The Atlas Mountains are a range in northwest Africa. The range spans approximately 1,500 miles through the countries Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Toubkal is its highest mountain peak, at 13,671 feet.
The Berbers are the primary inhabitants of the Atlas range, and the word for "mountain" in their native Berber language is "adrar" or "adras." It is believed that the Berber words are cognates for the name, "Atlas." The Atlas Mountains were once the home of the Atlas Bear, Africa's only known species of bear, but it became extinct in 1890. The mountains were formed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras, with the most recent changes occurring in the Paleogene and Neogene periods.