Eastern Arc Mountains

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Eastern Arc Mountains
Usambara Mountains, Tanzania (2393641522).jpg
Geography
Eastern Arc Mountains sheme (2).jpg
Location in Tanzania and Kenya
Countries Tanzania and Kenya
Range coordinates 6°00′S36°00′E / 6.00°S 36.00°E / -6.00; 36.00
Borders on Kipengere Range

The Eastern Arc Mountains are a chain of mountains found in Kenya and Tanzania. The chain runs from northeast to southwest, with the Taita Hills being in Kenya and the other ranges being in Tanzania. They are delimited on the southwest by the fault complex represented by the Makambako Gap that separates them from the Kipengere Range. To the northeast, they are delimited by more recent volcanism represented by Mount Kilimanjaro. [1] The chain is considered a tentative World Heritage Site. [2]

Contents

Mountain ranges

The Eastern Arc Mountains form a roughly crescent-shaped arc and consist of: [1]

  1. Taita Hills
  2. North and South Pare Mountains
  3. East and West Usambara Mountains
  4. Nguru Mountains
  5. Ukaguru Mountains
  6. Uluguru Mountains
  7. Uvidunda Mountains
  8. Rubeho Mountains
  9. Malundwe Mountain
  10. Udzungwa Mountains
  11. Mahenge Mountains

Geology

These mountain ranges are the oldest in East Africa, and though physically separated from each other, share a similar geomorphology and ecology. They were formed at least 100 million years ago along a fault lying to the east of the East African Rift, which is a more recent structure. About 30 million years ago, all this area was covered by extensive rainforest. During a period some 10 million years ago, when the climate was cooler and drier, the lowland forests were converted to savanna, leaving the mountain ranges as "islands" where the tropical forests continued to flourish, fed by moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean. This isolation of each mountain range has led to a great deal of endemism, and a very diverse flora and fauna. The Eastern Arc has become known as one of the world's top-20 biodiversity hotspots. [3]

Flora and fauna

The Rhynchocyon elephant shrews are common mammal species found within the Eastern Arc Mountains. The distribution map shows the three species are typically limited to small, fragmented forest patches within the mountains. Eastern Arc Mountains (Rhynchocyon).png
The Rhynchocyon elephant shrews are common mammal species found within the Eastern Arc Mountains. The distribution map shows the three species are typically limited to small, fragmented forest patches within the mountains.

Seventy-five species of vertebrate are endemic to the Eastern Arc, as well as thousands of species of invertebrates. About 15 plant genera are endemic to these mountains, as well as Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia, the African violet, now used as a houseplant around the world. Many of these endemics have evolved recently, but some are remnants of populations that were at one time more widespread. The Uluguru Mountains and the eastern Usambara Mountains have the greatest degree of biodiversity. Many endemic species are found on a single mountain range. Four of the endemic birds are similar to Asian species, and may have evolved at a time when the Arabian Peninsula had a coastal fringe of vegetation to act as a passageway; the Udzungwa forest partridge (Xenoperdix udzungwensis) is a relict and example of this, it is found only on the Rubeho Mountains and Udzungwa Mountains, and its closest relatives appear to be the hill partridges of Asia. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Nguru Mountains are a mountain range in Morogoro Region, Tanzania, Africa. They are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The mountains are predominantly covered with rainforest, home to 83 species of birds and African violets. Several forest reserves are located in the mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Udzungwa Mountains</span> Mountain range in south-central Tanzania

The Udzungwa Mountains are a mountain range in south-central Tanzania. The mountains are mostly within Iringa Region, south of Tanzania's capital Dodoma. The Udzungwa Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and are home to a biodiverse community of flora and fauna with large numbers of endemic species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usambara Mountains</span>

The Usambara Mountains of northeastern Tanzania in tropical East Africa, comprise the easternmost ranges of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The ranges of approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) long and about half that wide, are situated in the Lushoto District of the Tanga Region. They were formed nearly two million years ago by faulting and uplifting, and are composed of Precambrian metamorphic rocks. They are split into two sub-ranges; the West Usambaras being higher than the East Usambaras, which are nearer the coast and receive more rainfall.

The Udzungwa forest partridge, also known as the Udzungwa partridge, is a small, approximately 29 centimetres (11 in) long, boldly barred, brownish partridge with rufous face, grey underparts, olive-brown crown and upperparts. It has a red bill, brown iris and yellow legs. Both sexes are similar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taita Hills</span>

The Taita Hills, sometimes also spelled as Teita Hills, are a mountain range located in the Taita-Taveta County in south-eastern Kenya. The hills consist of three massifs: Dawida, Sagalla in the southern side of Voi township and Kasigau in the south near the border of Tanzania. The Dawida massif is the largest and tallest of the three, with an altitude of 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level at its highest peak, Vuria. Dabida has three other main peaks: Iyale, Wesu, and Susu.

The Uluguru mountains are a mountain range in eastern Tanzania, named after the Luguru tribe. The main portion of the Uluguru mountains is a ridge running roughly north-south and rising to 2,630 metres (8,600 ft) altitude at its highest point. On the main Uluguru range, 50 villages touch the forest boundary and over 151,000 people are found within the mountain area, often at increasing densities at higher altitudes up to the forest boundary.

Afrixalus uluguruensis is a species of frog in the family Hyperoliidae. Its common name is Uluguru banana frog. It is endemic to the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania and known from the Kipengere Range, Mahenge, Udzungwa Scarp, Rubeho, North Uluguru, Nguru, Ukaguru, and Nguu Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krefft's warty frog</span> Species of amphibian

Krefft's warty frog, or Krefft's secret frog, is a species of frog in the family Brevicipitidae. It is found in the Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania and in southern Kenya. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, rural gardens, and heavily degraded former forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uluguru bushbaby</span> Species of primate

The Uluguru bushbaby, also known as the mountain dwarf galago or the Amani dwarf galago, is a species of primate in the family Galagidae. Like all galagos, it is a strepsirrhine primate. It is endemic to the Eastern Arc Mountains of Kenya and Tanzania at altitudes of 1,200 - 2,000 m. It has its own set of unique calls, which helps distinguish it from other species of bushbaby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kihaule's mouse shrew</span> Species of mammal

Kihaule's mouse shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae endemic to Tanzania where it is known only from the Udzungwa Mountains, at the western end of the Eastern Arc Mountains. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and plantations. It is threatened by habitat destruction and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being "endangered". It was named after Philip M. Kihaule, a medical-entomological technician, who considerably contributed to the documenting of the small mammals of Tanzania and collected the type specimen of this shrew.

Neocussonia lukwangulensis is a species of plant in the family Araliaceae. It is endemic to the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. It is typically a freestanding tree, and uncommonly an epiphyte.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abyssinian thrush</span> Species of bird

The Abyssinian thrush is a passerine bird in the family Turdidae. It is also known as the African mountain thrush, or northern olive thrush In 2010, the species was confirmed as separate from the olive thrush due to genetic differences. Their ranges do not overlap. The southern and northern populations may be distinct species. The Abyssinian thrush is found in Eritrea and other parts of the Horn of Africa, as well as an area to the southeast extending from the African Great Lakes region to north eastern Zambia and Malawi.

Wadawida are a subgroup of the Taita people of South Eastern Kenya in East Africa. These Bantu speaking people are in origin and language more related to the Taveta (Tuweta) people of Kenya, and the Pare who live at the Pare Mountains, Chagga who live on the slopes of Kilimanjaro and Sambaa people of Usambara Mountains in Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife of Tanzania</span>

Tanzania contains some 20 percent of the species of Africa's large mammal population, found across its reserves, conservation areas, marine parks, and 17 national parks, spread over an area of more than 42,000 square kilometres (16,000 sq mi) and forming approximately 38 percent of the country's territory. Wildlife resources of Tanzania are described as "without parallel in Africa" and "the prime game viewing country". Serengeti National Park, the country's second largest national park area at 14,763 square kilometres (5,700 sq mi), is located in northern Tanzania and is famous for its extensive migratory herds of wildebeests and zebra while also having the reputation as one of the great natural wonders of the world. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, established in 1959, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and inhabited by the Maasai people. Its Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact caldera in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic</span> Tropical forest ecoregion of East Africa

Northern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic, also known as the Northern Swahili coastal forests and woodlands, is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of coastal East Africa. The ecoregion includes a variety of habitats, including forest, savanna and swamps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Arc forests</span>

The Eastern Arc forests is a montane tropical moist forest ecoregion of eastern Africa. The ecoregion comprises several separate highland areas above 800 meters in Kenya, and (mostly) Tanzania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern tree hyrax</span> Species of mammal in the family Procaviidae

The eastern tree hyrax is a species of mammal within the family Procaviidae. The eastern tree hyrax is the most localized of the tree hyrax species, distributed patchily in a narrow band of lowland and montane forests in Kenya and Tanzania and adjacent islands.

The Rubeho Mountains are a mountain range in central Tanzania. The mountains in Dodoma and Morogoro regions, southeast of Tanzania's capital Dodoma. The Rubeho Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and are home to a biodiverse community of flora and fauna with large numbers of endemic species.

The Ukaguru Mountains are a mountain range in central Tanzania. The mountains are in Morogoro region, east of Tanzania's capital Dodoma. The mountains are named for the Kaguru people. The Ukaguru Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and are home to a biodiverse community of flora and fauna with large numbers of endemic species.

The Nguu Mountains are a mountain range in Tanga Region of Tanzania. The Nguu Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The mountains are covered in woodland, grassland, and forest.

References

  1. 1 2 "Map". Eastern Arc Mountains Information Source. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011.
  2. "Eastern Arc Mountains Forests of Tanzania". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  3. 1 2 Briggs, Philip (2009). Northern Tanzania: The Bradt Safari Guide with Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 20–21. ISBN   978-1-84162-292-7.