Virunga Mountains

Virunga Mountains
Virunga Mountains
	The summit of Mount Mikeno
Highest point
Peak	Mount Karisimbi
Elevation	4,507 m (14,787 ft)
Listing
Dimensions
Length	80[1] km (50 mi)
Geography
Countries	Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda

The Virunga Mountains (also known as Mufumbiro[1]) are a chain of volcanoes in East Africa, along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Uganda. The mountain range is a branch of the Albertine Rift Mountains, which border the western branch of the East African Rift. They are located between Lake Edward and Lake Kivu. The name "Virunga" is an English version of the Kinyarwanda word ibirunga, which means "volcanoes".

Mount Nyiragongo

Gahinga (left) and Muhabura (right)

Muhabura, Gahinga, Karisimbi, Sabyinyo and Mikeno

The mountain range consists of eight major volcanoes. Most of them are dormant, except Mount Nyiragongo 3,462 metres (11,358 ft) and Mount Nyamuragira 3,063 metres (10,049 ft), both in the DRC. Recent eruptions occurred in 2006 and in January 2010. Mount Karisimbi is the highest volcano at 4,507 metres (14,787 ft). The oldest mountain is Mount Sabyinyo, which rises 3,634 metres (11,923 ft) above sea level.

The Virunga Mountains are home of the critically endangered mountain gorilla, listed on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species due to habitat loss, poaching, disease, and war (Butynski et al. 2003). The Karisoke Research Center, founded by Dian Fossey to observe gorillas in their native habitat, is located between Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke.

List of mountains in the Virunga Mountain Range

Name of mountain	Location	Elevation in Metres	Elevation in Feet
Mount Karisimbi	Rwanda / DRC	4,507	14,790
Mount Mikeno	DRC	4,437	14,560
Mount Muhabura	Rwanda / Uganda	4,127	13,540
Mount Bisoke	Rwanda / DRC	3,711	12,180
Mount Sabyinyo	Rwanda / Uganda / DRC	3,674	12,050
Mount Gahinga	Rwanda / Uganda	3,474	11,400
Mount Nyiragongo	DRC	3,470	11,400
Mount Nyamuragira	DRC	3,058	10,031

National Parks

In culture

Michael Crichton's novel Congo is set mostly in the Virunga region.
Gorillas in the Mist, and the novel of the same name, document the work and death of primatologist Dian Fossey. The camp from which she operated, Karisoke Research Center, still exists in the Virunga Mountains.

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References

http://www.britannica.com/place/Virunga-Mountains

Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mfumbiro" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[britannica-1] ttp://www.britannica.com/place/Virunga-Mountains

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