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28-727: The Medjerda River originates in the Tell Atlas , part of the Atlas Mountains , in northeastern Algeria and then flows eastwards to Tunisia, then entering the Gulf of Utica of the Mediterranean Sea . Its course has a length of 460 kilometres (290 mi). It is the most important and longest river in Tunisia and is dammed in several locations, being a major supplier of water to the country's wheat crops. The Gulf of Utica

56-514: A "principle of comprehensive analysis of the territory" and "Russian Chernozem ". In the latter, he introduced the geographical concept of soil, as distinct from a simple geological stratum, and thus found a new geographic area of study: pedology . Climatology also received a strong boost from the Russian school by Wladimir Köppen whose main contribution, climate classification, is still valid today. However, this great geographer also contributed to

84-607: A consequence, the northern slopes of the Tell Atlas are forested with the endemic Abies numidica , and Atlas cedar , pine , and cork oak . In the summer a hot, dry wind, the Sirocco , blows north from the Sahara across the Tell Atlas, causing dusty, dry conditions along the northern coast of Africa. Despite the arid climate, some agriculture for barley and wheat farming is found in the Tell Atlas region. The Chiffa gorge

112-406: A major development. Some of his disciples made significant contributions to various branches of physical geography such as Curtis Marbut and his invaluable legacy for Pedology, Mark Jefferson , Isaiah Bowman , among others. The compilation of Edrisi marks an era in the history of science . Not only is its historical information most interesting and valuable, but its descriptions of many parts of

140-687: A natural barrier between the Mediterranean and the Sahara . Its highest summit is the 2,308 m (7,572 ft) high Lalla Khedidja in the Djurdjura Range . Several large cities such as the Algerian capital, Algiers , with ~1,500,000 residents (2005) and Oran with ~770,000 residents (2005) lie at the base of the Tell Atlas. The Algerian city Constantine with approximately 505,000 residents (2005) lies 80 km inland and directly in

168-468: Is another mountain lift and the cycle continues. Although Davis's theory is not entirely accurate, it was absolutely revolutionary and unique in its time and helped to modernize and create a geography subfield of geomorphology . Its implications prompted a myriad of research in various branches of physical geography. In the case of the Paleogeography, this theory provided a model for understanding

196-606: Is grown there. The Chelif is a 725 km long river with headwaters in the Tell Atlas to its discharge into the Mediterranean. The Chelif is characterized by an extremely fertile valley. Other noteworthy rivers having their sources in this range are the Medjerda and the Seybouse River . Only seasonal streams flow south from the Tell Atlas. The Tell Atlas has a typical Mediterranean climate , warm with dry summers and mild, rainy winters with snow at upper elevations. As

224-481: Is situated within the Tell Atlas; this location is one of the few remaining habitats for the endangered primate , the Barbary macaque , Macaca sylvanus . Physiographic Physical geography (also known as physiography ) is one of the three main branches of geography . Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with the processes and patterns in the natural environment such as

252-572: The atmosphere , hydrosphere , biosphere , and geosphere . This focus is in contrast with the branch of human geography , which focuses on the built environment , and technical geography , which focuses on using, studying, and creating tools to obtain, analyze, interpret, and understand spatial information. The three branches have significant overlap, however. Physical geography can be divided into several branches or related fields, as follows: Main category: Geography Journals Mental geography and earth science journals communicate and document

280-727: The Ancient Age. In more modern times, these works include the Alexander von Humboldt ( Kosmos ) in the nineteenth century, in which geography is regarded as a physical and natural science through the work Summa de Geografía of Martín Fernández de Enciso from the early sixteenth century, which indicated for the first time the New World. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, a controversy exported from geology, between supporters of James Hutton (uniformitarianism thesis) and Georges Cuvier (catastrophism) strongly influenced

308-771: The Medjerda is Tunisia's crucial waterway providing water to the country supply facilities, it is also vital to the people living near the river. Water from the Medjerda is used for irrigation and is pivotal to the region's agriculture. A strategic resource, it was fought over and settled many times by the Carthaginians , Romans , Vandals , Byzantines , Arabs , and the Ottomans . Several major cities were founded on or near it, including Utica , Carthage , and eventually Tunis . The former ports of Utica and Ghar el-Melh (Rusucmona or Porto Farina) were eventually closed by

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336-553: The birth of geography as a science during the Greek classical period and until the late nineteenth century with the birth of anthropogeography (human geography), geography was almost exclusively a natural science: the study of location and descriptive gazetteer of all places of the known world. Several works among the best known during this long period could be cited as an example, from Strabo ( Geography ), Eratosthenes ( Geographika ) or Dionysius Periegetes ( Periegesis Oiceumene ) in

364-401: The evolution of the landscape. For hydrology, glaciology, and climatology as a boost investigated as studying geographic factors shape the landscape and affect the cycle. The bulk of the work of William Morris Davis led to the development of a new branch of physical geography: Geomorphology whose contents until then did not differ from the rest of geography. Shortly after this branch would present

392-617: The field of geography, because geography at this time was a natural science. Two historical events during the nineteenth century had a great effect on the further development of physical geography. The first was the European colonial expansion in Asia , Africa , Australia and even America in search of raw materials required by industries during the Industrial Revolution . This fostered the creation of geography departments in

420-491: The field to develop cycle of erosion theory which he proposed as a paradigm for geography in general, although in actually served as a paradigm for physical geography. His theory explained that mountains and other landforms are shaped by factors that are manifested cyclically. He explained that the cycle begins with the lifting of the relief by geological processes (faults, volcanism, tectonic upheaval, etc.). Factors such as rivers and runoff begin to create V-shaped valleys between

448-451: The mountains (the stage called "youth"). During this first stage, the terrain is steeper and more irregular. Over time, the currents can carve wider valleys ("maturity") and then start to wind, towering hills only ("senescence"). Finally, everything comes to what is a plain flat plain at the lowest elevation possible (called "baseline") This plain was called by Davis' " peneplain " meaning "almost plain" Then river rejuvenation occurs and there

476-842: The mountains at 650 meters in elevation. A number of smaller towns and villages are situated within the Tell; for example, Chiffa is nestled within the Chiffa gorge. The Tell Atlas runs parallel to the Mediterranean coast. Together with the Saharan Atlas to the south, it forms the northernmost of two more or less parallel ranges which approach one another towards the east , remaining quite distinct from one another in Western Algeria and merging in Eastern Algeria . At

504-406: The paleogeography through his work "The climates of the geological past" which is considered the father of paleoclimatology . Russian geographers who made great contributions to the discipline in this period were: NM Sibirtsev , Pyotr Semyonov , K.D. Glinka , Neustrayev , among others. The second important process is the theory of evolution by Darwin in mid-century (which decisively influenced

532-552: The past 3,000 years. The gulf's southern part was filled up in late ancient times. The sea gradually withdrew from the northern part during the Middle Ages and modern times. The Ghar el Melh lagoon is the last vestige of what used to be the Utica gulf. Following the last big flood in 1973, the Medjerda shifted, once again, its course. It now flows through a canal originally dug to evacuate the overflow of flood waters. Historically

560-530: The patriarch of Russian geography, Mikhail Lomonosov . In the mid-1750s Lomonosov began working in the Department of Geography, Academy of Sciences to conduct research in Siberia. They showed the organic origin of soil and developed a comprehensive law on the movement of the ice, thereby founding a new branch of geography: glaciology . In 1755 on his initiative was founded Moscow University where he promoted

588-611: The results of research carried out in universities and various other research institutions. Most journals cover a specific publish the research within that field, however unlike human geographers, physical geographers tend to publish in inter-disciplinary journals rather than predominantly geography journal; the research is normally expressed in the form of a scientific paper . Additionally, textbooks, books, and communicate research to laypeople, although these tend to focus on environmental issues or cultural dilemmas. Examples of journals that publish articles from physical geographers are: From

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616-663: The silting of their harbors. 37°07′N 10°13′E  /  37.117°N 10.217°E  / 37.117; 10.217 Tell Atlas The Tell Atlas ( Arabic : الاطلس التلي , al-ʾaṭlas al-tlī ) is a mountain chain over 1,500 km (932 mi) in length, belonging to the Atlas mountain ranges in North Africa , stretching mainly across northern Algeria , ending in north-eastern Morocco and north-western Tunisia . The ranges of this system have an average elevations of about 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and form

644-567: The study of geography and the training of geographers. In 1758 he was appointed director of the Department of Geography, Academy of Sciences, a post from which would develop a working methodology for geographical survey guided by the most important long expeditions and geographical studies in Russia. The contributions of the Russian school became more frequent through his disciples, and in the nineteenth century we have great geographers such as Vasily Dokuchaev who performed works of great importance as

672-409: The universities of the colonial powers and the birth and development of national geographical societies, thus giving rise to the process identified by Horacio Capel as the institutionalization of geography. The exploration of Siberia is an example. In the mid-eighteenth century, many geographers were sent to perform geographical surveys in the area of Arctic Siberia . Among these is who is considered

700-529: The valley of the Chelif and various lesser rivers. South of the Tell Atlas is the high plateau of the Hautes Plaines (~1000 m in elevation) with level terrain where water collects during the wet season, forming large shallow salt lakes which become salt flats as they dry. Agriculture includes grazing of sheep and goats on the grass in better-watered high plateau areas and some farming; dry-land barley

728-584: The western end, it ends at the Rif and Middle Atlas ranges in Morocco. The Tell Atlas is also a distinct physiographic section of the larger Atlas Mountains province, which in turn is part of the larger African Alpine System physiographic division. The Tell Atlas and the Saharan Atlas form two natural barriers, the first against the Mediterranean and the second against the Sahara . Between them lies

756-481: The work of Friedrich Ratzel , who had academic training as a zoologist and was a follower of Darwin's ideas) which meant an important impetus in the development of Biogeography. Another major event in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries took place in the United States . William Morris Davis not only made important contributions to the establishment of discipline in his country but revolutionized

784-425: Was formed during the postglacial transgression about 6,000 years ago. Over time, fluvial deposits from the Medjerda gradually filled up the northern part of the gulf. The succession of events during historical times has been inferred from ancient documents and archaeological evidence. Besides morphological ground observations, aerial and satellite photographs have been used to analyze how the landscape has evolved over

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