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The Rwenzori Mountains, previously called the Ruwenzori Range (the spelling having been changed in about 1980 to conform more closely with the local name) is a small but spectacular mountain range of central Africa, often referred to as Mt. Rwenzori, located on the border between Uganda and the DRC, with heights of up to 5,109 m (16,761 ft) at 0°23′09″N 29°52′18″E / 0.38583°N 29.87167°E / 0.38583; 29.87167. The highest Rwenzoris are permanently snow-capped, and they, along with Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya are the only such in Africa. The Ruwenzoris are often identified with the "Mountains of the Moon" mentioned by Ptolemy, but the descriptions are too vague to make this definite.

The mountains formed about three million years ago in the late Pliocene as a result of an uplifted block of crystalline rocks such as: gneiss, amphibolite granite and quartzite, "pushed up by tremendous forces originating deep within the earth’s crust". This uplift divided the paleolake Obweruka and created two of the present-day African Great Lakes: Albert and Edward and George on the flanks of the Albertine (western) Rift of the East African Rift, the African part of the Great Rift Valley.

The range is about 120 km (75 mi) long and 65 km (40 mi) wide. It consists of six massifs separated by deep gorges: Mount Stanley (5,109m), Mount Speke (4,890m), Mount Baker (4,843m), Mount Emin (4,798m), Mount Gessi (4,715m) and Mount Luigi di Savoia (4,627m). Mount Stanley is the largest and has several subsidiary summits, with Margherita Peak being the highest point. The rock is metamorphic, and the mountains are believed to have been tilted and squeezed upwards by plate movement. They are in an extremely humid area, and frequently enveloped in clouds.

The first European sighting of the Ruwenzori was by the expedition of Henry Morton Stanley in 1889 (the aforementioned clouds are considered to explain why two decades of previous explorers had not seen them). On June 7, the expedition's second-in-command and its military commander, William Grant Stairs, climbed to 10,677 feet, the first non-African ever to climb in the range. The first ascent to the summit was made by the Duke of the Abruzzi in 1906.

Flora and fauna

The Ruwenzori are known for their vegetation, ranging from tropical rainforest through alpine meadows to snow; and for their animal population, including forest elephants, several primate species and many endemic birds. The range supports its own species and varieties of Giant groundsel and Giant lobelia and even has a six metre high heather covered in moss that lives on one of its peaks. Most of the range is now a World Heritage Site and is covered jointly by The Rwenzori Mountains National Park in Uganda and the Parc National des Virunga in Congo.

Vegetation zones

There are 5 different Vegetation Zones found in the Rwenzori Mountains. These are grassland (1000-2000m), montane forest (2000-3000m), bamboo/mimulopsis zone (2500-3500m), Heather/Rapanea zone (3000-4000m) and the afro-alpine moorland zone (4000-4500m). At higher altitudes some plants reach an unusually large size, such as lobelia and groundsels. The vegetation in the Rwenzori Mountains is unique to equatorial alpine Africa.

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Glacial recession in Rwenzori

A subject of concern in recent years has been the impact of climate change on Rwenzori's glaciers. In 1906 the Rwenzori had 43 named glaciers distributed over 6 mountains with a total area of 7.5 km²., about half the total glacier area in Africa. By 2005, less than half of these survive, on only 3 mountains, with an area of about 1.5 km². Recent scientific studies such as those by Dr Richard Taylor of UCL have attributed this to global climate change, and investigated its impact on the mountain's vegetation and biodiversity.

References

1. ^ "CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS OF THE RWENZORI MOUNTAINS" (HTML). Makerere University and University College London. 2007-09-15. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
2. ^ "Rwenzori Mountains National Park" (HTML). Rwenzori Abruzzi. 2006-05-27. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
3. Wayland, E. J. (July - Dec., 1934). "Rifts, Rivers, Rains and Early Man in Uganda". The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. 64: 333–352. doi:10.2307/2843813. Retrieved 2008-05-06. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. ^ H. Peter Linder and Berit Gehrke (2 March 2006). "Common plants of the Rwenzori, particularly the upper zones" (HTML). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of Zurich. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
5. "RWENZORI MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK, UGANDA" (HTML). Protected Areas and World Heritage. United Nations Environment Programme. 1994. Retrieved 2008-05-08. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
6. "FOREST RESOURCES OF TROPICAL AFRICA" (HTML). TROPICAL FOREST RESOURCES ASSESSMENT PROJECT. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. reprinted 1984. UN 32/6.1301–78–04. Retrieved 2008-05-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

• Glaciers of the Middle East and Africa, Williams, Richard S., Jr. (editor) In: U. S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 1991, pp.G1-G70
• Guide to the Ruwenzori, Osmaston,H.A., Pasteur,D. 1972, Mountain Club of Uganda. 200 p.
• Recession of Equatorial Glaciers. A Photo Documentation, Hastenrath, S., 2008, Sundog Publishing, Madison, WI, ISBN-13: 978-0-9729033-3-2, 144 pp.
• Tropical Glaciers, Kaser, G., Osmaston, H.A. 2002, Cambridge University Press, UK. 207 p.
• Ruwenzori, de Filippi, F. 1909. Constable, London. 408 p.
• Greenpeace article "The Death of the Ice Gigantaurs"
• BBC Article "Fabled ice field set to vanish"
• Dr Taylor's Homepage, with information about the impact of climate change on Rwenzori.
• Kaser et al. 2006, in International Book of Climatology 24: 329–339 (2004)

External links

• Rwenzori Mountains Historical Climbing and Centenary Celebrations
• rwenzori.com - Rwenzori Mountains tourist information and tips
• Account and photos of a climb up the Ruwenzoris (Congo side)
• 30 photos of a climb up the Ruwenzoris (Congo side)
• The remarkable plants and animals of the Ruwenzoris
• Gallery of pictures

• Rwenzori Mountains
• Great Rift Valley
• Mountain ranges of Africa
• Mountains of Uganda
• Mountains of the Democratic Republic of the Congo