Biodeversity Hotspot

Horn of Africa
BY STEVEN SUN

The Horn of Africa is an extremely bio

diverse swath of land located east of the
Ethiopian Highlands and covers the Rift
Valley. The Horn spans across 8
countries as well as the Socotra
Archipelago and hundreds of tiny islands
in the Red Sea.
Species and Main Threats

There are over 5,000 types of plants living in the

hotspot, and 2,750 of them are endemic. This includes
the extremely rare Somali cyclamen. There are 24
endemic bird species out of 697, and 20 mammals
species out of 220. The Horn has the most
represented endemic reptile species, with 90 out of
285. Aquatic animals are far less, with only 16 out of
the 130 recorded.

Main threats of the Horn of Africa are overgrazing,

charcoal production, political instability, and
infastructure development.

Key Facts

1. The Horn of Africa only one of two hotspots in

the world that that is entirely arid.

2. The Horn holds more endemic reptiles than

any other region in Africa.

3. Distinctive species found are the Critically

Endangered Somali wild ass and hamadryas
baboon. The Speke's gazelle, Endangered, and the
dibatag, Vulnerable, are also included.