Arid area ; Desert ; Dune ; Egypt ; Land use ; Piedmont ; Plateau ; Thematic mapping ; Vegetation
Using aerial photographs taken in 1955 and 1985, this study surveys the vegetation composition and recent land-use history of Maktala, an arid region located about 400 km west of Alexandria. Within this period, a doubling of cropping lands and a six
-fold increase of orchards was noted. 5 plant communities were identified. The floristic composition of the communities show differences when compared to older vegetation data. These differences are discussed in the light of increasing land degradation