Mount Cameroon

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Mount Cameroon
Mount Cameroon view from Buea (Soppo).jpg
Mount Cameroon from Buea
Highest point
Elevation 4,040 m (13,250 ft) [1] [2]
Prominence 3,901 m (12,799 ft) [3]
Ranked 31st
Listing Country high point
Ultra
Coordinates 4°13′00″N9°10′21″E / 4.21667°N 9.17250°E / 4.21667; 9.17250
Naming
Native nameMongo ma Ndemi (Duala)
Geography
Cameroon physical map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Mount Cameroon
Cameroon
Location Southwest Region, Cameroon
Geology
Mountain type Stratovolcano
Last eruption February 2012
Climbing
First ascent Joseph Merrick, 1840s [4]
Easiest route Scramble

Mount Cameroon is an active volcano in the South West region of Cameroon next to the city of Buea near the Gulf of Guinea. Mount Cameroon is also known as Cameroon Mountain or Fako (the name of the higher of its two peaks) or by its indigenous name Mongo ma Ndemi ("Mountain of Greatness"). Mount Cameroon is ranked 22nd by topographic isolation.

Contents

It is the highest point in sub-Saharan western and central Africa, [5] the fourth-most prominent peak in Africa, and the 31st-most prominent in the world. The mountain is part of the area of volcanic activity known as the Cameroon Volcanic Line, which also includes Lake Nyos, the site of a disaster in 1986. The most recent eruption occurred on February 3, 2012.

Description

Mount Cameroon is one of Africa's largest volcanoes, rising to 4,040 metres (13,255 ft) above the coast of west Cameroon. [6]

Flora

The mountain's natural vegetation varies with elevation. The main plant communities on the mountain include: [7]

Fauna

Large mammals on the mountain include the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), with a population of over 100 individuals. Other herbivores include red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus), bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), bay duiker (Cephalophus dorsalis), blue duiker (Philantomba monticola), and yellow-backed duiker (Cephalophus sylvicultor). The mountain is home to several species of primates, including chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus), red-capped mangabey (Cercocebos torquatus), putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans), mona monkey (Cercopithecus mona), red-eared monkey (Cercopithecus erythrotis), Preuss' guenon (Cercopithecus preussii), and crowned guenon (Cercopithecus pogonias). [7]

Two species of birds are endemic to Mount Cameroon, Mount Cameroon spurfowl (Pternistis camerunensis) and Mount Cameroon speirops (Zosterops melanocephalus). [7]

Mount Cameroon National Park

Entrance to the Mt Cameroon National park situated in Buea, south west region Entrance to the Mt Cameroon National park.jpg
Entrance to the Mt Cameroon National park situated in Buea, south west region

Mount Cameroon National Park (Parc National du Mont Cameroun) was created in 2009. It covers an area of 581.23 km2 (224.41 sq mi). [10] The park includes the former Etinde Forest Reserve and most of the Bomboko Forest Reserve. [11] A portion of the Bomboko Forest Reserve remains outside the park, on the lower northern slopes of the mountain. [7]

IUGS geological heritage site

In respect of it being 'one of the few volcanoes in the world located at the ocean-continent boundary in a passive tectonic margin', the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) included 'The Quaternary Cameroon Volcano' in its assemblage of 100 'geological heritage sites' around the world in a listing published in October 2022. The organisation defines an IUGS Geological Heritage Site as 'a key place with geological elements and/or processes of international scientific relevance, used as a reference, and/or with a substantial contribution to the development of geological sciences through history.' [12]

Access

The peak is frequently ascended by hikers. The annual Mount Cameroon Race of Hope scales the peak in around 4½ hours. Sarah Etonge has won the race seven times and is also a tour operator. English explorer Mary Kingsley, one of the first Europeans to scale the mountain, recounts her expedition in her 1897 memoir Travels in West Africa.

See also

Notes

  1. A higher elevation of 4,095 m (13,435 ft) is often given, but this is not compatible with SRTM data, which shows no 3" cells higher than 4,027 m (13,212 ft) or 1" cells higher than 4,029 m (13,219 ft).
  2. A hand-held GPS reading of 4,045 m (13,271 ft) was reported in 2015. The elevation is subject to change due to volcanic activity.
  3. "Mont Cameroun, Cameroon" Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
  4. DeLancey and DeLancey 174. The authors do not give a precise year, but Merrick was active in Cameroon from 1844 to 1849.
  5. "Mount Cameroon", Encyclopedia Britannica
  6. Geiger, Harri; Barker, Abigail K.; Troll, Valentin R. (2016-10-07). "Locating the depth of magma supply for volcanic eruptions, insights from Mt. Cameroon". Scientific Reports. 6 (1): 33629. Bibcode:2016NatSR...633629G. doi: 10.1038/srep33629 . ISSN   2045-2322. PMC   5054387 . PMID   27713494.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 The Management Plan of the Mount Cameroon National Park and its Peripheral Zone, 2015 - 2019. The Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Republic of Cameroon.
  8. Cheek, M. (2014). "Impatiens etindensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T39501A2927828. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T39501A2927828.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  9. Cheek, M. (2014). "Impatiens grandisepala". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T39500A2927763. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T39500A2927763.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  10. "Mont Cameroun". Protected Planet. Accessed 15 June 2020
  11. Martin, Alex ed. (2012) Interactive Forest Atlas of Cameroon, Version 3.0. Overview Report. World Resources Institute. ISBN   978-1-56973-789-7.
  12. "The First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites" (PDF). IUGS International Commission on Geoheritage. IUGS. Retrieved 13 November 2022.

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References