LE OASI DEL S-W DELLA TUNISIA: IDENTITÀ MULTIPLE AL MARGINE DEL SAHARA

The study area includes the oases located around the Chott El Jerid (in the SW of Tunisia), located in a transition zone between a bioclimatic condition arid in the North, and Saharian to the South. The study region is dominated by an arid climate characterized by a multiplicity of land-scapes, with strong contrast between the relief shapes, with varying nature, dimensions and ages. The morphological features of the area are also marked by a wide variety of aspects: structural forms derived from the Atlas relief (Métlaoui Chain and Chereb Chain), hydrological accumulation and /or erosion forms, and finally a rich range of shapes linked to the wind action. The rich and varied land-scape heritage of the oasis located around Tunisia Chotts is the result of assimilation and adaptation by local people to the difficult and complex characteris-tics of the local ecosystem. These areas, although it is close to the desert environment, subject to signifi-cant socio-economic changes and to intense urbani-zation, still have a high biodiversity, geomorphologi-cal, agricultural and cultural characteristics that allow to define univocally each oasis, in terms of identity. In this work, we propose an analysis and a clas-sification of many oases, based on different types (natural and anthropogenic), geolithological aspects, geomorphological aspects and climate aspects that allow you to give a systematic description of the different components that define the landscape. The identification and the evaluation of geomorphosites, which are an integral part of the oases, allow adding a significant cultural value, together to their rich historical and anthropological heritage. The multiplic-ity of these values is the key to understanding the different stages of landscape evolution, and to un-derstand the full potentialities that offers for the geo-tourism and the development of durable tourism.