AFRICAN UNION UNION AFRICAINE UNIÃOAFRICANA Addis Ababa, Ethiopia P. O. Box 3243 Telephone: +251 11 551 7700 / +251 11 518 25 58/ Ext 2558 Website: www.au.int Directorate of Information and Communication PRESS RELEASE N. 031/2018 Visit to Lake Assal (Djibouti), Again referred to Salt Lake or Buharah ‘Asal in the local dialect Djibouti, 27 February 2018 – Members of the observers mission of the African Union (AU) to the February 13 Legislative Elections in Djibouti were privileged to visit Lake Assal , identified as one of the wonders in the world and situated at the western end of the Gulf of Tadjoura in the Tadjoura Region, towards the Dikhil Region. They also admired the symbolic monuments including the “Palais du Peuple” and other historical attraction sites in the country, during the field trips in the different districts to observe the elections. Meanwhile, Lake Assal is a saline lake which lies 155 m (509 ft) below sea level making it the lowest point on land in Africa and the third-lowest point on Earth after the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Djibouti is a country situated in the horn of Africa, Eastern Region of the continent with a tormented landscapes comprising of hot springs and lakes under the sea level and a rift separating two continents. During the consultation meetings with the authorities, representatives of the political parties and various stakeholders ahead of the legislative elections held on 23 February 2018 in Djibouti, the African Union Delegation led by H.E Anicet Georges Dologuele, Former Prime Minister of the Central African Republic and Head of the AU Observation Mission to the 2018 Legislative Elections, the AU delegation was attracted by the beautiful geographical landscape of Djibouti, its hospitable people and the attractive history of the country. While undertaking their observation mission in Djibouti, the AU Observers Mission and undertook to visit some of the historical site in the country upon the invitation of the local authorities. One of such memorable attractions was the Lake Assal, known as one of the wonders in the world. After the observation of the elections on 23 February 2018 in Djibouti, and the presentation of the preliminary Declaration by the AU Head of Mission during the press conference held on 26 February 2018, some AU observers embarked on visiting the Lake Assal. What they saw during the trip to the site was amazing…. Africa is a land of marvelous and rich geography. The road to Lake Assal is fully tarred and with a smooth comfortable ride to the venue. The soil is mainly covered with volcanic stones and rocks made of different precious stones, featuring a chain of mountains leading to the top of the Great Rift Valley, some 120 km (75 mi) west of Djibouti city, where the world wonders is located. At the venue of the Lake, one could see a huge extraction of salt on in the site. Piles and hips of salt standing out like hips of sand were seen removed from the water. The salinity level of sea waters around the lake Assal is 10 times that of the normal sea water, making it the most saline in the world.. According to one of the local authorities in the region, Lake Assal is the world's largest salt reserve. Because of the stony landscape in the region, most of the local population use camels to move from one village to the other. Not far from the Lake are few outstanding Rocky Mountains in the sea referred to as the “Devil Islands”. Villagers have displayed various carved items on the road side for tourists to buy as souvenirs of their visit to the famous Lake Assal. The artistic objects are carved from stones and other natural products of the region. The lake Assal, considered a "national treasure", is a protected zone under the law No. 45/AN/04/5L of the Djibouti National Environmental Action Plan, 2000. The Government of Djibouti has initiated a proposal with UNESCO to declare the Lake Assal zone and the Ardoukoba volcano as a World Heritage Site. Worth noting that, the Capital city of the Republic of Djibouti is named after the country as “Djibouti”. The current President of the country is called H.E Mr. Ismaïl Omar Guelleh. Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, is a country that offers arid bush, volcanic formations and beaches on the Gulf of Aden. Located in the Danakil Desert, the shallow Lake Assal is one of the world's saltiest bodies of water. The sea shores around the Lake Assal is full of varieties of multiple volcanic colorful stones. For media information, please contact: Esther Azaa Tankou: Head of Information Division, Tel : +251 911361185 E-mail: [email protected] Directorate of Information and Communication | Commission of the African Union E-mail: [email protected] I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionCommission Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AfricanUnion YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AUCommission Learn more about: http://www.au.africa .