The Qattara Depression one of the biggest depressions in the world, and the second-deepest point in Africa. It is located in the Libyan Desert in the northwest of Egypt. It includes a salt pan, a number of salty marshes and wetlands, dry lake beds and a brackish lake.
The Qattara Depression is uninhabited by people, but it is home to many species of animals, including cheetahs, gazelles, foxes, hares and jackals. Acacia trees are the only major vegetation. Bedouin people rely on the Meghra Oasis in the basin for watering flocks during dry periods.
The Qattara Depression played a major role in securing Britain's position in the Middle East theater in World War II. Because of the salt swamps in the interior and the steep rock walls that surround parts of the depression, it was considered impassable and acted as a natural defense for British armies.
The Qattara Project is a proposed land alteration project to cut a canal from the Mediterranean Sea to the depression, which would allow sea water to flood it. Ideally, the plan would allow for the harnessing of water power for electricity generation. Enough water would also create the possibility of water desalinization.
The Qattara Project, if completed, could have a huge effect on the stability of the Middle East, improving access to water and energy for Egypt and its allies in the region. It could also potentially increase rainfall in the area. The plan has currently been tabled by the Egyptian government however, and the only exploration in the area is oil-related.
