Chott Ech Chergui () is a large
endorheic
An endorheic basin ( ; also endoreic basin and endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water (e.g. rivers and oceans); instead, the water drainage flows into permanent ...
salt lake
A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per liter). I ...
in
Saïda Province
Saïda () is a province ('' wilaya'') of Algeria, named after its capital.
History
The province was created from parts of Oran department, Saïda province and Saoura province in 1974.
In 1984 El Bayadh Province and Naama Province were c ...
, northwestern
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
. It is located at in the level terrain of the ''
Hautes Plaines
The Hautes Plaines ("High Plains", ), also known in French as Hauts Plateaux, is a steppe-like natural region located in the Atlas Mountains in northern Algeria. It stretches more than in an east northeast – west southwest direction from no ...
'' region between the
Tell Atlas
The Tell Atlas (, Latn, ar, al-ʾaṭlas al-tlī) is a mountain chain over 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. ...
and the
Saharan Atlas
The Saharan Atlas () is a range of the Atlas Mountain System. It is located mainly in Algeria, with its eastern end in Tunisia. Although not as tall as the High Atlas of Morocco its summits are more imposing than the Tell Atlas range that runs p ...
and is one of the largest lakes in Algeria.
Ecology
Chott Ech Chergui has an area of about 2000 km
2 where water collects during the wet season, forming a number of large shallow salt lakes which become salt flats as they dry. The lake area has a length of about 160 km from ENE to WSW and lies at an average elevation of 1000 m.
Chott Ech Chergui has been designated a
Ramsar wetland of international importance. The Ramsar site has an area of 8555 km
2 and is the natural environment for a number of threatened and vulnerable animal and plant species.
Wetlands of International Importance: Algeria, Chott Ech Chergui
/ref>
See also
*Geography of Algeria
Algeria comprises of land, more than 80% of which is desert, in North Africa, between Morocco and Tunisia. It is the largest country in Africa. Its Arabic name, Al Jazair (the islands), is believed to derive from the rocky islands along the ...
*''Hautes Plaines
The Hautes Plaines ("High Plains", ), also known in French as Hauts Plateaux, is a steppe-like natural region located in the Atlas Mountains in northern Algeria. It stretches more than in an east northeast – west southwest direction from no ...
''
References
External links
*
Ramsar Convention website
*
Direction Générale des Forêts
Lakes of Algeria
Endorheic lakes of Africa
Ramsar sites in Algeria
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