Chott el Djerid
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 Chott el Djerid
Chott al-Djarid in Tunisia
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| Coordinates | 33°42′N 8°26′E / 33.7°N 8.43°ECoordinates: 33°42′N 8°26′E / 33.7°N 8.43°E |
| Type | Salt lake, endorheic basin |
| Primary inflows | groundwater |
| Primary outflows | terminal Evaporation |
| Basin countries | Tunisia |
| Max. length | 250 km (160 mi) |
| Max. width | 20 km (12 mi) |
| Surface area | 7,000 km2 (2,700 sq mi) |
| Surface elevation | +10–25 m (33–82 ft) |
Chott el Djerid (Arabic: شط الجريد Šoṭṭ el-Jarīd) also spelled Sciott Gerid and Shott el Jerid, is a large endorheic salt lake in southern Tunisia. The name can be translated from the Arabic into English as "Lagoon of the Land of Palms".
The bottom of Chott el Djerid is located between 10 and 25 meters below sea level. The lake is shaped like a wolf, with a width that varies widely; at its narrowest point, it is only 20 km (12 mi) across, compared to its overall length of 250 km (160 mi). At times, parts of it appear in various shades of white, green and purple. The narrow eastward inlet of the chott is also known as Chott el Fejej.
It is the largest salt pan of the Sahara Desert, with a surface area of over 7,000 km2 (some sources state 5,000 km2). The site has a typical hot desert climate. Due to the harsh climate with mean annual rainfall of below 100 mm and daytime temperatures sometimes reaching 50 °C (122 °F) or more during summer with dense solar radiation, water evaporates from the lake. In summer Chott el Djerid is almost entirely dried up, and numerous fata morganas occur. situated at 33 ° 42'N 8 ° 26'E in the center-west of the country, between the cities of Tozeur and Kebili.
During winter, a small tributary of water can be seen discharging into the lake.
Because the flooded area is very variable, the values presented for the area of the lake (or its basin), mostly almost always dry, can vary widely according to the author, some of them reaching the value of 10 000 km² for the area Maximum. Something similar happens with altitude, whose values vary between +10 and -25 meters below sea level.
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