Mahale Mountains National Park
Encyclopedia
Mahale Mountains National Park lies on the shores of Lake Tanganyika
in western Tanzania
. Named after the Mahale Mountains
range that is within its borders, the park has several unusual characteristics. First, it is one of only two protected areas for chimpanzee
s in the country. (The other is nearby Gombe Stream National Park made famous by the researcher Jane Goodall
.) Another unusual feature of the park is that it is one of the very few in Africa that must be experienced by foot. There are no roads or other infrastructure within the park boundaries, and the only way in and out of the park is via boat on the lake.
Mahale Mountains National Park is home to the largest known population of chimpanzees and due to its size and remoteness, the chimpanzees flourish.
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake...
in western Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. Named after the Mahale Mountains
Mahale Mountains
The Mahale Mountains are a mountain range in western Tanzania, on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. They rise to 2,462 m at Mount Nkungwe and are protected by the Mahale Mountains National Park, being known for wildlife including chimpanzees and lions....
range that is within its borders, the park has several unusual characteristics. First, it is one of only two protected areas for chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s in the country. (The other is nearby Gombe Stream National Park made famous by the researcher Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall, DBE , is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National...
.) Another unusual feature of the park is that it is one of the very few in Africa that must be experienced by foot. There are no roads or other infrastructure within the park boundaries, and the only way in and out of the park is via boat on the lake.
External links
- Mahale Mountains National Park Official website (in English)
Mahale Mountains National Park is home to the largest known population of chimpanzees and due to its size and remoteness, the chimpanzees flourish.