Afar Region
The Afar Regional State (Afar: Qafar; Tigrinya: ዓፋር?; Amharic: አፋር?) is one of the nine regional states (kililoch) of Ethiopia, and is the homeland of the Afar people. Formerly known as Region 2, its current capital is Aysa'iita; a new capital named Semera on the paved Awash–Asseb highway is under construction.
The Afar Depression, also known under the outdated name Danakil Depression, is part of the Great Rift Valley of Ethiopia, and is located in the north of the region. It has the lowest point in Ethiopia and one of the lowest in Africa. The southern part of the region consists of the valley of the Awash River, which empties into a string of lakes along the Ethiopian-Djibouti border. Other notable landmarks include the Awash and Yangudi Rassa National Parks.
Read more about Afar Region: Demographics, Land Features, Environment, Agriculture, Regional Instability, Fossil Finds, Presidents of The Executive Committee, Administrative Zones
Famous quotes containing the words afar and/or region:
“Glories, like glow-worms, afar off shine bright,
But looked to near, have neither heat nor light.”
—John Webster (1580–1625)
“The Heavens. Once an object of superstition, awe and fear. Now a vast region for growing knowledge. The distance of Venus, the atmosphere of Mars, the size of Jupiter, and the speed of Mercury. All this and more we know. But their greatest mystery the heavens have kept a secret. What sort of life, if any, inhabits these other planets? Human life, like ours? Or life extremely lower in the scale. Or dangerously higher.”
—Richard Blake, and William Cameron Menzies. Narrator, Invaders from Mars, at the opening of the movie (1953)