Tunisia. Governorate of Zaghouan. New olive-tree plantations.
The levees created to contain run-off water and limit soil erosion highlight the relief like contours on a map. The plantations of olive trees are on plowable land, often on the fringes of hilly ground as here at the foot of the Djebel Zaghouan, 1,295 meters (4,250 feet) high, in northeastern Tunisia. Suited to the climate, olive trees have been grown in the Mediterranean since antiquity and are of great economic importance. The fruits are edible and the oil is known for its dietary and medicinal virtues; annual world consumption of olive oil exceeds 2 million tonnes (2.2 million tons). Olive branches are also used as fodder for sheep and goats. Tunisia, which produces half a million tonnes (550,000 tons) of olives per year (1997), ranks fifth in the world after Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey, but second in terms of exported volume (198,000 tonnes [218,000 tons]), behind Spain.
回复Comments