Tanezrouft
Encyclopedia
The Tanezrouft is one of the most desolate parts of the Sahara
desert. It is situated along the borders among Algeria
, Niger
and Mali
, west of the Hoggar mountains.
s.
The Tanezrouft's sandstone hills contain steep canyon walls, some rising to 500 meters elevation. Numerous sand dunes rise from sandy stretches, interspersed with sandstone outcrops. The terrain shows stark evidence of long-ago water erosion (when the Sahara desert's climate was much wetter; present annual rainfall is much less than 8 cm). In the present era the terrain is being shaped by wind erosion, which occurs at a much greater rate than in other areas, since there is little or no vegetation to hold the surface in place.
Tanezrouft has been long-shunned by nearby civilizations (it is known as "Land of Thirst"). A trade route may have connected the area with Ghadames
and the Hoggar, since perhaps 500 BC. It is now spanned north-south by a trans-Saharan motor route, from Béchar
in Algeria to Gao
in Mali. Poste Maurice Cortier
is a fueling station along the route. Tanezrouft is nearly uninhabited; its few nomadic dwellers are of the Tuareg people. There is a vast water-bearing stratum a few thousand feet below the dry lifeless desert surface.
Sahara
The Sahara is the world's second largest desert, after Antarctica. At over , it covers most of Northern Africa, making it almost as large as Europe or the United States. The Sahara stretches from the Red Sea, including parts of the Mediterranean coasts, to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean...
desert. It is situated along the borders among Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
and Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, west of the Hoggar mountains.
Geographic features
Tanezrouft is a western extension of the Hoggar mountains, although it is composed of differing materials: the Tanezrouft contains mostly sandstone deposits, whereas the Hoggar formations are metamorphic rockMetamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock is the transformation of an existing rock type, the protolith, in a process called metamorphism, which means "change in form". The protolith is subjected to heat and pressure causing profound physical and/or chemical change...
s.
The Tanezrouft's sandstone hills contain steep canyon walls, some rising to 500 meters elevation. Numerous sand dunes rise from sandy stretches, interspersed with sandstone outcrops. The terrain shows stark evidence of long-ago water erosion (when the Sahara desert's climate was much wetter; present annual rainfall is much less than 8 cm). In the present era the terrain is being shaped by wind erosion, which occurs at a much greater rate than in other areas, since there is little or no vegetation to hold the surface in place.
Tanezrouft has been long-shunned by nearby civilizations (it is known as "Land of Thirst"). A trade route may have connected the area with Ghadames
Ghadames
Ghadames or Ghadamis is an oasis town in the Nalut District of the Fezzan region in southwestern Libya.-Geography:Ghadames lies roughly to the southwest of Tripoli, near the borders with Algeria and Tunisia. Ghadames borders Illizi Province, Algeria and Tataouine Governorate, Tunisia.The oasis...
and the Hoggar, since perhaps 500 BC. It is now spanned north-south by a trans-Saharan motor route, from Béchar
Béchar
Béchar , formerly known as Colomb-Béchar, is a capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. The area is controlled by Algeria, though claims have also been made on it by Morocco. In 1998 the city had a population of 134,954....
in Algeria to Gao
Gao
Gao is a town in eastern Mali on the River Niger lying ESE of Timbuktu. Situated on the left bank of the river at the junction with the Tilemsi valley, it is the capital of the Gao Region and had a population of 86,663 in 2009....
in Mali. Poste Maurice Cortier
Poste Maurice Cortier
Poste Maurice Cortier was a desert halt in the Sahara Desert in southern Algeria. It can be found along the way from Algiers to the French Sudan....
is a fueling station along the route. Tanezrouft is nearly uninhabited; its few nomadic dwellers are of the Tuareg people. There is a vast water-bearing stratum a few thousand feet below the dry lifeless desert surface.