MORE PHYSICAL FEATURES.
The fourth division of Africa comprises what is sometimes called Barbary. It includes the mountainous countries of Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, and Tripoli.
In its general character this northern section bears a strong resemblance to the opposite coast of Europe, with respect to peculiarities of soil and climate and the variety of its products.
The southern slope of the Atlas region gradually merges into the Great Desert. Some parts of this range are above what is called the snow line. The summits of some of the peaks are thirteen thousand feet high.
The Barbary States extend from the borders of Egypt on the east to the Atlantic Ocean on the west. The Mediterranean Sea is the northern boundary; the Sahara is the southern.
Although the country of Morocco is generally mountainous, yet there are deviations from this characteristic feature of it.
The Atlas Mountains traverse the country in several parallel chains, running from southwest to northeast. Towards the coast country and the desert these chains send out spurs of hills and detached mountain groups.
At the western and eastern extremities of Morocco, and along the borders of the desert, there are many level tracts.
It is in Morocco that the central range of the Atlas Mountains forms a watershed. This watershed separates the rivers which flow into the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea from those which flow south towards the desert.
The rivers flowing south have a longer course and more volume of water than the rivers flowing towards the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The latter rivers are, however, perennial, while those flowing south are apt to become dry in summer. Even after their currents are full, the waters lose themselves in the sands of the Sahara.
The climate of Morocco is temperate between the central range of the Atlas Mountains and the sea. There are no extremes of temperature, owing to the influence of the sea breeze and the shelter which the mountains afford from the scorching winds of the desert. In the southeast districts there are great extremes of heat and cold, and rain is an unknown blessing.
The even climate of the temperate regions is favorable to such productions as wheat, barley, rice, maize, and the sugar cane. Such fruits as the fig, pomegranate, lemon, orange, and date are common here, between the Atlas range and the sea. Cotton, tobacco, and hemp are produced in great quantities, not only for domestic use but for exportation.
Algeria really forms the northern boundary of the great plateau of North Africa. This plateau rises from the sea, at this point, in the form of three terraces. The Atlas Mountains run parallel to the coast line of Algeria.
Beyond this range of mountains is a vast tract of heath-covered plains. These are interspersed with salt lakes. The vast tract stretches southward till hemmed in by a chain of mountains of various heights.
Beyond this plain lies the Desert of Sahara, which extends to the banks of the Niger.
In the north of Algeria there are many plains and valleys which open out into the sea. Many of those around Oran, Bona, and Algiers are exceedingly fertile. They abound in wood and water, and, having a good soil, are well suited to agriculture. These tracts form what is known as the Tell. This was once one of the granaries of Italy.
In strong contrast to this fertile section are the lesser deserts, which lie back of the Atlas Mountains, where they follow the coast line.
These are covered with herbs and brushwood. They are almost destitute of fresh water. Occasionally an oasis is found, to break the monotony.
Beyond the Atlas Mountains, in the most southern section, the country partakes of the nature of the Sahara. There are, however, large oases, covered with date palms. These oases are well peopled. They form a part of what is called the date country.
Algeria has no rivers of any great importance. There are a few coast streams, which have their rise in the neighboring Atlas range.
The climate of Algeria has greater extremes of temperature than Morocco. In the district of the Tell the heat is often very intense. Along the coast of Algeria the heat is tempered by the sea breeze. Up among the high mountains, in the interior of the country, the temperature in the winter season is often cold.
GATHERING DATES.
Algeria is not unfrequently the victim of the simoon, or hot wind. This same wind the Italians call sirocco. The Spaniards term it the solano.
Large portions of Algeria are covered by extensive forests of oaks, cedars, pines, and pistachio trees. These supply an abundance of timber and resin.
In the Tell section the olive and the various cereals are cultivated.
Tunis, like the other Barbary States, is traversed by the mountains of the Atlas range, which finally terminate here.
The northern coast of Tunis is steep and rocky. It is indented by numerous bays. The largest of these is the Gulf of Tunis. Two promontories, Cape Blanco and Cape Bon, are the most northern points in Africa.
The eastern coast offers a strong contrast to the northern coast. It is flat, sandy, and unproductive. It bears a strong resemblance to Tripoli, as we shall see. The coast has two large gulfs, Hammamet and Gabes.
The southern portion of Tunis belongs to the desert steppe called Belud-el-Jerid.
Tunis has but one fresh-water lake of any extent. This is situated near the north coast.
The brooks and the torrents of Tunis do not make many wanderings. Their waters lose themselves in the sands, or seek a short course to the sea. None of the streams are navigable.
The longest river was well known to the ancients under the name Bagradas. It now bears the name Mejerdah, and flows in a general northeast direction, into the Gulf of Tunis.
Tunis has several fine mineral springs, though it has no rivers. Thus does Nature seem to compensate for the lack of one blessing by the bestowal of another.
Tunis enjoys a fine climate and an exceedingly fertile soil. The people have only an imperfect knowledge of agriculture, but the natural advantages of the soil and climate are so great that little labor is necessary. Hence, we find wheat, barley, maize, olives, oranges, figs, grapes, pomegranates, almonds, and dates produced in abundance. In the culture of olives for oil more care is expended than in other directions. The supply of oil is very abundant, and exceedingly profitable.
Great herds of cattle and flocks of sheep feed on the plains. The wool of the sheep of Tunis is far famed.
The horses and the dromedaries, or camels, are considered very fine, and command a good price.
Tripoli is the most easterly of the Barbary States. It is not so mountainous as the other countries comprising Barbary. The Atlas Mountains terminate here in two chains that run parallel with the coast. The summits of the mountains in this section never exceed four thousand feet in height.
Tripoli has no rivers. During the long hot summers rain rarely falls. In compensation, there is a copious supply of dew. So plentiful is this dewfall, in some favored sections, as really to support vegetation.
The coast region is about eleven hundred miles in extent. Some sections of it are very fertile and productive. All kinds of tropical fruits are found, together with grain, grapes, cotton, and madder.
Farther to the east, along the shores of the Gulf of Sidra, nothing but dreary wastes of sand prevail. Here desolation may be said to reign.
The interior sections of Tripoli yield senna, dates, and nutgalls. The carob and the lotus are also found.
Here, as in Tunis, much attention is paid to the rearing of sheep and cattle. The small, yet beautiful horses, and the strong, well-formed mules of Tripoli are highly prized and much sought after.