Anseba River

The Anseba River is a tributary of the Barka River in Eritrea with a length of 346 kilometers. It rises in the Eritrean Highlands outside Asmara and flows in a northwestern direction through Keren. It merges with the Barka River near the border with Sudan.

In the north of Eritrea, the highlands narrow and then end in a system of hills, where erosion has cut down to the basement rock. To the east, the plateau drops abruptly into a coastal plain. North of the Gulf of Zula, the plain is only 10 to 50 miles (15 to 80 km) wide, but to the south, it widens to include the Danakil Plain. This barren region contains a depression known as the Kobar Sink (more than 300 feet below sea level), the northern end of which extends into Eritrea. In the Anseba River, the coastal plain and the Danakil Plain are part of the East African Rift System and are sharply delimited on the west by the eastern escarpment of the plateau, which, although deeply eroded, presents a formidable obstacle to travelers from the coast.

Length: 346 km