The Grand Bara ( so, Baadha Wayn), Bara Wein or Bada Wein, is a desert in southern

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

. It consists of large areas of sand flats, with sparse, semi-desert and desert grasses and scrub vegetation. A road built in 1981 passes through the area, connecting the capital

Djibouti City Djibouti (also called Djibouti City and in many early English texts and on many early maps, Jibuti; so, Magaalada Jabuuti, french: link=no, Ville de Djibouti, ar, مدينة جيبوتي, aa, Gabuutî Magaala) is the eponymous capital of Dji ...

with the south. Prior to the arrival of the French, the extremely arid interior was inhabited primarily by the Issa Somali. Runners make their way across the Grand Bara Desert during the Annual Grand Bara 15K race.

Geography

The Grand Bara and Petit Bara are the remains of dried up lake beds. They form vast arid plains in the centre of Djibouti and mark the delimitation of the volcanic part of the country from the sedimentary part. The clay of which they are formed is poorly drained and water collects here in the rainy season and this is followed by the growth of grasses. Djibouti has few paved roads; it has been estimated that there are about of roads, only about 12% being paved, and fewer than half being serviceable throughout the year. In 1981, a road across the Grand Bara was built, linking the capital with the south. It is about long.

Ecology

The Grand Bara is part of the

Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands The Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands ecoregion is a semi-desert strip on or near the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden coasts in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somaliland. This ecoregion lies mainly between sea level and 800 meters (m) eleva ...

ecoregion. Large mammals occurring in this area include the

Beira antelope The beira (''Dorcatragus megalotis'') is a small arid adapted antelope that inhabits arid regions of the Horn of Africa. It is the only member of the genus ''Dorcatragus''. Description The beira has a bushy tail and a coarse coat which is red ...

(''Dorcatragus megalotis''),

Dorcas gazelle 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 vegeta ...

(''Gazella dorcas''),

Soemmerring's gazelle 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 ...

(''Gazella soemmerringii''),

Salt's dik-dik 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 ...

(''Madoqua saltiana'') and

gerenuk The gerenuk (; so, garanuug; ''Litocranius walleri''), also known as the giraffe gazelle, is a long-necked antelope found in parts of East Africa. The sole member of the genus ''Litocranius'', the gerenuk was first described by the naturalist ...

(''Litocranius walleri''). Few

Beisa oryx The East African oryx (''Oryx beisa''), also known as the beisa is a species of antelope from East Africa. It has two subspecies: the common beisa oryx (''Oryx beisa beisa'') found in steppe and semidesert throughout the Horn of Africa and ...

(''Oryx beisa'') remain after great hunting pressure. The

Berbera gerbil The Berbera gerbil (''Gerbillus acticola'') is distributed mainly in Somalia, but its range may extend into Ethiopia and Djibouti. It is endemic to the Ethiopian xeric grasslands and shrublands ecoregion. Description The Berbera gerbil has an a ...

(''Gerbillus acticola'') is endemic to this region as are Arnold’s leaf-toed gecko (''Hemidactylus arnoldi'') and the

northern sand gecko ''Tropiocolotes tripolitanus'', also known as the northern sand gecko or Tripoli gecko, is a species of gecko found in northern Africa. References tripolitanus Reptiles described in 1880 Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters {{gecko-stub ...

(''Tropiocolotes somalicus'').

Archer's lark Archer's lark (''Heteromirafra archeri''), also known as the Liben lark, is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in Somalia, Somaliland and Ethiopia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtrop ...

(''Heteromirafra archeri'') is the only endemic bird species.

Climate

The heavy rainfall affected the Grand Bara. As a Result the Plain floods in July and September. The climate of the Grand Bara limits the number of animals living permanently in these extreme conditions.

References

{{Deserts Geography of Djibouti Deserts of Africa