Probably the world’s most famous tree

L’Arbre du Tenere (The tree of Tenere) was once the most isolated tree on earth – no other tree can be found within a 400 kilometre radius.

It was about 300 years old and had stood alone for decades. It was the last of a group of trees that died one by one when the desert advanced. When a well was dug near the tree in the 1930s it was found that the tree had grown extremely long roots, more than 30 metres beneath the surface, and they had reached the water table.

Sadly, it was run over by a drunken Libyan driver in 1973. Amazing isn’t it? The whole desert to driver around in, and he rams into the only tree in the vast expanse of land.

However, even today you can still see the tree at Niger National Museum in the capital Niamey.

As for its original location, it has been replaced by an ugly metal sculpture: