Mountains of hunger

The Tibesti Mountains of hunger, located mostly in Chad with the northern slopes extending into Libya, are captured in this image, acquired on 4 March 2012 by Envisat’s MERIS instrument. Image credit: ESA

The mountains’ highest peak is Emi Koussi – pictured here as a circular structure in the lower-right portion of the dark area.

The westernmost volcano is Toussidé. Our satellite view shows the dark peak with lava flows extending to the left. The white depression to the southeast gets its colour from the accumulation of carbonate salts, creating a soda lake.

Surrounding the Tibesti Mountains, the sands of the Sahara appear like orange, yellow and white brushstrokes.

Image credit: wikipedia

The Tibesti, including Emi Koussi summit, seen from the International Space Station

The Tibesti Mountains are a range of inactive volcanoes located on the northern edge of the Chad Basin in the Borkou– and Tibesti Region of northern Chad. The massif is one of the most prominent features of the central Sahara desert and covers an area of approximately 100,000 km² (39,000 sq mi). The northern slopes extend into southern Libya. It is one of the most isolated areas on Earth and the people called the Tibesti the mountains of hunger, as they can only feed a few people. The biggest city is Bardaï, with only 1,500 residents.