Mount Rungwe

The Southern Highlands of Tanzania

The Rungwe (also Mount Rungwe, Rungwe Summit ) is an extinct volcano in the southern highlands of Tanzania. He is with 2.960 m after the Mtorwi summit with 2,961 m on the plateau Kitulo the second highest mountain. This plateau lies between the Poroto, Livingstone and Kipengere - mountain ranges, which arose prior to 2.5 million years and a connection form not only between the western and eastern arms of the African Rif mountain ranges, but also between the great mountain regions of Eastern, Central and Southern Africa.

The Rungwe is part of a watershed: The rivers Kilasi, Kipoke, Kiwira, Marogala, Mbaka, Mrambo, Mulagala, Mwatisi, Sinini and Suma flow westwards into Lake Malawi, the rivers and Ruaha Kyela to the east. Mount Rungwe plays with its forests as " rain catcher " a major role for the Bewässung deeper areas such as the fertile valley between Kyela Tukuyu and Matema. The rainfall is up to 3,000 mm per year and are the highest in the whole of Tanzania. Since 1949 is operated silviculture with the tree species Pinus patula and Kosobaum ( Hagenia abyssinica ). However, this has narrow limits, because the 13,652 ha of this rugged terrain are difficult to access. This applies to the mentioned mountain ranges in total.