Ahaggar Mountains

Ahaggar Mountains

Geobox|Range
name=Ahaggar Mountains


image_caption=An oasis in the Ahaggar Mountains
country=Algeria
region_type=
region=
parent=
highest=Mount Tahat
highest_elevation=3003
highest_lat_d=23|highest_lat_m=17|highest_lat_s=|highest_lat_NS=N
highest_long_d=05|highes_long_m=31|highest_long_s=|highest_long_EW=E


map_caption=
Infobox_protected_area | name = Ahaggar National Park
iucn_category = II



caption = Locator map
locator_x =
locator_y =
location = Tamanrasset Province, Algeria
nearest_city = Tamanrasset
lat_degrees =
lat_minutes =
lat_seconds =
lat_direction =
long_degrees =
long_minutes =
long_seconds =
long_direction =
area = 3,800 km²
established = 1987
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body =

"This article is about the Ahaggar Mountains. For the tribe, see Ahaggar Tuareg Tribe."

The Ahaggar Mountains (Tuareg: idurar uhaggar), also known as the Hoggar, are a highland region in central Sahara, or southern Algeria near 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.

Description

The mountain range is mostly volcanic rock and contains a hot summer climate, with a cold winter climate (temperature 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 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.The main city nearby the Ahaggar is Tamanghasset, built in a desert valley or wadi.

Today, the Ahaggar region is a prime tourist destination in Algeria.

Cultural significance

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.

National park

It is also one of the national parks of the country.

Gallery

See also

*Ecotourism
*Saharan rock art

References

External links

*fr [http://www.cybersahara.com/article.php3?id_article=33 A website about the park]
* [http://www.unep-wcmc.org/wdpa/sitedetails.cfm?siteid=23177&level=nat Park data on UNEP-WPMC]
*coord|22|50|N|5|20|E (Location of the national park)


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ahaggar Mountains — or Hoggar Mountains geographical name mountains S Algeria in W central Sahara; highest peak Tahat 9842 feet (3000 meters) …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Ahaggar Mountains — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Ahaggar — p1p5 Ahaggar Iharen, Phonolith bei Tamanrasset Höchster Gipfel Tahat (3.003 m …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Ahaggar — or Hoggar Mountains High plateau region, southern Algeria. Located in the central Sahara, it extends about 970 mi (1,550 km) from north to south and 1,300 mi (2,100 km) from east to west. Its mean elevation is above 3,000 ft (900 m); its highest… …   Universalium

  • Kel Ahaggar — (trans: People of Ahaggar ) is a Tuareg confederation in the Ahaggar Mountains in Algeria. The confederation is believed to have been founded by Tin Hinan, with the official founding being around 1750. It has been largely defunct since 1977, when …   Wikipedia

  • Hoggar Mountains — geographical name see Ahaggar Mountains …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Africa — /af ri keuh/, n. 1. a continent S of Europe and between the Atlantic and Indian oceans. 551,000,000; ab. 11,700,000 sq. mi. (30,303,000 sq. km). adj. 2. African. * * * I Second largest continent on Earth. It is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea,… …   Universalium

  • Algeria — /al jear ee euh/, n. a republic in NW Africa: formerly comprised 13 departments of France; gained independence 1962. 29,830,370; 919,352 sq. mi. (2,381,122 sq. km). Cap.: Algiers. * * * Algeria Introduction Algeria Background: After a century of… …   Universalium

  • Tuareg — Infobox Ethnic group group=Tuareg poptime=1.2 million [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6982266.stm] popplace=flag|Niger: 720,000 (1998) flag|Mali: 440,000 (1991) flag|Algeria: 25,000 (1987) flag|Burkina Faso: 60,000 (1991) flag|Libya: 17,000… …   Wikipedia

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