara, large reserves of groundwater are concentrated. Sometimes they come to the surface in the form of springs.

6. Natural areas and their main features.

Northern Algeria occupies a zone of hard-leaved evergreen forests and shrubs, which includes the northern part of the Atlas Mountains and the adjacent coastal plain.

In this zone there is a lot of heat and sufficient moisture. Therefore, the natural conditions of this part of Northern Algeria are most favorable for human life and Agriculture.

Once Diverse animal world the country is now greatly impoverished; lions, leopards, ostriches, cormorants and some other animals and birds have been rapaciously exterminated. Monkeys, hares, jackals, hyenas have been preserved in Algeria. There are many migratory birds on the lakes. Numerous reptiles: snakes, lizards, monitor lizards.

7. The peoples inhabiting the country. Their main activities.

Indigenous The population of the country is Algerians, consisting of Arabs and Berbers. The nomadic population of the Algerian Sahara is represented by tribes Tuareg. They inhabit the harshest parts of the desert and the Ahaggar Highlands. Rectangular dwellings are being built in rural areas. They have flat roofs and flat courtyards. Walls without windows face the street.

Algerians are mainly engaged in animal husbandry - they breed sheep, goats and camels. Farming is possible only in the oases, where the Algerians grow date palms, and under their crown - fruit trees and crops.

Pottery is represented by the manufacture of carpets, woolen and silk fabrics, as well as the processing of alpha grass, from which mats, baskets and ropes are woven.

The fourth group gives additional information about Algeria.

4. Stage of the lesson - summing up.

Final questions:

1. How do you think, what is the significance of access to the Mediterranean Sea for Algeria?
2. What are the features of the nature of Algeria?
3. Which places in Algeria would you like to travel to and why?

Algeria is an agricultural and industrial country. One of largest countries North Africa. It ranks first in natural gas reserves, mercury and tungsten ores and third in oil reserves.

All types of land transport, as well as air and sea, operate in the country. Algeria is the main exporter of oil and natural gas to Europe, which contributes to the country's entry into the world economic level.

(The use of multimedia technologies, fragments of the natural features of the country are shown on the screen).

Evaluation of student responses.

5. Stage of the lesson - practical part lesson.

Students completing assignments in workbooks on page 43.

1. In contour maps sign the name of the country Algeria, its capital.
2. Sign the names of the countries with which Algeria borders.

(Grading in the diaries).

6. Homework: § 31, questions after § 31.

THANKS FOR THE LESSON, FOR COOPERATION.

Tell us about the nature of Algeria, its population and economic activities.

• 1: The population of the country is 31 million people. The average population density is 12 people per km². Indigenous people countries - Algerians, consisting of Arabs and Berbers (99%). The nomadic population of the Algerian Sahara is represented by the Tuareg tribes. They inhabit the harshest parts of the desert and the Ahaggar Highlands. The Tuareg breed camels and goats. Their home is a portable tent - Felij. The tent is covered with goat and camel skins, and the floor is covered with mats. “The roof of our permanent home is the sky, our temporary shelter is the felij,” say the Tuareg. Rectangular dwellings are being built in rural areas. They have flat roofs and flat courtyards. Walls without windows face the street.2: Official language Arabic, the Berbers speak a Berber dialect. The state religion is Islam (99% of the population), Christians account for about 1%. The birth rate is quite high - 29 newborns per 1,000 people (1995) Mortality - 6 deaths per 1,000 people. Average life expectancy: men - 67 years, women - 69 years. The working-age population is 6 million.3 Algeria is an agro-industrial country. Algeria has a developed oil and gas industry. As well as light, mining, petrochemical, food industries. Algerians are mainly engaged in animal husbandry - they breed sheep, goats and camels. Agriculture is possible only in oases, where Algerians grow date palms, and under their crown - fruit trees, crops (wheat, oats, barley). Grow grapes, citrus fruits, vegetables, olives. All types of land transport as well as air and sea.
  

Most of it is located in extremely hot and dry climatic conditions. In this article, we will talk in detail about the climate, relief features and minerals of the country.

Algiers: general geographical information

The Algerian People's Democratic Republic is one of the countries of North Africa with a wide outlet to the Mediterranean Sea (the length of the coastline is almost 1000 km). The total area of ​​Algeria is 2.38 million square meters. km. Thus, this is the most big state on the continent.

More than 80% of the area of ​​Algeria is occupied by the largest desert on the planet - the Sahara. Therefore, it is not surprising that the vast majority of the inhabitants of this country (at least 90%) are concentrated on a narrow strip of the sea coast.

The climate in most of Algeria is tropical desert (in the far north - maritime subtropical). Summer in this country is very hot and dry. In the Sahara, the air temperature can warm up to +50 degrees during the day. The average annual rainfall varies from 20 mm in the desert to 1200 mm in the mountains. Small rivers with a constant flow are only in the north of the country. They originate in the Atlas Mountains and carry their waters to the Mediterranean Sea.

Relief and minerals of Algeria (briefly)

As mentioned above, 4/5 of the territory of Algeria is occupied by the Sahara desert. Here it is not homogeneous and consists of separate massifs - stony and sandy. In the southeastern part of the Algerian Sahara, an elevated region stands out - the Ahaggar Highlands. This is nothing more than the emergence of the ancient foundation of the Sahara platform, whose age is estimated by geologists at 2 billion years. From almost all sides, the highlands are surrounded by rocky plateaus, which bring some variety to the rather “boring” Saharan landscape (Tanezruft, Tademait, Tassilin-Adjer and others).

In the north of the country, two ridges of the Atlas Mountains stretched parallel to each other along the coast - the Saharan Atlas and the Tel Atlas. Between them are raised structures - High Plateaus. The Atlas is a geological structure of Alpine age. In other words, these mountains are still forming today. Therefore, these areas are characterized by frequent earthquakes, from which many residents of Algeria suffer.

The relief and minerals, as is known, are closely connected with the tectonic and geological structure of the territory. In geological terms, the territory of the country is clearly divided into two regions - the platform Sahara (in the south and in the center) and the folded Atlas (in the far north). Deposits of fuel resources are confined to the first, and deposits of ore minerals and construction raw materials are confined to the second.

Are there many minerals in Algeria? In the bowels of this country lie oil and gas, ores of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, as well as a variety of building materials.

Atlas Mountains

The name of the mountain system, as you probably already guessed, comes from the name of a mythological character holding the vault of heaven on his mighty shoulders. Apparently, the ancient Greeks, admiring these high and rocky ridges, really thought that they "propped up the sky." A similar identification, by the way, is found in Ovid and Herodotus.

Atlas is the largest mountain system in Africa. It stretches through three states - Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Total length- over 2000 km. Within Algeria, the mountain system is represented by two parallel ranges (Saharan Atlas and Tel Atlas). The plateaus located between them are dissected by deep gorges. By the way, it is in the mountains and foothills of the Atlas that the richest deposits of phosphorites are concentrated - one of the key minerals of Algeria.

It is curious that the highest point of Algeria is not at all in the Atlas mountains, but within the Ahaggar highlands.

Ahaggar Highlands

Ahaggar is a highland in the southeastern part of Algeria. It covers an area of ​​50 thousand square kilometers and consists mainly of volcanic rocks. The climate in the highlands is the driest in the entire Sahara. In summer it is extremely hot here, but in winter the air temperature can drop below zero. Within the highlands is the national park of the same name.

The indigenous people of the Ahaggar Highlands are the Tuareg (a people from the Berber group). For two centuries (from 1750 to 1977) they even had their own state - Kel-Ahaggar. At the end of the twentieth century, it became part of Algeria.

Tassilin-Adjer Plateau

This plateau is located south of the Ahaggar highlands, near the border with Niger. Its diameter is about 500 km, the highest point is Mount Azao (2158 meters). The plateau is composed of sandstones, in the thickness of which, as a result of erosion processes, stone pillars, arches and other objects of bizarre shapes were formed. The name "Tassilin-Adjer" literally translates as "plateau of rivers". Once upon a time, the massif was indeed covered with a dense network of watercourses. But then the climate changed, and only dried up channels remained from them, in which water appears extremely rarely.

Numerous petroglyphs have been discovered on this plateau. Some of them scientists date back to the 7th millennium BC. These drawings show scenes of hunting wild animals. Moreover, animals (rhinos, antelopes, buffaloes) are depicted incredibly realistically. Thanks to these findings, part of the territory of the Tassilin-Adjer plateau was included in 1982 on the UNESCO Protected List.

The highest and lowest points of Algeria

The highest point of the country is in the Ahaggar Highlands. This is Mount Tahat with a height of 3003 meters (according to other sources - 2918 m). The summit was first conquered by Swiss climber Edward Wyss-Dunant back in the 30s of the last century. By the way, ancient rock paintings dating back to the period between the eighth and second millennium BC were also found at the foot of the mountain.

The most low point Algeria is located in the north of the country. This is a salty and partially dry lake Melgir. The absolute height of this point ranges from 26 to 40 meters with a minus sign (depending on the water level in the lake). At maximum filling, the diameter of the reservoir reaches 130 kilometers. In summer, Melgir often dries up, turning into a typical salt marsh.

Cave of Anu Ifflis

In the foothills of Tel Atlas is the vertical cave of Anu Ifflis, which is the deepest not only in Algeria, but throughout Africa. "Leopard Cave" - ​​this is how its name is translated from French. The depth of the karst cavity reaches 1170 meters. The cave was discovered only in 1980 by a group of French and Spanish speleologists. To date, it has been little studied. At a depth of 200-500 meters, the walls of the cave are covered with thin veins of gold ores. This pattern is very reminiscent of a spotted leopard skin (hence the name of the cave).

Geography and structure of the country's mineral resources

Algeria occupies the first place in terms of total and explored mineral reserves in North Africa. The mineral resources of the country include fuel, ore and non-metallic resources. Among them are oil, natural gas, coal, iron and manganese ore, uranium, copper, phosphorites and others.

Mineral resources of Algeria are distributed over its territory rather unevenly. Their main deposits are concentrated in three regions. Significant reserves of iron ores, phosphorites and barites are concentrated in the mountains and foothills of the Atlas. The second region is a plateau in the western part of the country, where significant deposits of iron ore are located. Finally, in the south, the minerals of Algeria are represented by non-ferrous (including precious) metals. Diamond deposits have also been discovered within the Ahaggar Highlands.

Algeria's top ten minerals (by proven reserves) are as follows:

1. Barite (6700 thousand tons).
2. Natural gas (3950 billion cubic meters).
3. Oil (1900 million tons).
4. Iron ore (1535 million tons).
5. Zinc (890 thousand tons).
6. Lead (500 thousand tons).
7. Phosphorites (150 million tons).
8. Hard coal (66 million tons).
9. Copper (160 thousand tons).
10. Marble (24 million cubic meters).

The total reserves of gold and silver are estimated by geologists at 30 and 700 tons, respectively.

What minerals are being developed most actively in Algeria today? We will talk about this further.

Oil and gas

Among the minerals of Algeria, oil occupies a special place. How important it is for the Algerian economy is eloquently evidenced by one fact: 98% of the country's exports fall precisely on the hydrocarbon sector. The oil industry is the main driver of Algeria's economic growth. At the same time, huge foreign investments are pouring into the oil and gas industry of the state, which only creates prerequisites for a further increase in the production of “black gold”.

According to the Oil and Gas magazine for 2007, there are about 12 billion barrels of oil in the subsoil of Algeria, which brings it to the third position in Africa. Most of these reserves are contained in the Hassi Mesaud deposit. Algerian crude oil is considered one of the highest quality in the world. In particular, it complies with all stringent EU standards regarding the sulfur content of fuels.

In terms of natural gas reserves, Algeria ranks second in Africa (after Nigeria). By this " gas giant"is the Hassi-R'Melle deposit, which was discovered in the middle of the twentieth century. It accounts for a quarter of the production of this fuel resource in the country. In total, there are 183 oil and gas fields in Algeria. Almost all of them are located in the northeastern part of the Sahara.

metal ores

Algeria ranks second among all African countries in terms of iron ore, mercury and antimony reserves, 4th in uranium and zinc reserves, and 1st in tungsten ore reserves. The iron ore found in the bowels of this country is not of such high quality (ferrum content is in the range of 40-55%). However, its deposits are very numerous.

The main reserves of polymetallic ores (lead and zinc) are concentrated in the north of Algeria. There are hydrothermal uranium deposits within the Ahaggar Highlands. Mercury deposits are also confined to thermal springs. The largest deposit of cinnabar in Algeria is Mra S'Ma.

There is also gold in the bowels of this North African country. The most valuable metal lies mainly in the south of Algeria, on Ahaggar.

Phosphorites and barites

Phosphorites are another mineral wealth Algeria. In terms of its reserves, the country ranks 5th on the continent. Phosphorite deposits are located in the north of the country and are associated with carbonate and clay deposits of the Upper Cretaceous. The largest of them are Mzaita, El Kuif and Jebelyonk.

Algeria ranks second in Africa in terms of reserves of barite, a crystalline mineral that is widely used in the chemical, oil and paint industries. It also occurs in the northern part of the country. Thus, the total reserves of only one Algerian Mizab deposit are estimated at more than two million tons of barite.

In addition to all of the above, quite rich deposits of pyrites, celestine, and rock salt have been explored in Algeria. It is considered promising to study the Algerian subsoil in order to search for new deposits of copper, molybdenum, tungsten and manganese ores.

Finally

The largest country in Africa is extremely rich in mineral resources. The main minerals of Algeria are oil, gas, iron and zinc ores, phosphorites, barites, coal, marble. In terms of oil reserves, the state ranks third in Africa, second only to Nigeria and Libya.

The relief of Algeria is quite diverse. In the north of the country rise the Atlas mountain ranges, the southern and central regions occupied by uplands and plateaus. More than 80% of the territory of Algeria is covered with sandy and rocky massifs of the Sahara desert.

The main branch of the Algerian economy is the extraction of hydrocarbon raw materials. However, agriculture and fishing are also highly developed. The country's economy is eighty percent planned.

In terms of natural gas reserves, Algeria ranks 5th on the planet, and in terms of the export of this type of resource, it ranks 2nd after Russia. About thirty percent of GDP comes from the main oil and gas company Sonatrak. This company is owned by the state.

The Algerian economy has been actively developing since independence in 1964. Having overcome all difficulties, the state occupies an important place in the development of the African continent. It ranks fourteenth in terms of oil reserves in the world. The country is the main producer of liquefied natural gas in Africa. Eight percent of the world share of this industry belongs to Algeria.

Basis of the Algerian economy

What are the main features of the Algerian economy? The basis of the Algerian economy is the extractive industry, namely oil and gas. They give:

• GDP - 30%
• The revenue part of the state budget - 60%
• Export revenue - 95%

The government is actively engaged in modifying the economy of its country in order to attract more investment, both domestic and foreign. However, this process is slower than the government would like. Banking system also develops very slowly. The main reason is corruption and bureaucracy in the country.

Agriculture in Algeria

In the mid-90s, about twenty-five percent of Algerians worked in agriculture, bringing in just under twelve percent of the country's GDP. The main part of the industry was concentrated in the northern part of the country. The most common was the cultivation of:

• grapes
• olives
• date
• tobacco
• citrus fruits
• some cereals

Animals were bred solely to feed themselves. Mainly cereal crops, which occupy most cultivated land are consumed by the people of Algeria themselves. It is mainly oats, wheat and barley. Rye, rice and millet are also grown here.

The main directions of agriculture

In the nineties, Algeria imported seventy-five percent of its grain for domestic purposes. Tobacco is considered an important crop. In addition, citrus crops are also grown here - oranges and tangerines, as well as potatoes, dates and olives. The date is grown in desert oases.

Agriculture in Algeria is developing slowly, largely due to the geographical location of the country. Only three percent of the land is suitable for grain cultivation, seventeen percent is occupied by pastures and forests. The rest is occupied by the Sahara. Only sixty percent of the sown area produces a crop, the rest dies due to lack of rainfall.

Agriculture is aimed at export. Almost a third of the territory is not used for agricultural purposes, since it is located in the Sahara. The main crops are grapes, citrus fruits, tobacco and others.

Due to the large extent from north to south, the territory of Algeria is located not only in different natural zones, but even in different belts. Northern Algeria occupies the central part of the Atlas natural region, which is part of the subtropical zone of the Mediterranean on the southern edge of the temperate zone of Africa. The main part of the country is occupied by tropical semi-deserts and deserts of the Sahara, that is, it belongs to the tropical zone of the trade winds of the northern hemisphere. The geological structure, relief, hydrography of these two adjacent natural areas, their soil and vegetation cover and fauna are different. Thus, the nature of Algeria has a dual character.

Although Northern Algeria is less than 1/2 of the territory, more than 90% of the population and almost the entire economic life of the country are concentrated here. The influence of the Sahara on the nature of northern Algeria is very great. It enhances the African specificity of nature, creating its significant differences from the countries of the non-African Mediterranean. The natural conditions of the Algerian Sahara as part of the desert zone of North Africa are mainly characterized in an essay on the nature of the whole of North Africa, so here we will focus mainly on the nature of Northern Algeria, which also has many internal physical and geographical differences.

Features of the nature of Northern Algeria, as part of the Atlas region, are associated not only with its position in the far north of Africa, but also with the specifics geological structure areas. This tectonically mobile region of Africa was finally formed as the Atlas mountain fold system in the Tertiary time during the Alpine tectonic cycle. In the Alpine stage of mountain building, active volcanic activity also took place, especially in coastal areas, where many capes of the coast are composed of volcanic rocks. To the west of Oran, dilapidated ancient craters and craters of younger Quaternary volcanoes are still preserved. Witnesses of recent volcanism are numerous hot mineral springs.

Like most areas of Alpine folding, the territory of Northern Algeria is seismically mobile, and earthquakes occur here every year, and sometimes very destructive ones. For example, in 1825, more than 7 thousand people died as a result of an earthquake, and in 1954 strong earthquake left tens of thousands of people homeless and was also accompanied by many victims.

Complex geological history Algeria predetermined the presence in the country of various minerals, the study of which, although it was quite active during the years of the French occupation, was far from being exhausted. This is evidenced by the finds not only of oil and gas in the Algerian Sahara, but also of other deposits made during the years of independence. The country has large reserves of high-quality iron ores, usually containing manganese; Since ancient times, ores of lead and zinc, arsenic and mercury, antimony and copper have been mined. Many polymetallic and other ore deposits are essential for the development of the Algerian economy. Like other Atlas countries, Algeria is rich in phosphorites, mineral salts, cement raw materials, and other valuable building and ornamental materials. Along with the oil and gas deposits of the Saharan regions, this provides independent Algeria with strong natural prerequisites for the development of industrial sectors based on the processing of mineral raw materials.

The nature and economic development of northern Algeria is greatly influenced by such a feature of orography as height above sea level. high mountains in this part of the country there is not much: massifs with a height of 1600-2000 m account for less than 2% of the area, but lowlands (below 200 m) occupy only about 5%. More than half of Northern Algeria is elevated plains with average heights of 400-1200 m. Often, even rather high absolute mountain ranges rise above this peculiar base by only a few hundred meters, giving the impression of a hilly, not mountainous country.

The Atlas Mountains consist of separate massifs and mountain ranges, the northern ones are called Tell Atlas. The western Tell Atlas, from the borders of Morocco to the massifs surrounding the capital, forms hilly chains interspersed with coastal plains.

To the east of the city of Algiers, the mountains of Tell Atlas jut out from the coast. The coastal areas are occupied by the ancient mountain ranges of Kabylia. From the south they are adjoined by younger mountains with typical alpine peaks reaching 2000 m or more. The mountains of Kabylia are cut by gorges of rivers, divided into many massifs and separate domed mountains. Seismically, these ancient mountains are less mobile than the Atlas. The sea, as it were, undercuts the Kabyle massifs, forming steep shores, rocky capes and closed coves, and giving the harsh beauty of this part of the coast.

East Tell Atlas occupies the northeast of Algiers. Mountain structures here resemble hills surrounding intermountain plains and basins. In the east, the mountains diverge into two branches: the Biban chain to the northeast, the Hodna chain to the southeast. The latter forms a kind of bridge between the northern and southern Atlas mountains.

A narrow depression separates the Hodna chain from one of the highest mountain ranges in Northern Algeria - Ores. In Ores is the highest point of the country - Jebel Shelia (2321 m). To the north of Aures lie the high plains of Constantine, the ancient granary of Algeria, framed in the north by mountains. These mountains are composed mainly of calcareous rocks and are distinguished by an abundance of karst landforms. In the east, the mountains merge with the Mejerda system, which extends into Tunisia. In the south, Ores comes close to the Saharan Atlas.

The Saharan Atlas is a continuation of the eastern part of the Moroccan High Atlas and, like it, forms the mountain barrier of the Sahara platform. The Saharan Atlas is a chain of mountains from the border of Morocco to Tunisia. These are the mountains of Ksur, Ulad-Nail, Ziban and Nemencha. Cuesta ridges predominate here. The proximity of the desert strongly affects small landforms (wind erosion, salt peaks, remnants, etc.). The average heights in the Saharan Atlas are 1400-1500 m, and only individual peaks in the south exceed 2000 m.

Between the chains of the Tell Atlas and the Saharan Atlas, west of the Khodna mountains, the interior of northern Algeria is strongly leveled (average heights are 1000-1200 m) and is called the area of ​​\u200b\u200b"high plateaus" or "high plains". Numerous depressions and basins on these plains are occupied by drying up salt lakes - sebkhs and small temporary lakes - dai-ami. The monotonous relief of the plains is also disturbed by the deep valleys of the ue-dov, which are dry for most of the year.

On the coast mediterranean sea leveled areas alternate with rocky ones. There are no large islands off the coast, and there are no deep bays protruding into the land. The largest bays (Oran, Arzev, Alzhirskaya, etc.) are not very favorable for the entry of modern ships and require the construction of complex protective port facilities. But at the time of the rowing and sailing fleet, the Algerian coast was a stronghold for sailors of various Mediterranean powers, and especially corsairs.

predominance mountainous terrain, almost latitudinal strike of the main mountain structures and other features of the relief have a significant impact on the climate of the country.

Algeria is a country with a warm climate. Almost everywhere, the average monthly temperatures of even the coldest month (January) are above 0 °, with the exception of mountainous regions with altitudes over 1600 m. The difference between January temperatures on the coast, in the interior and in the southern Atlas Mountains is on average about 5 °. The differences in summer temperatures (the hottest months are July-August) average 1-2°.

Medium minimum temperatures below 0 ° in Northern Algeria are noted only in certain areas, but there are days with frosts on the coast every year. The absolute maximum temperatures are high everywhere and even in the northern part they almost everywhere reach 40° and more (in the Saharan Atlas it is about 50°, and in the valley of the Shelif River the absolute temperature maximum of Northern Algeria is above 50°).

The climate of northern Algeria is determined by the position of the two main air fronts, polar and tropical, and depends on the movement of air masses associated with them. In winter, when the Mediterranean Sea, especially in the western part, is warmer than North Africa, Northern Algeria is affected by cyclonic activity and the humid air masses brought in connection with it from the Atlantic. At this time, in some places of the mountain coast, precipitation even exceeds the norms of the temperate zone.

In the summer, when the permanent Azores anticyclone shifts to the north, the territory of Northern Algeria is included in its zone of influence. An anticyclonic regime with dry winds and high temperatures is established over the country for many months.

The difficult terrain causes significant local differences in weather throughout the year, and it is not uncommon for northern Algeria to experience different climatic conditions at close distances.

The formation of the climate of Northern Algeria is strongly influenced by the relief of neighboring Morocco. The Moroccan mountain ranges, exceeding the heights of Algeria, retain the moisture coming to North Africa from the west. For this reason, the low north-western part of the country (the Orana region) turns out to be drier than the coastal mountainous regions in the center and east, which are higher and more advanced to the north. These regions receive maximum amount rainfall in the country, but they themselves turn out to be a barrier, depriving the region bordering on Tunisia of a significant part of the moisture brought from the west.

The Algerian Sahara, which belongs to the continental part of the tropical belt and is the area of ​​the greatest warming of the surface layers of air, not only affects the entire atmospheric circulation within Algeria, but also directly affects the south of the Atlas part, enhancing its climatic differences from more northern regions.

The influence of the Mediterranean Sea extends only to a narrow coastal strip, where air humidity is higher, the amplitude of temperature fluctuations is smaller, and coastal winds are constant - breezes.

Summer, not even too much high temperatures not easily tolerated by humans and animals. In the coastal strip and adjacent areas, this is due to high humidity, as well as a small decrease in temperatures at night. In more southern regions, where the average temperature of the summer months is close to 30 °, the heat is especially hard to bear because of the withering winds - the sirocco. Under this name, the winds of the southeastern rhumbs blowing from the deserts are often combined. Siroccos are like our dry winds, they are especially detrimental to crops in the spring or early summer. During the year in Northern Algeria there are up to 30-40 days with sirocco.

The climate as a whole is characterized by slight cloudiness and very long duration sunshine, which is important for agriculture. Particular difficulties are created not so much by the general aridity of the climate, but by the unevenness of precipitation over the seasons. Heavy rainfall, which falls in the form of powerful short showers, is also useless and sometimes harmful to the economy. Therefore, the average values ​​of annual precipitation in the country, semi-arid in the north and arid in the south, have only relative value for business valuations.

Atmospheric precipitation falls mainly in the form of rain, but in winter time snow often falls over the mountainous northern regions. Approximately once every 10 years, it falls so much that traffic is hindered and communications are disrupted. For the highest massifs of the Tell Atlas and Kabylia, Ores and even the Saharan Atlas, snow is a normal occurrence in winter, and in the mountainous regions of Dzhurdzhura and Babaran on a short time skiing is possible. Snowfall is essential for agriculture, as it additionally moistens the soil on the eve of sowing. Unlike Morocco, in Algeria snow does not play a significant role in feeding the rivers. Snow cover usually lasts no more than 5 days a year, and only in some mountainous areas - up to 20 or more. Hail is dangerous, falling most often during thunderstorms in spring and early summer. Hailstones sometimes weighing 100 g or more destroy crops and kill livestock.

Inland waters are of particular importance. Only one river, the Shelif, has a more or less permanent stream. The rest of the oueds of northern Algeria dry up during the dry season, retaining underground runoff and individual lakes in the valley - “gelts”. (These lakes are breeding grounds for malarial mosquitoes, and during the dry season they are the only refuge for amphibians.)

The Oueda, which flows into the Mediterranean Sea, is characterized by violent floods during the rainy season. The flow of water in rivers can increase hundreds and thousands of times, but for a short time. For example, on the Shelif and Makta rivers, which have a flow rate of about 2 cubic meters in summer. m / s, the maximum flow and floods reach 14 thousand, 1 thousand and 800 cubic meters, respectively. m/sec. Such floods, which suddenly occur within a few hours, often acquire the character of catastrophes. They demolish dams, destroy bridges, flood villages and fields. That is why in Algeria great attention is given to the construction of protective structures against flood waters on the uedas.

The oueds of the inner regions of Northern Algeria, which flow into the drainless basins of large and small salt lakes, are especially distinguished by the great variability of the flow and the irregularity of the floods. Filled with water during the rainy season, such lakes (sebkhs) turn into a quagmire or salt marsh during the rest of the year. Large sebkhs, often called “shotts” on maps (although in reality the Arabs have long called the high banks of sebkhs so), have an area of ​​​​hundreds and thousands of square kilometers. The Chotta ash-Shergi basin annually receives more than 11 billion cubic meters of precipitation from atmospheric precipitation. m of water, which he loses almost all due to high evaporation. There are theoretical calculations of the possibility of intercepting this water for use for household needs, but the technical implementation of such a project is laborious and very expensive.

An important source of water for the needs of the population and economy in the interior of Algeria, as well as in the Algerian Sahara, are The groundwater, which are quite rich in the areas of the "High Plains". Numerous mineral springs healing properties which have been known since the time of Roman colonization. Currently, these sources are used at balneological stations and resorts.

No matter how limited at first glance the water resources of Northern Algeria are, they are widely used not only for water supply, but also for irrigation and hydropower generation. In Northern Algeria, there are about 20 large dams with reservoirs and several hydroelectric power plants, hundreds of small dams and thousands of artificial reservoirs of various sizes. The water management potential of Algeria still has considerable reserves, the use of which has become real thanks to the increase in the scientific and technical level of hydrotechnical work in the years of independence.

The soil cover of northern Algeria is characterized by various types of brown calcareous soils, similar to those of other arid parts of the Mediterranean. Under the forests of the most humid coastal mountain ranges, brown forest, often podzolized soils are developed. Gray-brown soils predominate on the internal plains, often with carbonate crusts - a sign of aridity. These soils are combined with solonchaks and other saline soils, and in the southernmost regions they gradually pass into the soils of rubble and pebble deserts.

The vegetation of the country reflects the dual nature of the Algerian nature: subtropical Mediterranean in the north and semi-desert and desert in the south. Typical Mediterranean vegetation has always been developed only in the narrow coastal zone of Tell Atlas and the Kabyle massifs. It is most clearly represented on the slopes facing the sea. This zone, due to fertile soils and good moisture, occupies a special place in the country's agriculture. Almost all lands can be cultivated here, valuable subtropical crops (grapes, citrus fruits, oilseeds, fruit trees, etc.) can be grown. Now in natural form Mediterranean vegetation has survived only on steep slopes not used by man, in the highest massifs and in semi-reserved areas. But even in these places the vegetation is degraded, especially where there were once forests. Only in the first half century of our century, the area under forests was reduced to 100 thousand hectares, and the reduction of forests here began long before our era. Now an important task for the country is the restoration of forests, which is closely related to the problem of protecting slopes and other lands from dangerous soil erosion. Throughout the north of the country, extensive work is underway to plant forests on artificially terraced slopes.

The peculiarity of the vegetation cover of Algeria is manifested in the fact that often the Mediterranean vegetation borders directly on the semi-desert. Such a change of botanical zones, quite rare in nature, occurs at a relatively short distance.

Typical Mediterranean vegetation - impenetrable thickets, or maquis, - found on the slopes of coastal massifs up to a height of 1000 m. Makvis form evergreen, often thorny shrubs, low trees (mastic, wild olive, pistachio, acacia, etc.). In more humid parts of the coast, groves of maritime pine have been preserved, the trunks of which are often curved towards the sea under the influence of constant winds. On the coast, natural vegetation has been almost entirely replaced by cultivated vegetation. At altitudes of about 1000 m or more, evergreen Mediterranean species predominate - holm and cork oak, Alep pine. In place of the reduced maquis, secondary vegetation appears with a predominance of a dwarf palm tree, which gives strong fiber, a kind of jujube plant, etc.

In coastal areas with altitudes from 500 to 1300 m, where more than 600 mm of precipitation falls, there are the main forests of cork oak, which produces high-quality cork. These forests have been exploited for a long time, they are affected by fires, and there are not so many trees from which you can get cork bark of great thickness. Above the belt of evergreen oaks, forests rise with leaves falling for the winter; chestnut-leaved oak, maples, etc. grow in them. They differ markedly from the forests of the temperate zone in that they are almost never completely bare: part of the old foliage is always preserved until new leaves appear. The vegetation of even higher belts of this part of northern Algeria is represented by conifers - cedar forests with juniper forests, to which fir and aspen are mixed in the Babor mountain range.

For the Mediterranean part of the country, some wild and cultivated plants, brought here relatively recently, for example, prickly pear or Berer fig and agave brought from America, eucalyptus, etc.

In the southern part of the Tell Atlas, in the interior regions of northern Algeria, and especially in Ores and the Saharan Atlas, the vertical zonality has a different character. Aleppo pine forests are especially common here, growing well even with precipitation of 400 mm per year. It rises up to 1300 m in these regions, up to 1600 m in Ores, and up to 2000 m in the Saharan Atlas. In the Sahara Atlas and Ores, tree-like junipers often form, as it were, an independent belt, rising to 2200 m. In Ores, you can still find relics of the ancient forests of the Mediterranean - the handsome Lebanese cedars.

All the interior plains of Northern Algeria are occupied by various types of semi-desert vegetation, which are often called steppes or dry steppes. The grass cover with alpha grasses, sparta and wormwood is widespread here. Alpha is a dry-loving plant that develops even with precipitation of 200 mm, tolerates sharp temperature fluctuations well, but does not tolerate soil salinity. Alpha is of great economic importance, since its fibers serve as raw materials for high-quality paper, cardboard and wicker products. Salt-loving plants are widespread in the interior regions, growing mainly in the sebkh basins.

Even more than vegetation, was depleted for historical time animal world, although it is very diverse. Two thousand years ago it was from here for spectacles ancient rome supplied most of the exotic animals. Just a hundred years ago, in northern Algeria, there was a hunt for gazelles, lions, ostriches and other large animals, completely exterminated by the beginning of the 20th century. The basis of modern fauna are animals of semi-deserts and deserts. The forest fauna has been preserved only in the islands of the least disturbed forests of Tell Atlas, Kabylia and Ores.

Of the mammals, the mago monkey stands out first of all - the Barbary macaque, still found in the forests of Tell and Kabylia. Occasionally, hares come across here, and a species that is very far from its European relatives. In some parts of the Tell, Mediterranean rabbits live, which, as elsewhere, are malicious pests of crops. Many types of bats. Of the rodents in the more southern regions, jerboas close to Asian species are common; everywhere there are mice (forest, field), garden dormouse, from insectivores - shrews and hedgehogs.

Predators are now mainly represented by small animals; these are the fox, the steppe cat, the asca and the otter in the north, and to the south there are still quite numerous viverras - gennetts, hyenas, ichneumons, or pharaoh mice. From the Saharan regions, dune cats, lynx caracals, and jackals sometimes come far to the north.

Of the ungulates, small herds of gazelles remained, and bubal antelopes are very rare in the south. On the border with the Sahara, porcupines have recently been encountered, and the desert fox fennec fox occasionally comes in. Marine mammals have become rare off the coast of Algeria. In addition to dolphins, a relic species of the monk seal is known here, and Atlantic whales have repeatedly appeared in the past.

The world of birds is rich, but there are few local species and endemics, and the vast majority of birds are migratory or species common with Southern Europe. In the Algerian forests, the trills of our songbirds sound, the woodpeckers knock, the tits chirp. Birds from the families of passerines and ravens are numerous everywhere. In the interior regions of Northern Algeria, you can hear the voice of the lark familiar to us, see the handsome crane, waders and herons, and on the reservoirs - migratory geese and ducks, sometimes ringed somewhere in the Baltic states or near Moscow. There are quite a lot of birds of prey in Algeria; among them at least four species of eagles, falcons, hawks, kites, etc.

Everywhere in the country you can see representatives of scaly reptiles.. Lizards are especially diverse - thin-toed, wide-toed and fan-shaped geckos, gray monitor lizards, amphisbaenas, skinks, etc. Harmless chameleons live in the forests of Tell Atlas, which are often found in the homes of animal lovers. There are more than 20 species of snakes, of which 7 are poisonous. Snakes live everywhere. These are snakes and snakes, forest vipers and dangerous efa, or Mauritanian echidna, horned viper and Avicenna's viper, African cobra and steppe boa constrictor. Unpleasant for bathers meeting with sea snakes. Tortoises are very characteristic, of which the marsh, or water, turtle is the most common in the north. From amphibians, in addition to lake frogs and toads, in the north of the country you can see salamanders and newts.

There are few freshwater fish, but still in rivers and lakes you can fish for eels, stickleback, barbel, and in some mountainous uedas - trout. In coastal waters, ordinary Mediterranean fish are hunted - whiting, sea bream, mackerel, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, etc.

Everywhere you can meet representatives of arachnids - salpuga, or phalanx, scorpion, etc. Carriers of serious diseases of people and animals are ticks. Among the very numerous insects, there are many agricultural pests, but the most dangerous

locusts that periodically devastate vast areas in North Africa. Repeatedly since late XIX in. The vineyards of Algeria suffered heavily from aphids, phylloxera. Another type of aphid - cochineal destroys the planting of olives and citrus fruits. Some species of ants harm cork oak plantations. Pest control is one of the most important economic concerns in the country.