Danakil Desert: The Hottest Place on Earth
In the north of Africa's Great Rift Valley lies an extraordinary desert, unlike anywhere else on Earth. The cradle of mankind and home to our earliest ancestors, the Danakil Desert in Ethiopia is one of the most geologically active places on the planet. Volcanoes and earthquakes rip apart the ground in front of your very eyes. And it's officially the hottest place on Earth. Within this remote furnace temperatures can hit 60 degrees Celsius, and there is almost no water. It should be devoid of life, but it's not. Somehow people live here - a legendarily tough, nomadic warrior tribe called the Afar. A team of experts and explorers venture into the Danakil desert in Northern Ethiopia to investigate the incredible geology of the area, and to find out how the people and their animals survive in the hottest place on earth. Kate Humble investigates how tough life is for an Afar woman; Steve Leonard wants to learn about the relationship between the Afar and their animals, and to help with animal medicine where he can; Dr. Mukul Agarwal looks at the health issues faced in this most hostile of environments; earth scientist Dougal Jerram looks at the extraordinary volcanic activity of the region and the part it plays in the bigger geological picture of the Rift Valley; and biologist Richard Wiese searches for extreme life forms in the boiling soil of a massive volcanic fissure.
| Danakil Desert: The Hottest Place on Earth, Part 1 |
| Related Links |
| Danakil Desert - wikipedia.org The Danakil Desert is a desert in northeast Ethiopia, southern Eritrea, and northwestern Djibouti. Situated in the Afar Triangle, it stretches across 136,956 square kilometres of arid terrain. |
| The Great Rift - Africa's Wild Heart This is a BBC nature documentary series narrated by Hugh Quarshie, focusing on the landscape and wildlife of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. |
| Wild Africa This is a BBC nature documentary series narrated by Fergal Keane, exploring the varied habitats of Africa and the wildlife that lives there. |
| Sahara with Michael Palin This is a four-part BBC travel documentary series presented by Michael Palin, exploring nine fascinating countries and their cultures during a trek across the Sahara Desert. |
| Deserts and Life This is a six-part documentary series narrated by Mark Strong, exploring the world's most famous deserts; some of the Earth's most haunting and misunderstood landscapes. |