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COUNTRY FOCUS
The lakes of
Ounianga
This is a worldwide unique phenomenon: green, flourishing and rich in life-giving water - that was the
Sahara during the Humid Period thousands of years ago. Lakes, rivers and savanna landscapes offered
ideal living conditions. Through changes in the climate, the savanna transformed into a dry desert. Almost
every lake disappeared over the course of millennia. Except, that is, for the Lakes of Ounianga. To this day
they provide a liveable habitat for people and animals in the middle of the most extreme of deserts. The
history of climate change over the last 10,500 years can be seen in the sediments of the lake bed.
In 2012 UNESCO declared the Lakes of Ounianga the first World Heritage Site of Chad.
76 | The Lion King | Jan - Mar 2021
