Chotts, Plateau of the

Chotts, Plateau of the (shŏts) [Arab.,=salt lake], plateau region of the Atlas Mts., alt. c.3,500 ft (1,070 m), N Algeria, N Africa. The plateau is c.125 mi (200 km) wide in the west, narrowing in the east to become a series of valleys. Enclosed by the Tell Atlas in the north and the Saharan Atlas in the south, the region has interior drainage, a semiarid climate, and is dotted with salt lakes and salt flats. Its grasslands support nomadic herding. The name is also spelled Shotts.