page_title: Atlas Mountains
section_title: High Atlas
hierarchical_section_title: Atlas Mountains / Subranges / High Atlas
caption_attribution_description: English: Valley in Atlas mountain, Morocco
context_page_description: The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb. It separates the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert. It stretches around 2,500 km through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The range's highest peak is Toubkal, which is in southwestern Morocco, with an elevation of 4,167 metres. The Atlas mountains are primarily inhabited by Berber populations. The terms for 'mountain' are adrar and adras in some Berber languages. These terms are believed to be cognates of the toponym Atlas. The mountains are also home to a number of animals and plants which are mostly found within Africa but some of which can be found in Europe. Many of these species are endangered and a few are already extinct.
context_section_description: The High Atlas in central Morocco rises in the west at the Atlantic coast and stretches in an eastern direction to the Moroccan-Algerian border. It has several peaks over 4,000 m (2.5 mi), including the highest summit in North Africa, Toubkal (4,167 m (13,671 ft)) and further east Ighil m'Goun (4,071 m (13,356 ft)) the second major summit of the range. At the Atlantic and to the southwest, the range drops abruptly and makes a transition to the coast and the Anti-Atlas range. To the north, in the direction of Marrakesh, the range descends less abruptly. On the heights of Ouarzazate the massif is cut through by the Draa Valley which opens southward. It is mainly inhabited by Berber people, who live in small villages and cultivate the high plains of the Ourika Valley. Near Barrage Cavagnac there is a hydroelectric dam that has created the artificial lake Lalla Takerkoust. The lake serves also as a source for fish for the local fishermen.
  The largest villages and towns of the area are Ouarzazate, Tahannaout, Amizmiz, Imlil, Tin Mal and Ijoukak.
caption: High Atlas, Morocco
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