Location: Afar Region Map
Area: 756 km²
Awash National Park is a protected reserve in Afar Region in central Ethiopia. It is situated 225 km South of Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. Awash National Park was designated as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. It covers an area of 756 km² around picturesque dormant Fantale volcano that reaches an elevation of 2007 meters. Awash National Park is named after Awash river that flows through its territory. Its magnificent water falls (especially Awash waterfall) draw thousands of tourists annually here. Kudu Valley in the north part of the park contains several hot springs or Filwoha surrounded by minor groves of palm trees. Natural biosphere is inhabited by over species of 400 birds as well as 46 species of mammals. This include hippos, caracals, zebras, hyenas, leopards, several species of baboons, Soemmerring's Gazelle, East African Oryx, Warthogs and many more.
Awash National Park is located in the Lady and
Awash River Basin in central Ethiopia, in the southern part of the
Afar region, 225 kilometers east of Addis Ababa. To the east of the
park is the largest city closest to it - Awash. The southern border
of the park runs along the Avash River and Basaka Lake. In the
reserve, the Avash River forms waterfalls.
The reserve area
exceeds 756 km². Its territory is covered with acacia groves and
grass savannah, and is divided into two parts by the Addis
Ababa-Dyre-Daua highway laid here. In the north it is the plain of
Illalah-Sakha, in the south - the valley of Kidu.
Awash
National Park was founded in 1966. Among the animals living here,
the following antelopes should be noted - East African oryx, Somali
gazelle, dikdi, kudu. About 350 species of birds live here. In the
Kidu valley, located on a hill, there are hot springs around which
palm oases have formed.
Discovered at the location of Lee
Adoyta in the Ledi-Geraru region, the jaw LD 350-1 is either the
oldest fossil of the genus Homo (2.8 Ma) or a transitional form
between Afar Australopithecus and humans of the species Homo habilis
and Homo rudolfensis.