The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Chotts, Plateau of the
(shts) (KEY) [Arab.,=salt lake], plateau region of the Atlas Mts., alt. c.3,500 ft (1,070 m), N Algeria, N Africa. The plateau is c.125 mi (200 km) wide in the west, narrowing in the east to become a series of valleys. Enclosed by the Tell Atlas in the north and the Saharan Atlas in the south, the region has interior drainage, a semiarid climate, and is dotted with salt lakes and salt flats. Its grasslands support nomadic herding. The name is also spelled Shotts.
ts) (KEY) [Arab.,=salt lake], plateau region of the Atlas Mts., alt. c.3,500 ft (1,070 m), N Algeria, N Africa. The plateau is c.125 mi (200 km) wide in the west, narrowing in the east to become a series of valleys. Enclosed by the Tell Atlas in the north and the Saharan Atlas in the south, the region has interior drainage, a semiarid climate, and is dotted with salt lakes and salt flats. Its grasslands support nomadic herding. The name is also spelled Shotts.
