Emi Koussi

Emi Koussi, volcanic mountain in northern Chad. The highest peak in Chad and the Sahara, Emi Koussi dominates the southern quarter of the Tibesti, a mountainous volcanic plateau. Standing at 3,415 m (11,204 ft), Emi Koussi towers over the nearby countryside. Although some surrounding volcanoes continue to emit smoke, Emi Koussi has been dormant throughout recorded history. Located in one of the hottest and most remote places on earth, the mountain's sides display a spectacular scenery of sharp cliffs, narrow gorges and rugged foothills.

The surrounding plateau has significant subterranean water reserves and is dotted with hot springs. To the north, rock paintings dating from 5000 to 2000 bc suggest that the climate and natural life of the area were much more lush than they are today. Around ad 1230, the Kanem-Bornu Empire, centered in the Lake Chad region, expanded into the area. Today several hundred Teda people live on the mountain's slopes. Descended from the original Berber inhabitants of the central Sahara, they are fiercely independent Muslim nomadic herders. The political instability of Chad throughout the 20th century has prevented the mountain from being thoroughly studied.