AFRICAN MOUNTAINS – Exploring the Peaks of in Central Africa

Central Africa has many beautiful mountains. Some are very high, or covered with forests, while others are home to special animals. These mountains are not just big and tall, they help bring rain, clean air, water, and are homes to animals, plants.

Here are some mountains in Central Africa and what makes them special.

Cameroon

1. Mount Cameroon

• Mount Cameroon is the highest peak in Sub-Saharan Africa. It’s also the 31st most prominent mountain in the world..
• It’s a volcano that sometimes erupts.The last eruption was in 2012.
• Mount Cameroon is found near the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the few volcanoes in the world that sits where the ocean and a continent meet, in a place called a passive tectonic margin ( an area where the Earth’s plates are not crashing into each other, but staying mostly still).

2. Mount Manengouba

• The mountain is famous for its two crater lakes, Male Lake (known for its green color) and Female Lake(known for its blue color), which are separated by a narrow strip of land.
• The mountain is part of the Cameroon Volcanic Line and is located about 120 km northeast of Mount Cameroon.
• Mount Manengouba is home to the Ekom-Nkam waterfalls, one of the largest waterfalls in Cameroon.

Central African Republic (CAR)

1. Mount Ngaoui

• Mount Ngaoui, the highest peak in the Central African Republic.
• It is located on the border with Cameroon.
• These mountains are part of the Karre Mountains and Mount Ngaoui is the highest peak within them.

2. Karre Mountains:

• The Karre Mountains are a mountain range made up of granite hills that have cracks running from the southwest to the northeast. These cracks are caused by natural movements in the Earth called faults.
• The mountain range is home to the highest point in the country, which is Mount Ngaoui.
• The southern slopes of the Karre Mountains form part of the watershed between the Congo River system and the Lake Chad basin.This means rain that falls on one side flows toward the Congo River, while on the other side, it flows toward Lake Chad.

Chad

1. Emi Koussi

• Emi Koussi is Chad’s highest mountain and the highest peak in the Sahara Desert.
• It is located at the southeastern end of the Tibesti Mountains.
• Emi Koussi is an extinct volcano, and the date of its last eruption is unknown.

2. Tibesti Mountains

• The Tibesti Mountains are home to Emi Koussi, the highest peak in the Sahara Desert.
• The Tibesti Mountains were first explored by Europeans in the 1800s. Some of those well-known explorers were Gustav Nachtigal and Heinrich Barth.
• The mountains are home to the Toubou people, who are known for being strong and adaptable. They live a semi-nomadic life and have learned how to survive in the tough desert environment.

Republic of the Congo (Congo-Brazzaville)

1. Mount Nabemba

• Mount Nabemba, the highest peak in the Republic of the Congo.
• The country’s tallest building, the Nabemba Tower also known as “Tour Elf” is named after the mountain.
• The mountain is located in the Sangha Department around fifty kilometres from the town of Souanké.

2. Mayombé Massif:

• Mayombé Massif is a low mountain range known for its rugged peaks and deep river gorges.
• The Mayombé is known for its populations of western lowland gorillas, central chimpanzees, forest elephants, and other endangered species.
• The Mayombé area lies between the flat coastal plains and the higher inland plateaus. The Niari Valley has long served as a natural route or passage through this region.

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

1. Mount Mikeno

• Mount Mikeno is the second-highest peak in the Virunga Mountains, after Mount Karisimbi.It is also the 13th highest mountain in Africa.
• Mikeno is one of the oldest volcanoes in the Virunga region and a dormant volcano, meaning it’s not currently erupting but could potentially erupt in the future.
• The mountain’s name, “Mikeno,” means “poor” in the local language. This name refers to its steep and difficult slopes, which make it hard for people to live there.

2. Mount Nyiragongo

• Mount Nyiragongo is considered the most active volcano in Africa, and has been the site of over 40 eruptions since 1885.
• Nyamuragira is part of the Virunga Mountains, a range of volcanic mountains located in and around Virunga National Park.
• The name Nyamuragira is said to come from the local Kifuru and Kishi dialect, meaning “to herd cows”.

Equatorial Guinea

1. Pico Basilé

• Pico Basilé is also known as Pico de Santa Isabel or Clarence Peak and is located on the island of Bioko and is the summit of a shield volcano.
• This is the tallest mountain in Equatorial Guinea and the highest point on Bioko Island.
• It’s an extinct volcano and a part of Pico Basilé National Park.

2. Pico Gran Caldera

• This mountain is the second highest in Equatorial Guinea, with an elevation of 2,261 meters.
• Pico Gran Caldera is located within the Luba Crater Scientific Reserve home to the Fernando Po batis, an endemic bird species found only in the lowland forest.
• The caldera was formed by the collapse of the volcano’s summit during an eruption, not from a crater being created.

Gabon

1. Mount Iboundji

• Mont Iboundji, the highest peak in Gabon.
• The mountain is located on Chaillu Massif mountain range, which is named after the explorer Paul Du Chaillu.
• The mountain also shares a name with the frontrunners in the Modern Jazz movement, Iboundji.

2. Mount Birougou

• Mount Birougou is a part of the Chaillu Mountains, which are known for their unusually deep rainforests.
• The mountain is located within Gabon’s Birougou National Park.The park itself is named after the mountain.
• The Birougou National Park, is home to the sun-tailed guenon, a monkey species first identified in 1988.