The Qattara Depression (Arabic: منخفض القطارة Munḫafaḍ al-Qaṭṭārah) is a depression in the north west of Egypt in the Matruh Governorate and is part of the Libyan Desert. It lies below sea level and is covered with salt pans, sand dunes and salt marshes. The region extends between latitudes of 28°35' and 30°25' North and longitudes of 26°20' and 29°02' East. Some twenty kilometres west of the depression lie the oasis of Siwa and Jaghbub in smaller but similar depressions.
| Location of the Qattara Depression in Egypt |
The Qattara Depression contains the second lowest point in Africa at −133 metres (−436.4 ft) below sea level, the lowest being Lake Assal in Djibouti. The depression covers about 19,605 square kilometres (7,570 sq mi), a size comparable to Lake Ontario or twice as big as Lebanon. Due to its size and proximity to the Mediterranean Sea shore it has been studied for its potential to generate hydroelectricity.
Read more about Qattara Depression: Geography, Ecology, Climate, Land Use, History, Qattara Depression Project, In Popular Culture
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