Aïr Mountains
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| Aïr Mountains | |
|---|---|
| Aïr Massif, Ayr | |
 The Timia Valley, in the Aïr Mountains | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mont Idoukal-n-Taghès |
| Elevation | 2,022 m (6,634 ft) |
| Dimensions | |
| Area | 84,000 km2 (32,000 sq mi) |
| Naming | |
| Native name | |
| Geography | |
| Country |  Niger |
| Region | Agadez Region |
| Range coordinates | 18°16.6′N 8°0′E / 18.2767°N 8.000°E |
The Aïr Mountains is a triangular massif, located in north Niger, inside the Sahara. They rise to more than 1,800 m (5,900 ft) and go over 84,000 km2 (32,000 sq mi).[1] In the desert, north of the Aïr plateau, with an average altitude between 500 and 900 m (1,600 and 3,000 ft), forms an island of Sahel, which supports a wide variety of life, many pastoral and farming communities, and geological and archaeological sites. There are notable archaeological findings in the region that picture together the prehistoric past of this land.[2] The endangered African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) once existed in this region, but may now be locally extinct due to human population pressure in this region.[3]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ Thorp, M. B. (1969). "Some aspects of the geomorphology of the Air Mountains, southern Sahara". Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. 47 (47): 25–46. doi:10.2307/621733. JSTOR 621733.
- ↑ Shaw, Thurstan; Sinclair, Paul; Andah, Bassey; Okpoko, Alex (1995). The Archaeology of Africa: Food, Metals and Towns. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-11585-X.
- ↑ C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg Archived December 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine