Qattara Depression

Qattara Depression (kätär'u) [key]or Munkhafad al-Qattarah (moongkhäfäd' äl-kät-tärä') [key], desert basin, c.7,000 sq mi (18,130 sq km), NW Egypt, NE Africa, in the Libyan Desert. It was long believed to be the lowest point (436 ft/133 m below sea level) in Africa, a record now claimed by Lake Assal, in Djibouti.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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