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14-505: The governorate is 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) from the capital, in an area of foothills of and verdant plains below the Tell Atlas uplands and borders Bizerte , Zaghouan , Beja , Tunis , Ariana and Ben Arous Governorates . The east and west of the province have high foothills; from both ranges the three lakes of Tunis and the Bay of Tunis can be seen. The east part of the west range

28-607: 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

42-669: A length of 450 km (280 mi), it is the longest river of Tunisia. It is also known as the Wadi Majardah or Mejerda ( French : Oued Majardah ). 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

56-687: 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

70-588: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . 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

84-606: 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

98-547: Is named the Forest of Tebourba , one of its four largest settlements. The average temperature is 18.7 °C and annual rainfall is 450 millimeters. Administratively, the governorate is divided into eight delegations ( mutamadiyat ), nine municipalities , eight rural councils and 47 imadas . Nine municipalities are in Manouba Governorate: This Tunisia location article

112-520: Is situated within the Tell Atlas; this location is one of the few remaining habitats for the endangered primate , the Barbary macaque , Macaca sylvanus . Medjerda River The Medjerda River ( Arabic : وادي مجردة ), the classical Bagrada , is a river in North Africa flowing from northeast Algeria through Tunisia before emptying into the Gulf of Tunis and Lake of Tunis . With

126-675: 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 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

140-538: The landscape has evolved over 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

154-842: 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

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168-485: The overflow of flood waters. Historically 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

182-529: 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

196-584: 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

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