Qattara Depression, an arid desert basin in northwest Egypt, about 200 miles (320 km) west of Cairo. The depression is about 70 miles (110 km) wide and about 170 miles (270 km) long. The depression's soft sands make it impassable to vehicles. For this reason British forces made it the southern anchor for their line of defense during the Battle of El Alamein, one of the decisive battles of World War II.
You Might Also Like
The Sahara Desert
Sahara, the vast desert of northern Africa, and the world's largest arid region. It occupies much of the broad northern half of Africa and covers some 3,500,000 square miles (9,000,000 km2), an area only slightly less than that of the United States.