Dallol, Ethiopia

Travel Blog  •  Ben Keene  •  08.26.06 | 9:32 AM ET

Coordinates: 14 14 N 40 18 E
Elevation: -157 feet (-48 meters)
imageIf avoiding the heat is your goal, then Death Valley, California—the hottest location in the United States—might be one spot to avoid in late August. Dallol, Ethiopia is another. A small settlement in the
state of Afar near the Eritrean border, Dallol holds the record for the highest average annual temperature for any inhabited place on the planet. In addition to plenty of sweltering sunshine, this part of the African continent also offers an opportunity to see the first signs of a new ocean basin forming. Not far from Dallol in the Danakil Depression north of the Great Rift Valley, the only volcanic crater below sea level has remained silent since 1926 as the seabed it will one day occupy gradually widens.

—.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) is the editor of the Oxford Atlas of the World.

Tags: Africa, Ethiopia

Ben Keene has appeared on National Public Radio, Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio as well as other nationally syndicated programs to discuss geographic literacy and his work updating a bestselling world atlas. Formerly a touring musician, he has written for Transitions Abroad and inTravel.


2 Comments for Dallol, Ethiopia

Markos 11.17.06 | 8:09 AM ET

As i looked it on TV, it looks like another planet because there are lots of colorful rocks in each meter. It’s quite like a science fiction and i can’t wait to go there.

Hanna 03.21.07 | 11:19 AM ET

i am planning to go there this summer ; i want to see the volcanos and everythingand everthing!!!

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