Kerkennah Islands

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linked by a 1km/0.75mi long causeway built in 1961 on Roman foundations.

Landscape

The islands are predominantly flat (highest point 13m/43ft) and sandy. There is little farming, for rainfall is low (200mm/8in. a year) and the ground-water is of poor quality. As a result of the high humidity of the air the extensive palm-groves seen on the road from Sidi Youssef at the southern tip of Gharbi and El Attaia in the northeast of Chergui bear practically no fruit. The most useful part of the palms is the leaves, which are used in the construction of the V-shaped fish-traps to be seen in shallow water all round the islands.

Economy

The inhabitants of the islands' thirteen villages live mainly by fishing, sponge-diving and the sale of their craft products. Recently the tourist trade has established a foothold on Chergui, with a new holiday complex at Sidi Fredj, west of the village of Ouled Kacem on the southwest coast of the island. The sandy beaches, most of them still almost unfrequented, offer excellent conditions for diving.