Facts about the Atlas Mountains
- 07
Seismic activity along the Atlas Mountains' fault lines caused a devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake in Morocco on September 8, 2023, killing nearly 3,000 people.
- 06
Cedar forests in the Atlas Mountains' middle elevations are home to the endangered Barbary macaque, North Africa's only wild primate species with fewer than 8,000 individuals remaining.
- 05
Formed during the Hercynian orogeny approximately 300 million years ago, the Atlas Mountains represent one of Africa's oldest mountain ranges with complex geology spanning three distinct ranges.
- 04
Approximately 4 million people across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia depend on Atlas Mountain ecosystems for agriculture, pastoralism, and water resources.
- 03
Snowmelt from the Atlas Mountains' peaks supplies water to North Africa's major rivers, including the Draa and Dades, sustaining millions of people downstream.
- 02
Berber populations have inhabited the Atlas Mountains for thousands of years, developing distinct cultural practices and languages across Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
- 01
Spanning approximately 1,500 miles across North Africa, the Atlas Mountains contain Mount Toubkal at 13,671 feet, Morocco's highest peak.