Story of the most lonely acacia tree on the planet

Acacia Ténéré (L'Arbre du Ténéré) was once considered the most lonely tree on earth. Within a 400km radius, it is the only tree in the barren Sahara desert .

Located in the middle of the Sahara desert, it used to be part of the dense, lush rainforest, but over time along with natural events, all other trees disappeared, leaving it alone on barren desert for hundreds of years. The acacia tree in Téréné is so famous that it and another tree called Arbre Perdu (Lost Tree) are the only two trees present on the map with a scale of 1: 4,000,000.

Téréné acacia has defeated countless natural challenges to survive hundreds of years in deserted land; however, one day in 1973, a truck driver in a drunken state broke it.

After this lonely acacia was stabbed and died, it was transferred to the Nigerian National Museum in the capital Niamey. Since then, it has been replaced by a metal column, symbolizing the tree.

Ténéré acacia in 1939.

The original Téréné region was not entirely a desert region. In the prehistoric era of prehistoric Carbon, it used to be a seabed and then a tropical forest, where dinosaurs often roam and are hunting grounds of a crocodile-like reptile called SuperCroc.

In the Old Stone Age about 60,000 years ago, Téréné was an uninhabited land; humans only hunt wildlife and leave evidence of their presence through stone tools. By the Neolithic period 10,000 years ago, ancient hunters carved and painted stones; until now these drawings are still found around the region.

And then, climate changes, turning this area into a desert. The Téréné region gradually became scarce, the annual average rainfall was only 2.5cm, and the water became scarce, even groundwater. At the beginning of the 20th century, an acacia bush, yellow and thorny flowers, were the only remaining plant of this land full of ups and downs. However, over time, this acacia shrub also died, leaving only one tree surviving within a 400km radius.

When commanding the Allied military delegation, Michel Lesourd, saw this acacia tree, he wrote:

"To witness it firsthand, I believe that this tree really exists. What is its secret? How can it still survive when countless camels trampled on its body? Why didn't a stray camel eat its leaves or thorns? And the only reason to explain so many salt trucks across the Sahara (Azalai) didn't use a single branch. The tea-making group is because they see this acacia as a taboo.

There must be something superstitious here, the tribe's instructions are always respected. Every year, Azalai gathers around this acacia tree before crossing the Téréné region. It has become a lighthouse - the first or last milestone for Azalai groups to leave Agadez (a major city in Northern Nigeria) to Bilma (an oasis town in northeastern Nigeria), or return " .

Acacia tree image in Téréné over time:

1961.

1967.

1970s.

1973 when it crashed.

Photo of Téréné acacia tree on the envelope stamp (1974).

Acacia was put into Nigeria's national museum after being broken.

The location of the acacia plant is now replaced by a metal tree.