Barqah

(also Cyrenaica), a plateau in northeastern Libya, whichs drops off sharply on the Mediterranean coast. Maximum altitude, 876 m. Composed of limestone, it has well-developed karst formations. The climate is Mediterranean and semiarid; the annual precipitation is approximately 450 mm. The vegetation on the northern slopes consists of evergreen maquis and stands of laurel, oak, and Aleppo pine; on the plateau there is frutescent vegetation typical of a semidesert.