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Afar

Afar

The Afar Region in the north east of Ethiopia is endowed with rare landscapes and interesting people. The Afar, whose economy is based on traditional cattle breading, eat mainly milk, bread and porridge. The drive across the endless semi desert involves the sights of volcano peaks, sands, bare plains with clustered nomadic villages and outdoor markets.

Dallol, 120 meters below sea level, is the hottest and lowest point on Earth. It is made up of sulfur, potash, and many other valuable minerals.

Often steaming active volcanoes like Erte-ale are also located some 100 kilometers from Dallol depression.

The Afar tribes , Dallol, and Danakil depression, Erta Ale ,the most active volcano since 1906, all in Afar region.
Danakil depression, Dallol /Afar depression, in the north east of Ethiopia, is lowland endowed with rare landscapes and people.
Afar people and Danakil depression, Dallol /Afar depression
Danakil depression, Dallol /Afar Depression is covered by salt, and salt mining is still one of the major sources of income for many Afar tribes. In fact the Afar’s major economic backbone is based on traditional cattle and camel breading, and they feed mainly on milk, bread and porridge.   The drive along the endless stretch of desert involves the sights of volcano peaks, sands, bare plains, clustered nomadic villages and outdoor markets.
Danakil depression, Dallol depression  or sometimes called the Afar depression, 120 meters below sea level, is one of the hottest and lowest point on Earth. It is made up of sulfur, potash, and many other valuable minerals. The Danakil or the Afar Depression sometimes also known as the Dallol depression is the product of a tectonic triple junction (the Afar Triple Junction), where the spreading ridges that form the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden emerge on land and meet the East African Rift. The central meeting place for these three pieces of Earth’s crust is around Lake Abbe. The Afar Depression is one of two places on Earth where a mid ocean ridge can be studied on land.
Over millions of years, geologists expect the Red Sea to erode through the highlands surrounding the Afar Depression and flood the valley. In about 10 million years, geologists predict that the whole 6,000 km length of the East African Rift will be submerged, forming a new sea as large as the Red Sea is now. At that point, Africa will have lost its Horn.
Erta Ale
Erta Ale is a continuously active basaltic shield volcano in the Afar Region of northeastern Ethiopia, the most active volcano site in Ethiopia. Erta- Ale is found in the Afar Depression, surrounded completely by an area below sea level making it a relatively low-elevation volcano.
Erta Ale is 613 meters high, with one or sometimes two active lava lakes at the summit which occasionally overflow on the south side of the volcano. It is notable for being the longest-existing lava lake, present since the early years of the twentieth century.
Erta Ale means “Smoking Mountain” in the local Afar language.
Not much is known about Erta Ale as the surrounding terrain is some of the most inhospitable on earth.
    
Travel and tour to Ethiopia:
Highlights on Erta ale volcano, Dalol and  Afar depression
 In this travel and tours to  Ethiopia  you will explore Erta Ale, a continuous unique Lava Lake erupting ,every day and hours of the year since the 19 hundreds  and Dalol, the lowest part of Danakil Depression (120 below sea level), one of the  hottest and inhospitable places on Earth but strange, enjoyable and extraordinary colorful landscapes. The Danakil   depression, famous for crystal and mineral deposits. At last but not at least is that your travel and tours to Ethiopia will take you to Lake Asale famous for salt mining and visit to salt workers while cutting, shaping and loading. Besides, salt merchants along with their endless camel caravans will be inspected.