Tell Atlas

Tell Atlas
View of the southern slopes of the Haizer Range in the Djurdjura Mountains
Highest point
Peak	Lalla Khedidja
Elevation	2,308 m (7,572 ft)
Coordinates	36°0′0″N 2°0′0″E / 36.00000°N 2.00000°E / 36.00000; 2.00000[1]
Dimensions
Length	1,500 km (930 mi) E/W
Width	115 km (71 mi) N/S
Naming
Native name	الاطلس التلي' (Arabic)
Geography
Tell Atlas
Country	Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia
Parent range	Atlas Mountains
Geology
Orogeny	Alpine orogeny
Age of rock	Miocene
Type of rock	Crystalline metamorphic
Climbing
First ascent	unknown
Easiest route	drive

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, with ends in both 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 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.^[2]

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 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.