| For decades the Tuareg have traded salt by driving camel caravans over the 485 miles (610 km) between the city of Agadez and the Bilma salt pits. The camels, ridden in single file, travel in convoys at a rate of 25 miles (40 km) per day, despite temperatures reaching 115°F (46°C) in the shade, and loads of nearly 220 pounds (100 kg) per animal. Fachi, the only major town on the Azalaï (salt caravan) route, is an indispensable stop. Caravans, at one time made up of as many as 20,000 camels, are generally limited today to 100 animals; they are gradually being replaced by trucks. The decline off caravans and camel-breeding, the droughts of the 1970s and 1980s that took a heavy toll on livestock, and the conflicts of the 1990s have heralded the gradual settlement of the Tuareg people. The Air and Ténéré reserves—an outstanding collection of landscapes, plant life (more than 350 species), and animals (at least 40 different mammal species)—where most of them live are seriously affected by poaching and overexploitation. |
. &title2=Dromedary caravans near Fachi, Ténéré desert, Niger (18°14’ N, 11°40’ E).&title3=Caravanas de dromedarios cerca de Fachi, desierto de Ténéré, NÍger (18°14’ N-11°40’ E). "download in wallpaper")
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