Lake Turkana, which is mostly in Kenya, is the largest permanent desert lake in the world. It has sheltered humanity since the first homonids learned to walk. A female australopithecus anamensis fossil found here in 1994 lived around 4.2 and 3.9 million years ago. Researchers were surprised to realize she had walked on two feet. It was a huge discovery at the time, because it meant hominids developed bipedalism earlier than previously thought.
And near the lake, in 1984, a homo erectus fossil who lived 1.5 to 1.6 million years ago was found. Examinations suggested he had been a boy, just 8 or 9 years old, when he died. He remains the most complete hominid skeleton found to date.
