DJIBOUTI ~ Lake Assal - UNESCO tentative list ~

... Nice views of a unique crater, oval-shaped lake... at an altitude of 155 meters below sea level... the lowest point on the African continent... the salinity level of its waters is 10 times that of the sea, making it one of the most saline in the world... floating in the tranquil pristine waters of Lake Assal is an unforgettable experience... the lake offers also a picturesque panorama of untamed wilderness with rugged landscapes, volcanic formations, and vast salt flats... its awe-inspiring natural beauty, geological significance, and cultural heritage make it a unique destination... Lake Assal is undeniably important for the local economy in Djibouti... beyond exporting salt,( it is the world's largest salt reserve),the region has proposals to help boost tourism... and it arrived with a small mystery😉 three postmarks and only one stamp???😁... Thanks Stephane!【ツ】

The Lake is located in Central Djibouti in the Afar depression and was formed by the opening of the Great Rift Valley. The watershed area of the lake is 900km². It is 19km long and 6.5km wide. At its deepest point, the lake is 40m deep, but the mean depth of the lake is less than half of that, at 7.4 m deep.

The area consists of a dry part, a white plain dry lake bed, and the highly saline water body. The main source of water supply is subsurface geothermal springs with aquifers linked to sea water. Specialized algae and fish live in the lake. (the salinity is 348 per mille - for comparison, the Dead Sea has only 260 per mille).

Lake Assal was submitted in 2015 to the UNESCO Tentative List.  

Stamp 

2X ?????????

UNICEF 

(Issued 18-12-2004)

DJIBOUTI ~ Day Forest National Park - UNESCO tentative list

... Nice views of the oldest National Park in Djibouti... it is one of the lush regions of a largely dry country... a beautiful mixture of terrains... some is desert and parts are 1000m high canyons.... most of the trees are in the canyon areas... in spite of its status, the forest as a whole has been under long-term environmental threat... 88% of the Day Forest has been lost over the last two centuries, and more than 20% of the loss has occurred during the last 50 years... one of the main reasons for this demise is climate change... climate in this region is becoming increasingly hot and dry and not suitable for forest... another reason of danger is (as usual around the world) human activities... Thanks Stephane!【ツ】

The Park is located in the northern part of the country in the Goda Mountains (1783m) and was declared a national park in 1939.  It contains the remains of a primary forest that is the only forest in Djibouti with  a total area of approximately 5,900 hectares. The region is one of the very few forested areas of Djibouti, which taken as a whole is one of the least forested countries on Earth. 

The vegetation of the park features an ancient juniper forest, ficus, wild olive trees, boxwoods, dragon trees, and other native plants. The forest is also characterized by the presence of unique and exceptional animals, as it includes a number of endemic bird species, especially the Djibouti spurfowl.

Day Forest National Park was submitted in 2015 to the UNESCO Tentative List. 

 

Stamps:

National Emblem 

(Issued 18-12-2004)

2X UNICEF 

(Issued 18-12-2004)

DJIBOUTI

...First new country in 2016 ツ!! A beautiful large size postcard coming from Africa...as most people I've never heard of this tiny African country, although according to Karolin it is a fantastic place...a cheetah refuge...stunning salt lakes...lowest point on earth (on land) and the possibility to swim with whale sharks...one more little paradise discovered thanks to my postcard collecting ✹ Thanks a million Karolin!!

Djibouti  officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea in the north, Ethiopia in the west and south, and Somalia in the southeast. The remainder of the border is formed by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at the east. On the other side of the Red Sea, on the Arabian Peninsula, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the coast of Djibouti, is Yemen. The capital of Djibouti is the city of Djibouti.

It is a mostly French- and Arabic-speaking country of dry shrublands, volcanic formations and Red Sea beaches. It's home to one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world, the low-lying Lake Assal, in the Danakil Desert. The nomadic Afar people have settlements along Lake Abbe, a body of saltwater featuring chimney like mineral formations.

Stamp:

Dancers
(Issued 28-04-2000)