Ruwenzori mountains are located on the border between DR Congo and Uganda. Rwenzori Mountains National Park is a Ugandan national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Ruwenzori are a range of mountains in eastern equatorial Africa, located on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches 5,109 Metres, and the range’s upper regions are permanently snow-capped and glaciated. Rivers fed by mountain streams from one of the sources of the Nile.
Virunga National Park in eastern DR Congo and Rwenzori Mountains National Park in southwestern Uganda is located within the range.
The First Navigation Of The Six Ridges Of The Ruwenzori Was Done In 1975, Starting On January 27 And Ending February 13.
The navigation was done by Polish climbers Janusz Chalecki, Stanisław Cholewa and Leszek Czar-necki, with Miro-sław Kuraś accompanying them on the last half of the navigation.
Since Uganda’s independence from the British Empire, the Rwenzori Mountains have repeatedly become sanctuaries to rebel groups. The secessionist Rwenzururu movement fought an insurgency in the mountains in the 1960s.
In course of the Ugandan Bush War, the Rwenzururu movement reemerged and continued its struggle until signing a peace deal with Ugandan President Milton Obote’s government.
The Ruwenzori are known for their vegetation, ranging from tropical rainforest through alpine meadows to snow.
The range supports its own species and varieties of giant groundsel and giant lobelia and even has a 6 metres (20 ft) tall 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 Rwenzori Mountains National Park in southwestern Uganda and the Virunga National Park in the eastern Congo.
There is no water shortage in the Ruwenzori; yet, several members of the afro-alpine family resemble species that normally thrive in desert climates.
The reason lies in their similar water economy. Water is not always readily available to the afro-alpine plants when they need it.
In addition, nightly frosts affect the sap transport in the plants and the intake of water by its roots.
As the day begins, the air temperature and radiation level rise rapidly, putting strenuous demands on the exposed parts of the plants as they try to meet the transpiration demands of the leaves and maintain a proper water balance.
To counter the effects of freezing, the afro-alpine plants have developed the insulation systems that give them such a striking appearance.
These adaptations become more prominent as the elevation increases.
There are five overlapping vegetation zones in the Ruwenzori:
The Evergreen Forest Zone – 2,800 Metres
The Bamboo Zone – 2,800 To 3,300 Metres
The Heather Zone – 3,000 To 3,800 Metres
The Alpine Zone – 3,500 To 4,500 Metres
The Nival Zone – 4,400 To 5,000 Metres
At higher elevations, some plants reach an unusually large size, such as lobelia and groundsels. The vegetation in the Ruwenzori is unique to equatorial alpine Africa.
TODAY
Uganda says it was inviting expressions of interest from investors to restart a vast copper mine in the country’s west that also holds significant cobalt deposits.
The Kilembe mine, which sits on the foothills of the ice-capped Rwenzori mountains on the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is estimated by government geologists to contain about 4 million tonnes of ore that is 1.98% copper and 0.17% cobalt.
The statement did not specify when the government expects to have chosen an investor.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is eager to expand the exploitation of the country’s mineral wealth – which includes Gold, Base Metals, Uranium, Rare Earths, Iron, Titanium, Vermiculite, And Diamonds – to help boost growth.
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