Eastern Highlands
Encyclopedia
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in the east of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and one of 4 distinct physiographic divisions on the African continent.
Location and description
The range forms Zimbabwe's eastern border with MozambiqueMozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
and comprises three main mountain groups - Nyanga
Nyanga, Zimbabwe
Nyanga is a town in the province of Manicaland, Zimbabwe, located adjacent to Nyanga National Park in the Eastern Highlands about 105 km north of Mutare. According to the 1982 Population Census, the town had a population of 2,973....
(to the north) which contains Zimbabwe's highest mountain Mount Nyangani
Mount Nyangani
Mount Nyangani is the highest mountain in Zimbabwe at 2,592 m . The mountain is located within Nyanga National Park in Nyanga District, is about south east of Harare. The summit lies atop a small outcrop of rock around 40m above the surrounding area...
, Africa's second-longest waterfall Mutarazi Falls
Mutarazi Falls
Mutarazi Falls is a 762 m free-leaping waterfall of two delicate tiers, in the Honde Valley in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe. The falls occur at a point where the Mtarazi river flows over the edge of the eastern escarpment of Zimbabwe's highlands.The waterfall is the 17th highest in the world...
and the Honde Valley
Honde Valley
The Honde Valley extends from the eastern border of Zimbabwe into Mozambique. The valley is formed as part of the Eastern Highlands mountain range. The Valley is about 130km from Mutare, or 110km from Nyanga. Mount Inyangani and the Nyanga National Park forms the western boundary of the...
which leads into Mozambique; Bvumba Mountains (centrally situated near the city of Mutare
Mutare
Mutare is the fourth largest city in Zimbabwe, with a population of around 170,000. It is the capital of Manicaland province.-History:...
); and Chimanimani (to the south). These regions are all sparsely populated, highland country and are covered in rich grassland and forests.
The Highlands have a cooler and wetter climate than other parts of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
with higher rainfall, low cloud and heavy mists and dew as moisture moves inland from the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. Many streams and rivers originate in these mountains, which form the watershed between the Zambezi
Zambezi
The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its basin is , slightly less than half that of the Nile...
and the Save River
Save River (Africa)
The Save is a 400km river of southeastern Africa, flowing through Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The river has its source in Zimbabwe, some 80 km south of Harare, then flows south and then east, from the Zimbabwean highveld to its confluence with the Odzi River...
systems.
The East African Highlands physiographic division consists of the Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
and Abyssinia
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
n physiographic provinces, so are part of the long chain of mountains that runs down East Africa and share much common plant and animal habitats with other mountain areas in the east of the continent.
Flora
Much of the area consists of rolling hills covered with grassland, which are renewed annually following the fires that occur at the end of the dry season. Some valleys and east-facing slopes contain areas of tropical rainforest, with a high canopy, lianaLiana
A liana is any of various long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist deciduous...
s, and a rich undergrowth. There are larger areas of dry forest at higher altitudes in places where the ground is well watered and on drier slopes patches of miombo
Miombo
Miombo is the Swahili word for Brachystegia, a genus of tree comprising a large number of species. Miombo woodland is classified in the tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome...
woodland (Brachystegia spiciformis, Brachystegia tamarindoides and Uapaca kirkiana
Uapaca kirkiana
Uapaca kirkiana or sugar plum is a species of plant in the Phyllanthaceae family. This is one of the most popular wild fruits in the zone where eastern Africa meets southern Africa...
) and areas of heathland at higher elevations. There are patches of the tall evergreen Mobola Plum Parinari curatellifolia
Parinari curatellifolia
Parinari curatellifolia is an evergreen tropical tree of Africa, found in various kinds of deciduous woodland most frequently in poorly drained areas and inland at moderate altitudes...
near the town of Chipinge
Chipinge
Chipinge is a town in southeastern Zimbabwe in the province of Manicaland near the Mozambique border. The town lies in a valley in the southern Eastern Highlands. One of Zimbabwe's most famous landmarks, the Birchenough Bridge is located on the Sabi River 62 km from Chipinge...
and on the western slopes of the Nyanga Highlands.
Fauna
This variety of different types of habitat results in a richness of animal life too. Animals found in the Highlands include Blue MonkeyBlue Monkey
The blue monkey or diademed monkey is a species of Old World monkey native to Central and East Africa, ranging from the upper Congo River basin east to the Great Rift Valley and south to northern Angola and Zambia...
(Cercopithecus mitis) the Samango Sykes' Monkey
Sykes' Monkey
Sykes' monkey , also known as the white-throated monkey or Samango monkey, is an Old World monkey found between Ethiopia and South Africa, including south and east Democratic Republic of Congo...
, East African Little Collared Fruit Bat
East African Little Collared Fruit Bat
The East African Little Collared Fruit Bat is a species of megabat in the Pteropodidae family. It is found in Kenya, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and moist savanna. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Mickleburgh, S., Hutson, A.,...
(Myonycteris relicta) and Marshall's Pygmy Chameleon
Marshall's Pygmy Chameleon
Marshall's Pygmy Chameleon is a species of chameleon which is found in the forests of Zimbabwe and Mozambique in Africa. It grows from 3.5 to 7.5 cm and feeds on insects. When standing still, it resembles a leaf on a branch....
(Rhampholeon
Rhampholeon
Rhampholeon, commonly known as pygmy chameleons or African leaf chameleons, are a genus of small chameleons found in central East Africa . They are found in forests, woodlands, thickets and savanna, and most species are restricted to highlands...
marshalli). Many of these animals are found throughout East Africa.
The highlands are also rich in birdlife including Trumpeter Hornbill
Trumpeter Hornbill
The Trumpeter Hornbill, Bycanistes bucinator, is a medium-sized hornbill, with length between , characterized by a large grey casque on the bill, smaller in females. The eyes are brown or red, with pink surrounding skin. Body mass is reported between . They are similar to Silvery-cheeked Hornbill...
(Bycanistes bucinator), Knysna Turaco
Knysna Turaco
The Knysna Turaco , or, in South Africa, Knysna Lourie, is a large turaco, one of a group of African near-passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in the mature evergreen forests of southern and eastern South Africa, and Swaziland. It was formerly sometimes considered to be a subspecies of the...
(Tauraco corythaix), Purple-crested Turaco
Purple-crested Turaco
The Purple-crested Turaco is a species of bird in the Musophagidae family.It is found in Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe....
(Tauraco porphyreolophus), Crested Guineafowl
Crested Guineafowl
The Crested Guineafowl is a member of the Numididae, the guineafowl bird family. It is found in open forest, woodland and forest-savanna mosaics in sub-Saharan Africa. It has a total length of approximately 50 cm and weighs . The plumage is overall blackish with dense white spots...
(Guttera pucherani) and Crowned Eagle
Crowned Eagle
The Crowned Eagle or Crowned Hawk-eagle , is a very large, powerful, crested bird of prey found in sub-Saharan Africa; in Southern Africa it is restricted to suitable habitat in the eastern areas. It is the only extant member of the genus Stephanoaetus...
(Stephanoaetus coronatus). The forests are also full of butterflies, most notably swallowtails
Papilio
Papilio is a genus in the swallowtail butterfly family, Papilionidae. The word papilio is Latin for butterfly.The genus includes a number of well-known North American species such as the Western Tiger Swallowtail...
such as the Emperor Swallowtail (Papilio ophidicephalus
Papilio ophidicephalus
The Emperor Swallowtail is a butterfly of the Papilionidae family. It is found in Subsaharan Africa.The wingspan is 90–110 mm in males and 100–120 mm in females...
) and the Citrus Swallowtail (Papilio demodocus
Papilio demodocus
Papilio demodocus, also known as the citrus swallowtail, is a large swallowtail butterfly common to sub-Saharan Africa. It is a pest species, the caterpillar feeding on citrus trees.-Life cycle:...
) and the forest undergrowth in particular shelters a variety of reptiles including skink
Skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
s, gecko
Gecko
Geckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 cm to 60 cm....
s, lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
s, frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s, toad
Toad
A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin , short legs, and snoat-like parotoid glands...
s, and snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s.
Threats and preservation
The mountain forests are vulnerable to logging and the grasslands susceptible to fire and the rainforests, which by definition grow on well-watered fertile land, to clearance for agriculture. The moist climate is ideal for planting tea, coffee and hardwoods. However, much of the original vegetation remains, especially at higher altitudes, which are not suitable for farming. Large areas of the Highlands are protected, including the 171km2 Chimanimani National Park and Nyanga National ParkNyanga National Park
Nyanga National Park lies in the north of Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands. One of the first national parks to be declared in the country, it contains the highest land in Zimbabwe, with green hills and perennial rivers. Most of its terrain consists of rolling downland, sometimes lightly wooded, lying...
.