Life In The Hottest Land On The Planet

Despite the heat, drought and active volcanoes, the Afar tribe still lives and mines salt from the Danakil lowlands, Ethiopia.
Life in Danakil, the hottest land on the planet
Located in the heart of the Horn of Africa, Danakil is the most remote and harshest place on the planet. Under the scorching sun and at a depth of 125 m above sea level, it has an annual average temperature of 34.4 degrees Celsius. Photo: The Atlantic

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During the hottest time, Danakil has temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius with little annual rainfall from 100-200 mm, this place is called "The Gate to Hell". Photo: BBC.
Formed by the collision of tectonic plates on the border of Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti, the Danakil lowlands possesses beautiful geological wonders It has colorful hydrothermal fields, giant salt pans and chemically filled hot pools underneath boiling underground lava flows.



Photo: The Atlantic.
In the most hot and acidic lakes, the reaction of sulfur and salt forms bright yellow cubes. In cooler lakes, copper salts give a turquoise blue color. Pictured is the water jutting out of Danakil's hot spring. Photo: The Atlantic.
With the hot, dry climate and extreme conditions, very few plant and animal species can live in Danakil. However, the Afar people have settled here for hundreds of years in the village of Hamadela Photo: The Atlantic.




The Afar's main job is to extract salt from Danakil's mineral lakes and transport them across the desert by camels. Photo: BBC.
Every day, each person can cut about 120 blocks of salt weighing 4kg and more than 150 tablets. Photo: Andy Explores.
Once cut, the salt is transferred to the village of Berahile, 80 kilometers away. Itinerary lasts 2 to 3 days each way back and forth. For each trip, the group earned 3,320 birr (about VND 2.6 million).



However, most of this money belongs to the owners of camels, and the employees receive very little. In the past, they used to deliver salt to Mekele Market, about a week's walk away. However, with the appearance of roads, trucks can get salt directly from the village of Berahile. Photo: Ian Swithinbank / Flickr.
The Afar also live a nomadic way. They stay in removable huts and take care of livestock including goats, donkeys, and camels. The Awash River is the main stream flowing into the area, bringing life to the Afar and their herds. The Awash is one of the most unique rivers in the world.



Originating in the Ethiopian highlands, the river flows down to lakes in the Danakil basin. Under the impact of the scorching sun, the lake water evaporated and left behind giant pans of salt. Photo: BBC.
Adapted to the harsh living conditions of Danakil, the Afar body needs less water and food than the average person. On the journey, they only need a loaf of bread and water. Photo: Lens Magazine.
Today, the road connecting Hamid Ela village (50 km from the salt mine) to Berahile is built. Despite the transformation in Danakil, the Afar and their camels maintain a long tradition.



Photo: BBC.
Due to the low income, the Afar also do other jobs such as transporting things for tourists - who want to spend the night on top of Erta Ale to take pictures. Most of the visitors come here to visit this 600 m high volcano with a rare lava lake in the world. Photo: The Atlantic.
According to Lan Huong / Vnexpress
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