The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia has one of the harshest climates on Earth. But even here, life has a way of surviving.
The sun scorches the cracked earth, the hot dry air sucks moisture from the skin. The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the hottest, driest and most sunken places on the planet, according to the BBC.
This depression is located in the Afar region, northeastern Ethiopia. The climate here can only be described as “cruel”. But despite the harsh conditions, people still live here. The Afar people call the depression their homeland.
The Danakil Depression is one of the hottest places on Earth. The average annual temperature here is 34.4 degrees Celsius.
The area around the Dallol volcano in the Danakil Depression is one of the hottest. The highest temperature of the day in this area is an average of 41 degrees Celsius, according to the website Geology.
A lava lake in the Danakil depression.
Worse still, the Danakil Depression receives only 100 to 200 mm of rain per year. This is also one of the lowest places on the planet, 125m below sea level.
Combined, these factors make the Danakil Depression one of the most extreme environments in the world.
The Danakil depression is known as “Hell’s Gate” because of the terrible heat and the strong smell of sulfur and acid.
As if the climate wasn’t enough, the geology of the area also makes it look like alien land.
Walking around the area, you will feel like you are on another planet. The Danakil Depression is highly volcanic with bubbling lava lakes, hydrothermal zones (where hot springs and steam vents are present) and dazzling salt lakes.
Hydrothermal area, where there are many hot springs and steam vents.
According to Wikivoyage, the Danakil Depression also has dangerous areas. There are currently no fences or warning signs, but visitors are advised to stay away from colorful and very beautiful lakes like Dallol lake because it is acidic.
In 1974, scientist Donald Johanson and his colleagues found the famous fossil of a human ancestor known as Lucy in the Danakil Depression. Cheetah belongs to the genus of southern apes, the first hominid, inhabiting this area more than 3 million years ago.
Many other fossils of human ancestors were discovered here, leading some paleontologists to think that the area was where humans first evolved. As a result, the Danakil depression is often referred to as the “cradle of mankind”.
The area is also used to investigate how alien life might have evolved.
Color scene in the Danakil depression.
The hot springs in the Danakil Depression are inhabited by microorganisms called extremophiles, which are able to live in extreme conditions.
These microorganisms are of particular interest to astrobiologists because they may help explain extraterrestrial life.
You might think no one could live here, but the Afar people have made it their home. While the BBC reporter was sweating in the sun and thirsty, the Afar people still looked great and relaxed.
This is work-driven evolution. Their bodies adapt to heat and dryness. So they need less food and water than most people.
A salt field in the Danakil depression.
The Afar people make salt mainly. For them, salt is like money.
They cut up the salt blocks at the giant salt lake and brought them to the market in the town of Mekele by camels and donkeys. The move takes about a week on foot, but people only need a small loaf of bread and a bottle of water.
The Afar people are also very kind. When a BBC reporter was tired from the heat, a salt maker gave the reporter some bread and water.
The reporter felt extremely touched when he learned that this was the last amount of food and water for the salt maker. He took bread and then gave the salt-maker some water.
Camels carry salt to the market.
The Afar people, with a population of about 3 million, live a basic life, according to Wikivoyage. They are nomads, living in movable wooden tents, tending small herds of goats, donkeys and camels.
The only river in the area, the Awash, also helps provide life to the Afar people and their herds.
The Awash is one of the most unique rivers in the world because it does not flow into the sea. It flows from the Ethiopian highlands to the lakes in the Danakil Depression. But the intense heat causes all the water that flows into the lake to evaporate, leaving behind a large salt lake.
Although the Danakil Depression is arid, the river gives life with its precious water and salt.
The Awash River helps provide life to the Afar people and their herds.