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Eritrean Coastal Desert
The Eritrean coastal desert ecoregion is a harsh sand and gravel strip along the southern part of the coast of Eritrea and the Red Sea coast of Djibouti. This coast is of ecological importance as a channel for the mass migration of birds of prey. Location and description The ecoregion consists of a coastal strip in Eritrea's Southern Red Sea Region, which stretches along the Red Sea coast to Obock in Djibouti. Flora The flora of the coastal strip consists of herbs and grasses suited to the dry climate such as ''Aerva javanica'', ''Cymbopogon schoenanthus'', ''Panicum turgidum'', and ''Lasiurus scindicus'', along with some Umbrella thorn ''Acacia tortilis'' and '' Acacia asak'' trees and '' Rhigozum somalense'' and '' Caesalpinia erianthera'' shrubs. Fauna This is one of the busiest raptor migration routes in the world as birds such as buzzards and eagles make their way to Africa for the winter along the Red Sea coast and across the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. Animals found here inc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Assab
Assab or Aseb (, ) is a port city in the Southern Red Sea Region of Eritrea. It is situated on the west coast of the Red Sea. Languages spoken in Assab are predominantly Afar, Tigrinya, and Arabic. Assab is known for its large market, beaches and nightlife. History Assab is about 50 km NW of the ancient city of Arsinoe Epidires. On 15 November 1869 the port of Assab was bought by the Rubattino Shipping Company of Italy from the local Sultan. After the Italian government took over control of the port on 5 July 1882 it laid the foundations for the formation of the colony of Italian Eritrea, which became the independent country of Eritrea following its independence from the Transitional Government of Ethiopia in the 1990s. Construction of an oil refinery began in 1964 and it opened in 1967. By 1989, Assab had a population of 39,600 inhabitants. The port facilities were greatly expanded in the early 1990s, with the construction of a new terminal. The oil refinery was shut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhigozum Somalense
''Rhigozum'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae. ''Rhigozum'' is a flowering shrub or small tree which is native to the drier areas of Africa. It can grow to 3 metres in height. This genus is characterised by branches which are short, rigid and twisting in angular directions. This genus produces flowers between the months of September and December. It is native to the dry, open woodlands and rocky outcrops of Angola, Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ..., Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Species * ''Rhigozum brevispinosum'' Kuntze * ''Rhigozum madagascariense'' Drake * ''Rhigozum obovatum'' Burch. * ''Rhigozum somalense'' Hallier f. * ''Rhigozum trichotum'' Burch. * ''Rhigozum trichotomum'' Burch. * ''Rhigozum virgatum'' Mer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deserts And Xeric Shrublands
Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this habitat type vary greatly in the amount of annual rainfall they receive, usually less than annually except in the margins. Generally evaporation exceeds rainfall in these ecoregions. Temperature variability is also diverse in these lands. Many deserts, such as the Sahara, are hot year-round, but others, such as East Asia's Gobi, become quite cold in winter. Temperature extremes are a characteristic of most deserts. High daytime temperatures give way to cold nights because there is no insulation provided by humidity and cloud cover. The diversity of climatic conditions, though quite harsh, supports a rich array of habitats. Many of these habitats are ephemeral in nature, reflecting the paucity and seasonality of available water. Woody-ste ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afrotropical Ecoregions
The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the islands of the western Indian Ocean. It was formerly known as the Ethiopian Zone or Ethiopian Region. Major ecological regions Most of the Afrotropic, with the exception of Africa's southern tip, has a tropical climate. A broad belt of deserts, including the Atlantic and Sahara deserts of northern Africa and the Arabian Desert of the Arabian Peninsula, separate the Afrotropic from the Palearctic realm, which includes northern Africa and temperate Eurasia. Sahel and Sudan South of the Sahara, two belts of tropical grassland and savanna run east and west across the continent, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ethiopian Highlands. Immediately south of the Sahara lies the Sahel belt, a transitional zone of semi-arid short grassland and vachellia sav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Danakil Desert
The Danakil Desert is a desert in northeast Ethiopia, southern Eritrea, and northwestern Djibouti. Situated in the Afar Triangle, it stretches across of arid terrain. It is inhabited by a few Afar, who engage in salt mining. The area is known for its volcanoes and extreme heat, with daytime temperatures surpassing . Less than of rainfall occurs each year. The Danakil Desert is one of the lowest and hottest places on Earth. Climate Dallol (92 metres below sea level), has the hottest average temperature recorded on earth: Geology Local geology is characterized by volcanic and tectonic activity, various climate cycles, and discontinuous erosion. The basic geological structure of this area was caused by the movement of tectonic plates as Africa moved away from Asia. Mountain chains formed and were eroded again during the Paleozoic. Inundations by the sea caused the formation of layers of sandstone, and limestone was deposited further offshore. As the land rose again, further s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hemidactylus Flaviviridis
''Hemidactylus flaviviridis'' is a species of gecko. It is known as the yellow-belly gecko or northern house gecko. Distribution Its range includes Egypt (Ismailia, Sinai), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Argentina, Socotra Island Socotra or Soqotra (; ar, سُقُطْرَىٰ ; so, Suqadara) is an island of the Republic of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, under the ''de facto'' control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist participant in Yemen ... (Yemen), N Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea. The type locality is Insel Massaua, Abessinien.e References * Anderson, J. 1871 A list of the reptilian accession to the Indian Museum, Calcutta, from 1865 to 1870, with a description of some new species. J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Calcutta, 40, part 11(1): 12–39. * Gray, J. E. 1842 Description of some new species of Reptiles, chiefly from the British Museum collection. The Zoological Miscellany: 57– ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chalcides Ragazzii
''Chalcides ragazzii'', commonly called Ragazzi's cylindrical skink, is a species of lizard in the Family (biology), family Scincidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Africa. Geographic range ''C. ragazzii'' is found from Algeria (Ahaggar Mountains), Niger, northern Somalia and northern Kenya, to Ethiopia, Eritrea, and south-eastern Sahara. Description ''C. ragazzii'' is a large, pentadactyl skink (that is, it has five digits on each limb). Reproduction ''C. ragazzii'' is Viviparity, viviparous. Etymology The Specific name (zoology), specific name, ''ragazzii'', is in honor of the collector of the holotype, Italian physician Dr. Vincenzo Ragazzi (1856–1929) of the Modena Natural History Society.. www.reptile-database.org.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Chalcides ragazzii'', p. 216). References Further reading *George Albert Boulenger, Boulen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atractaspis Leucomelas
''Atractaspis leucomelas'', or the Ogaden burrowing asp, is a species of venomous snake in the Atractaspididae family. Etymology The specific epithet, ''leucomelas'', is derived from New Latin ''leuco'' ("white") and Greek μέλας (''melas'',"black"), and refers to this snake's "white and black" coloration. Geographic range It is endemic to Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ....Spawls, S. & Branch, B. ''The Dangerous Snakes of Africa.'' Dubai: Oriental Press, 1995. . The type locality is "Ogaden, Somaliland". Description Dorsally black, with a white vertebral line, occupying one row plus two half rows of dorsal scales. Head white, with a black blotch covering the nasals and the upper head shields; neck entirely black. Ventrals and subcaudals, and four adjac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madoqua Saltiana
Salt's dik-dik (''Madoqua saltiana'') is a small antelope found in semidesert, bushland, and thickets in the Horn of Africa, but marginally also in northern Kenya and eastern Sudan. It is named after Henry Salt, who was the first European to acknowledge the species in Abyssinia in the early 19th century. Description Salt's dik-diks are long, high, and weigh . Kingdon, J. (1997). ''The Kingdon Guide to African Mammals.'' Academic Press. As in other dik-diks, the small, pointed horns are only present in the male. Their colour varies significantly depending on the subspecies. Taxonomy Together with the closely related silver dik-dik, this species forms the subgenus ''Madoqua'' in the genus ''Madoqua'' (other dik-diks are also in the genus ''Madoqua'', but the subsgenus ''Rhynchotragus'').Ansell, W. F. H. (1972). Order Artiodactyla. Part 15. Pp. 1-84. ''in'': Meester, J., and H. W. Setzer, eds (1972). ''The mammals of Africa: An identification manual''Smithsonian Institution ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gazella Soemmerringii
Soemmerring's gazelle (''Nanger soemmerringii''), also known as the Abyssinian mohr, is a gazelle species native to the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan). The species was described and given its binomen by German physician Philipp Jakob Cretzschmar in 1828. Three subspecies are recognized. It is possibly no longer present in Sudan. Since 1986, Soemmerring's gazelle has been classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Taxonomy and evolution The scientific name of Soemmerring's gazelle is ''Nanger soemmerringii''. Formerly considered member of genus ''Gazella'' within the subgenus ''Nanger'' before ''Nanger'' was elevated to genus status, Soemmerring's gazelle is one of members of the genus ''Nanger'' and is classified under the family Bovidae. The species was described and given its binomial name by German physician Philipp Jakob Cretzschmar in the ''In Rüppell, Atlas zu der reise im nördlichen Afr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gazella Dorcas
The dorcas gazelle (''Gazella dorcas''), also known as the ariel gazelle, is a small and common gazelle. The dorcas gazelle stands about at the shoulder, with a head and body length of and a weight of . The numerous subspecies survive on vegetation in grassland, steppe, wadis, mountain desert and in semidesert climates of Africa and Arabia. About 35,000–40,000 exist in the wild. Taxonomy and evolution The scientific name of the dorcas gazelle is ''Gazella dorcas''. It is a member of the genus ''Gazella'' and the family Bovidae. The species was first described by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'' in 1758. Although zoologist Theodor Haltenorth considered ''G. d. pelzelnii'' to be an independent species, the following six subspecies are identified: *''G. d.'' subsp. ''beccarii'' De Beaux, 1931 – Eritrean dorcas gazelle *''G. d.'' subsp. ''dorcas'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – Egyptian dorcas gazelle *''G. d.'' subsp. ''isabella'' Gray, 1846 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bab-el-Mandeb
The Bab-el-Mandeb (Arabic: , , ) is a strait between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Name The strait derives its name from the dangers attending its navigation or, according to an Arab legend, from the numbers who were drowned by an earthquake that separated the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa. In "Bab-el-Mandeb", "Bab" refers to "gate" while "Mandeb" refers to "lamentation". Geography The Bab-el-Mandeb acts as a strategic link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. In 2006, an estimated of oil passed through the strait per day, out of a world total of about moved by tankers.World Oil Transit Chokepoints , Energy Information Administration, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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