Tree of Tenere - The Most Isolated Tree in the World

Tree of Tenere, was a solitary acacia that was once considered the most isolated tree on Earth. the only one for over 400 kilometers. Standing there in the Sahara Desert, it had once been part of a lush and populated forest, but as fortunes changed and other trees disappeared, it stood alone in a barren desert as an isolated landmark for caravan routes through the Tenere region of the Sahara in northeast Niger for hundreds of years. The tree was so well known that it and the Arbre Perdu or 'Lost Tree' to the north are the only trees to be shown on a map.

The tree survived hundreds of years of desertification, until one day in 1973, a drunk truck driver struck it down. After the tree was struck down, the dead tree was moved to the Niger National Museum in the capital Niamey. It has since been replaced by a simple metal sculpture representing the tree.

Tree of Tenere in 1939

Tree of Tenere in 1967

Tree of Tenere in 1970

Tree of Tenere in 1973 after it was hit

Tree of Tenere in Govt. issued stamped in 1974

Tree of Tenere today

Tree of Tenere in National Museum in Niamey, Niger

Footnotes

The Lonely Tree of Ténéré

Tree of Ténéré | Wikiwand