Atlas Mountains
Atlas Mountains, a mountain system of northwestern Africa. It extends generally northeast-southwest for about 1,500 miles (2,400 km) across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The system divides into several subranges. In Morocco these include the Middle, High, and Anti Atlas. Jebel Toubkal, the loftiest peak in the Atlas system, rises 13,665 feet (4,165 m) above sea level in the High Atlas. Beginning in eastern Morocco and extending across Algeria are three roughly parallel zones: the Tell, or Maritime, Atlas facing the Mediterranean Sea; the Saharan Atlas bordering the Sahara; and the broad High Plateaus lying between the two ranges. In eastern Algeria the High Plateau zone becomes less distinct and finally disappears.
The seaward-facing slopes of the Atlas support vegetation ranging from scrub growth to forests of cork oak and pine; slopes exposed to dry Saharan winds are mostly barren. The mountains contain a wealth of minerals, including phosphate rock, iron, zinc, copper, and antimony.