Grand Bara

South of Djibouti City, Djibouti

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Grand Bara, located south of Djibouti City in southern Djibouti, is a vast arid desert plain spanning about 103 square kilometers, formed from ancient dried-up lake beds with expansive sand flats, sparse desert grasses, and scrub vegetation in a semi-arid landscape.

This low-elevation area, part of the Ethiopian xeric grasslands ecoregion, experiences seasonal flooding in July and September from heavy rains, temporarily turning clay soils into grassy expanses that support limited wildlife like Beira antelopes amid extreme heat with daytime highs often exceeding 35°C (95°F).

A key road built in 1981 connects it to the capital, facilitating travel and the annual Grand Bara 15K footrace, while its historical role includes former French Foreign Legion training grounds in a region historically inhabited by Issa Somalis.