The Kharga Oasis (Egyptian Arabic: الخارجة el-Ḵarga  pronounced [elˈxæɾɡæ]), also romanized as Al-Kharijah, (meaning "the outer") is the southernmost of Egypt's five western oases. It is located in the Libyan Desert, about 200 km to the west of the Nile valley. "Kharga" or "El-Kharga" is also the name of a major town located in the oasis, the capital of New Valley Governorate. The oasis, which was known as the 'Southern Oasis' to the Ancient Egyptians, is the largest of the oases in the Libyan desert of Egypt. It is in a depression about 160 km long and from 20 km to 80 km wide.