which collect water during the rainy season, becoming dry lake beds or salt flats called chotts, or shotts, in the hot season. This region extends on a southwest to northeast axis from east of Shott ash-Shargui to Shott al-Hodna, terminating east of Batna. The High Plateau is mostly a barren, arid wasteland, although its western area is known for its abundance of esparto grass, a needlegrass which grows in the deserts of North Africa and which is an age-old material used for making ropes, sandals, baskets and other traditional items.

The country is characterized by four distinct parallel geographical regions running east to west: The Tell region is the northern band of terrain extending along the country's northern coastal area, between 80 and 190km (50-120 miles) wide. This region is a narrow, discontinuous coastal strip in which the majority of the country's population lives. The Tell is formed of hills and fertile valleys which contain the majority of Algeria's arable land. The main coastal cities of Algiers, Oran and Annaba are located on the plains of the Tell. The southern perimeter of this region is bounded by the Tell Atlas mountain range which extends from the Moroccan frontier of Cap Carbon to the east near Bijaya. The Bijaya plain is another highly productive agricultural area. The highest peak of the Tell Atlas range is Jebel Warsenis with an elevation of 1,985m. Algeria's main river, Chelif, flows from the Tell Atlas for 725km (450mi) to the Mediterranean Sea.