The Atlas Mountains stretch some 2,500 km across the northwest African states of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and consist of a series of mountain ranges with contrasting terrain, a changing climate and a rich fauna. The mountain range is jagged with gorges and ridges and dotted with Berber villages. The highest mountain is the 4,167 m high Toubkal.

In terms of plate tectonics, the Atlas forms the boundary between the Eurasian Plate in the north and the African Plate in the south. When these two plates rub against each other, earthquakes can occur. One of these earthquakes occurred in September 2023 with a magnitude of 6.8.

The wildlife is also very diverse due to the clashing climate zones. Wild boars, gazelles, leopards and cheetahs, hyenas, desert hares, jerboas, scorpions, snakes and, of course, many small reptiles live here.

The name “Atlas” comes from Greek mythology. At that time, the Greeks saw the Atlas as the western border of the then known world and therefore the Atlas supported the celestial vault there.

Morocco has several mountain ranges: The Haut-Atlas (High Atlas), the Moyen-Atlas (Middle Atlas), the Anti-Atlas and the Rif Mountains in the north.