Danakil Depression

The Danakil Depression is a low-lying desert basin in northeastern Ethiopia, part of the larger Afar Triangle where three tectonic plates meet, and one of the hottest and most geologically active places on Earth. It lies well below sea level in places and holds an extraordinary volcanic landscape of colorful sulfur springs, salt flats and the active lava lake of Erta Ale, one of the few persistent lava lakes on the planet. Extreme heat and sparse infrastructure make it one of the most inhospitable inhabited regions in the world, though it has long been worked by Afar salt traders.