Editing Cyrenaica (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Libya BMNG.png|thumb|Satellite image of Libya with Cyrenaica on the right side, showing the green Mediterranean coast in the north and the large desert in the centre and south]]
Geologically, Cyrenaica rests on a mass of [[Miocene]] [[limestone]] that tilts up steeply from the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and falls inland with a gradual descent to [[sea level]] again.

This mass is divided into two blocks. The [[Jebel Akhdar, Libya|Jebel Akhdar]] extends parallel to the coast from the [[Gulf of Sidra]] to the [[Gulf of Bomba]] and reaches an elevation of 882 meters. There is no continuous coastal plain, the longest strip running from the recess of Gulf of Sidra past [[Benghazi]] to [[Tolmeita]]. Thereafter, except for deltaic patches at [[Susa, Libya|Susa]] and [[Derna, Libya|Derna]], the shore is all precipitous. A steep escarpment separates the coastal plain from a relatively level plateau, known as the Marj Plain, which lies at about 300 meters elevation. Above the Marj Plain lies a dissected plateau at about 700 meters elevation, which contains the highest peaks in the range.<ref name="Gimingham, C. H. 1954">Gimingham, C. H. and K. Walton (1954). "Environment and the Structure of Scrub Communities on the Limestone Plateaux of Northern Cyrenaica." ''Journal of Ecology,'' Vol. 42, No. 2, Jul., 1954</ref>

The Jebel Akhdar and its adjacent coast are part of the [[Mediterranean woodlands and forests]] [[ecoregion]] and have a [[Mediterranean climate]] of hot, dry summers and relatively mild and rainy winters.<ref>"Mediterranean woodlands and forests". WWF Scientific Report [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/pa/pa1214_full.html]. Accessed 27 March 2011</ref> The plant communities of this portion of Cyrenaica include forest, woodland, [[maquis shrubland|maquis]], [[garrigue]], [[steppe]] and [[oak savanna]]. Garrigue shrublands occupy the non-agricultural portions coastal plain and coastal escarpments, with ''[[Sarcopoterium spinosum]]'', along with ''[[Asphodelus ramosus]]'' and ''[[Artemisia herba-alba]]'', as the predominant species.<ref name="Gimingham, C. H. 1954"/><ref name="El-Darier, S. M 2009 pp 353–360">El-Darier, S. M. and F.M. El-Mogaspi (2009). "Ethnobotany and Relative Importance of Some Endemic Plant Species at El-Jabal El-Akhdar Region (Libya)". ''World Journal of Agricultural Sciences'' 5 (3): 353–360, 2009, pp 353–360.</ref> Small areas of maquis are found on north-facing slopes near the sea, becoming more extensive on the lower plateau. ''[[Juniperus phoenicea]], [[Pistacia lentiscus]], [[Quercus coccifera]]'' and ''[[Ceratonia siliqua]]'' are common tree and large shrub species in the maquis.<ref name="Gimingham, C. H. 1954"/><ref name="El-Darier, S. M 2009 pp 353–360"/> The upper plateau includes areas of garrigue, two maquis communities, one dominated by ''Pistacia lentiscus'' and the other a mixed maquis in which the endemic ''[[Arbutus pavarii]]'' is prominent, and forests of ''[[Cupressus sempervirens]], Juniperus phoenicea, [[Olea europaea]], Quercus coccifera, Ceratonia siliqua,'' and ''[[Pinus halepensis]].''<ref name="Gimingham, C. H. 1954"/>

Areas of [[Terra rosa (soil)|red soil]] are found on the Marj Plain, which has borne abundant crops of [[wheat]] and [[barley]] from ancient times to the present day. Plenty of springs issue on the highlands. Wild olive trees are abundant, and large areas of oak savanna provide pasture to the flocks and herds of the local [[Bedouin]]s.<ref name="ReferenceA">"Cyrenaica", from ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition, 1911</ref> Historically large areas of range were covered in forest. The forested area of the Jebel Akhdar has been shrinking in recent decades. A 1996 report to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that the forested area was reduced to 320,000 hectares from 500,000 hectares, mostly cleared to grow crops.<ref name="El-Darier, S. M 2009 pp 353–360"/> The Green Mountain Conservation and Development Authority estimates that the forested area decreased from 500,000 hectares in 1976 to 180,000 hectares in 2007.<ref>''The Report: Libya 2008,'' p. 134. Oxford Business Group.</ref>

The southward slopes of the Jebel Akhdar are occupied by the [[Mediterranean dry woodlands and steppe]], a transitional ecoregion lying between the Mediterranean climate regions of North Africa and the hyper-arid [[Sahara]].<ref>"North Saharan steppe and woodlands" WWF Scientific Report [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/pa/pa1321_full.html]. Accessed 27 March 2011.</ref>

The lower Jebel el-Akabah lies to the south and east of the Jebel Akhdar. The two highlands are separated by a depression. This eastern region, known in ancient times as [[Marmarica]], is much drier than the Jebel Akhdar and here the Sahara extends to the coast. Historically, salt-collecting and sponge fishing were more important than agriculture. [[Bomba, Libya|Bomba]] and [[Tobruk]] have good harbors.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

South of the coastal highlands of Cyrenaica is a large east–west running depression, extending eastward from the Gulf of Sidra into Egypt. This region of the Sahara is known as the [[Libyan Desert]], and includes the [[Great Sand Sea]] and the [[Calanshio Sand Sea]]. The Libyan Desert is home to a few [[oasis|oases]], including [[Awjila]] and [[Jaghbub]].