Lake Assal

Lake Assal

Lake Assal is an inland crater lake located in East Africa in central Djibouti. This lake is located east of the Afar Triangle at an altitude of 155 meters below sea level, making it the lowest point on the African continent.
The water of Lake Assal is characterized by its extreme salinity due to intense evaporation, that is, ten times more than sea water, and it is the lake with the largest salt reserve in the world. The lake is located in an area with a hot dry climate characterized by the scarcity of rain.
Because of its extreme salinity, there are no plants or fish in it except for a few small fish that live in the water brought by the springs. Lake Assal forms a belt of salt crust with many hot mineral springs, which gives it a characteristic of great beauty, and makes it a unique and exceptional landscape.
Despite human activities, especially in the industrial exploitation of salt, Lake Assal has maintained its safety due to its special natural environment.
Lake Assal was submitted in 2015 to the UNESCO Tentative List in Djibouti.
by Fishercd, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
by Fishercd, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
by Fishercd, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Area Map

UNESCO

Tentative List

2015

Lake Assal

Date of Submission

2015