<P> At the greatest extent of the Empire, the southern border lay along the deserts of Arabia in the Middle East and the Sahara in North Africa, which represented a natural barrier against expansion . The Empire controlled the Mediterranean shores and the mountain ranges further inland . The Romans attempted twice to occupy the Siwa Oasis and finally used Siwa as a place of banishment . However Romans controlled the Nile many miles into Africa up to the modern border between Egypt and Sudan . </P> <P> In Africa Romans controlled the area north of the Sahara, from the Atlantic Ocean to Egypt, with many sections of limes (Limes Tripolitanus, Limes Numidiae, etc). </P> <P> In the south of Mauritania Tingitana Romans made a limes in the third century, just north of the area of actual Casablanca near Sala and stretching to Volubilis . </P> <P> Septimius Severus expanded the "Limes Tripolitanus" dramatically, even briefly holding a military presence in the Garamantian capital Garama in 203 AD . Much of the initial campaigning success was achieved by the legate of Legio III Augusta, Quintus Anicius Faustus . </P>

How far did the roman empire extend at its peak