Aïr Mountains
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]
 The Timia Valley, in the Aïr Mountains | |
| Elevation | 2,022 m (6,634 ft) |
|---|---|
Aïr Mountains Media
Desert near Agadez, with the Aïr Mountains in the distance. Note the volcanic outcrops, common to the Aïr.
Circular granite massifs (dark areas). A volcanic crater can be seen at the lower left. NASA image approximately 130 km (81 mi) across.
Topographic map of the Aïr Mountains
Topographic map of the northern part of the Aïr Mountains
Map of the southern Aïr Mountains.
Annotated view, showing the Talak to the west and the Tenere desert to the east of the Air Mountains.
References
- ↑ 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