Why Morocco's Atlas Mountains Are Named After the Titan Atlas

The Atlas Mountains of Morocco (and Algeria, Tunisia) are named for the Greek Titan Atlas, condemned by Zeus to hold up the sky for eternity.

Ancient Greek geographers and mythographers associated the far western edge of the known world—the "Pillars of Hercules" (Strait of Gibraltar) and the massive mountain wall beyond—with Atlas's burden. The range's towering peaks (culminating at Toubkal, 4,167 m), rugged vastness, and role as a barrier between the Mediterranean and the Sahara evoked the image of the giant bearing the heavens.

The name was applied by classical writers (e.g., Herodotus, Strabo) and retained through Arabic (Jibāl al-Aṭlas) into modern usage.