Sanaag

This mountainous region of northern Somalia rises toward the Cal Madow range and drops to the Gulf of Aden, encompassing some of the country's most striking and varied landscapes. Its highlands support relict pockets of juniper and endemic dragon's blood and frankincense trees, remnants of a once wider forest cover. The region has long been a source of aromatic resins traded since antiquity. Rugged escarpments, coastal plains and ancient trading links give Sanaag a distinctive character within the Horn of Africa.