The Chalbi Desert is a small desert in northern Kenya near the border with Ethiopia . It is east of Lake Turkana and contains North Horr . Marsabit is the closest major urban center.
19-547: In the language of the Gabbra people, Chalbi means "bare, salty area". The Chalbi Desert is located in between Mount Marsabit and Lake Turkana . The area is 110 km long and 10 to 20 km wide and it extends over 1,000 km. The area is composed of an ancient lake-bed, rocky surface and lava regions. The ancient lake-bed of Chalbi used to be a shallow lake around 10,000 to 11,000 years ago. The lava hills provide some altitudinal change in an otherwise plain region. The ground
38-421: A heavy downpour, and the water runs off through the hard desert surface and pools at surface depressions. In years of exceptional rainfall, a temporary lake is formed that can last several months. This happened during 1978, for example, when a temporary lake of 50 centimetres or 1 foot 8 inches in depth was formed long enough for waterfowl to make use of it. The Chalbi desert sustains high winds. In fact,
57-635: A population of 459,785. It is bordered to the North by Ethiopia , to the West by Turkana County to the South by Samburu County and Isiolo County , and to the East by Wajir County . The county is located in central north Kenya and borders the eastern shore of Lake Turkana . Important topographical features are: Ol Donyo Ranges 2,066 m [6,778 ft] in the southwest, Mount Marsabit 1,865 m [6,119 ft] in
76-505: A rain-shadow desert. Mean annual rainfall is approximately 150 millimetres or 6 inches (or up to 350 millimetres or 14 inches). Rainfall is erratic and in some years the area barely receives any rainfall at all. In 1973, for example, only 7 millimetres or 0.3 inches of rainfall were recorded. Meanwhile, the potential evaporation likely is over 2,600 millimetres or 100 inches. At the edge of the desert, there are numerous springs, which create oases of water and grasses. Occasionally, rain falls as
95-494: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Marsabit County Marsabit County is a county in Kenya , covering a surface area of 66,923.1 square kilometres. Marsabit is the second largest county by size in Kenya after Turkana county which has an area of 71,597.8 km . Its capital is Marsabit and its largest town is Moyale . According to the 2019 census, the county had
114-553: Is a combination of dried mud and salt. When it rains, the ground becomes a soft, sticky surface. Chalbi desert has been recognized as an important geosite of Kenya. The preserved fossils of the area have been critical to the understanding of the Quaternary climate in East Africa. These fossils include aquatic animals like the Nile perch. It is also a site of the mineral eugsterite. Chalbi is
133-426: Is a total of 111 health facilities, hospital beds in the county. County has 457 health personnel of different cadre. HIV prevalence is at 1% ,below the national 5.3% (Kenya HIV Estimates 2011). The county is covered by 5,000 km (3,100 mi) of road network. Of this, 4,108 km (2,553 mi) is covered by earth surface, 580 km (360 mi) is murram surface, and 312 km (194 mi) of surface
152-599: Is the Governor and was elected in 2017 and his deputy is Solomon Gubo Riwe. He replaced Ukur Yattani , the first governor of Marsabit county and currently the Cabinet Secretary of National Treasury & Planning. Gordana Hargura is the Senator and has been senator since 2013. Nasra Ibrahim Ibren is the first elected women representative and was replaced in 2017 general elections by Safia Sheikh Adan. For Marsabit County,
171-591: The 1920s living and making wildlife documentaries. On 10 April 2006, a Harbin Y-12 II owned and operated by the Kenyan Air Force crashed in Mount Marsabit killing 14 of the 17 occupants onboard. "Marsabit" . Global Volcanism Program . Smithsonian Institution . This Eastern Province (Kenya) location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This volcanology article
190-571: The County Executive Committee comprises:- Source There are 278 ECD centres 209 primary schools and 31 secondary schools. The county has also 1 teachers training college, 4 Youth Polytechnics, 106 adult training institutions and 6 technical training institutions. The number of teachers currently providing basic education in Marsabit county is 1,912, consisting of 492 ECDE teachers, 1,147 primary and 283 secondary school teachers. There
209-436: The area has some of the strongest and most sustained wind systems of the world. The area sustains for over 50 days per years wind speeds of over 50 kilometres per hour (14 m/s; 31 mph; 27 kn). Sandstorms are a common feature of the region. The following herbivores can be found in the region: oryx, African elephant, Somali ostrich, Grevy's zebra, and reticulated giraffe. In the past, black rhinoceros used to live in
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#1732855126787228-491: The area, but they were hunted to extinction. As for the large predator guild, African lions live in the region. The high salinity makes the area home to only a few plant species. Most of the Chalbi Desert is barren and has no vegetation. One of those areas where plants do grow is usually near outlets of tributary streams after the seasonal rainfalls. Salvadora persica , Acacia tortilis , and Cordia sinensis can grow in
247-428: The areas around Chalbi's drainage system, but most plants that grow in the desert are annual plants. One of those plants is Drakebrockmania somalensis . During years of high rainfall, these areas can be seen covered by grasses like Aristida adscensionis and A . mutabilis . Another region where some plants grow is in the former lake bed. There, one can find Lagenantha nogalensis . Finally, one can also find plants on
266-642: The center of the East African Rift , in Marsabit County near the town of Marsabit . This was primarily built during the Miocene , but some lava flows and explosive maar -forming eruptions have occurred more recently. At least two of the maars host crater lakes. The volcano is covered by dense forest. Marsabit National Park is in the area. It was here, near a body of water they dubbed Lake Paradise, that American explorers Martin and Osa Johnson spent time in
285-497: The central part of the county, Hurri Hills 1,685 m [5,528 ft] in the northeastern part of the county, Mount Kulal 2,235 m [7,333 ft] in the northwest and the mountains around Sololo-Moyale escarpment up to 1,400 m [4,600 ft] in the northeast. The Chalbi Desert makes up much of the center region of the county. The county is made of an extensive plain lying 300 and 900 m (980 and 2,950 ft) above sea level which gently slopes towards
304-635: The edges of the desert, such as Dasysphaera prostrata or Hyphaene coriacea . The Gabbra pastoralists live around this area of Kenya. These nomadic people herd goats and cattle, and camels to some extent. A few other pastoralists are also present in the region, such as the Rendille , the Dasanech , or the Turkana . The largest wind farm in Africa is located in the west edge of the desert. Unfortunately, no benefits from
323-582: The short rains occur from November to December. The county has a total population of 459,785, of which 243,548 are males, 216,219 females and 18 intersex persons. There are 77,495 households, with an average household size of 5.8 persons per household and a population density of 6 people per square kilometre. Population Religion in Marsabit County There are 4 sub counties, 16 divisions, 63 locations and 127 sub-locations. There 4 constituencies and 20 county assembly wards. Mohamed Mohamud Ali
342-764: The south-east. Some of the prominent features include Ol Donyo 2,066 m [6,778 ft] above sea level, Mt. Marsabit 1,865 m [6,119 ft] above sea level, Hurri Hills 1,685 m [5,528 ft] above sea level, Mt. Kulal 2,235 m [7,333 ft] above sea level, and the Sololo-Moyale escarpment up to 1,400 m [4,600 ft] above sea level. The county experiences semi-arid climatic conditions with an average temperature ranging between 15 °C and 26 °C. The rainfall ranges between 200 and 1,000 mm (7.9 and 39.4 in) per annum. The Long rains season starts in April through May while
361-453: The wind farm have reached the local communities. The area has seen a rise in desert tourism since the beginning of the 2020s, and is increasingly seen as one of Kenya's new and upcoming tourist destinations . 03°01′54″N 37°20′51″E / 3.03167°N 37.34750°E / 3.03167; 37.34750 Mount Marsabit Marsabit is a 6300 km basaltic shield volcano in Kenya , located 170 km east of
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