Page "History of Tunisia" Paragraph 24

Between the coastal sahel and the high mountains lies the bled, seasonally-parched plains that are more sparsely populated, but where the sacred city of Kairouan is situated.

In the near south, cutting east-west across the low-lying country, are the Tunisian salt lakes ( called chotts or shatts ), which continue westward far into Algeria.

This region forms the Djerid ; quality dates are cultivated here in substantial quantities, due to use of subsurface aquifers.

Further south lies the Sahara desert ; here Tunisia touches the north-eastern edge of vast sand dunes comprising the Grand Erg Oriental.