Lakes of Ounianga
The site includes eighteen connected lakes covering an area of 62,808 hectares in the extremely arid Ennedi region of the Sahara Desert. It forms a beautiful natural landscape with amazing colors and shapes. The salt lakes, hypersaline lakes and freshwater lakes are fed by groundwater and are divided into two groups, 40 kilometers apart. Ounianga Kebir consists of four lakes, the largest of which, Lake Youan, covers an area of 358 hectares and is 27 meters deep. Its high salinity can only sustain algae and some microorganisms. The second group, Ounianga Serir, consists of fourteen lakes separated by sand dunes. Floating reeds cover nearly half of the surface of these lakes, reducing evaporation. Lake Telli has the largest area, 436 hectares, but is less than 10 meters deep. Due to the high quality of the fresh water, some of these lakes are home to aquatic animals, especially fish.