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Algeria
Geographic Regions
The Tell
The fertile Tell is the country's heartland, containing most
of its cities and population. Made up of hills and plains of the
narrow coastal region, the several Tell Atlas mountain ranges,
and the intermediate valleys and basins, the Tell extends eastward
from the Moroccan border to the mountains of the Grande Kabylie
and the Bejaļa Plain on the east. Its eastern terminus is the
Soummam River.
The best agricultural areas are the gentle hills extending 100
kilometers westward from Algiers; the Mitidja Plain, which was
a malarial swamp before being cleared by the French; and the Bejaļa
Plain. The alluvial soils in these areas permitted the French
to establish magnificent vineyards and citrus groves. By contrast,
in the great valley of the Chelif River and other interior valleys
and basins, aridity and excessive summer heat have limited the
development of agriculture. The Grande Kabylie is a zone of impoverished
small farm villages tucked into convoluted mountains.
Data as of December 1993
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