where are the virunga mountains located

Its initial size of 2,920.98km2 (1,127.80sqmi) was enlarged step by step in subsequent years. The Virunga Mountains, located in the northwest part of Rwanda, contain the country's highest peak, Karisimbi, which reaches nearly 15,000 feet. It spans across the three countries; via the North West Rwanda covering Volcanoes National Park, south western Uganda encompassing Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and eastern Congo forming part of Virunga National Park. The mountain range is a branch of the Albertine Rift Mountains, which border the western branch of the East African Rift. Poachers murder four mountain gorillas, making this the first time in 10 years that a mountain gorilla had been poached within Park borders. The habituation process is done by researchers and rangers who visit the gorillas on a daily basis for between two and three years until the gorillas are comfortable having people near them. Many lesser cones flank the major volcanoes. Mount Nyiragongo in Virunga National Park is one . Both the highest and lowest recorded rainfalls in the republic occur within the parks boundaries: while annual rainfall at Lake Edward is some 20 inches (500 mm), the west slope of Mount Ruwenzori, less than 47 miles (75 km) away, receives more than 118 inches (3,000 mm). The best way to establish the state of affairs and what activities are on offer is to chat to the Africa Geographic travel team, who are in constant communication with Virungas park authorities and regularly send intrepid travelers to the area when it is safe to do so. Baumas love for his primate family endeared him to the audiences of the Oscar-nominated film, Mountain gorillas aside, Virungas great ape collection also includes, While the apes may be the stars, the supporting cast of around 19 smaller primate species is deserving of a special mention. Nyamuragira is a high-potassium basaltic shield volcano with an elevation of 10,033 feet (3,058 meters). Notable species include the prehistoric-looking shoebills, dashing Rwenzori turacos, mind-blowingly cryptic African green broadbills, and bizarre red-collared mountain babblers whose closest relative forages the slopes of Mt Jupe in Cameroon. Nyiragongos summit rim is largely devoid of vegetation and is sometimes dusted with snow. January 17, Nyiragongo volcano erupts spreading lava through the city of Goma. Learn more about the Okapi Conservation Project, a project working to protect these unique mammals in the DRC, as well as the forests and creatures of Okapi Wildlife Reserve. The Virunga Mountains lie between Lakes Kivu and Edward and extend into Rwanda and Uganda. Updates? Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Virunga Mountains is located in the East Africa with a chain of volcanoes that are within the borders of the countries Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. The human population there, which was negligible when the park was established, increased considerably during the late 20th century. Approximately one-third of the worlds population is found in Virunga National Park (the remainder is divided between Volcanoes, Mgahinga and Bwindi Impenetrable national parks in neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda). All travel bookings booked via Trust my Travel are financially protected by them. Eastern Congo is one of the most economically disadvantaged places on earth, and competition for the Parks rich natural resources has always been fierce. [31], Since the early 1990s, the protected area was impacted by political turmoil in the African Great Lakes region. In 1969, following the countrys independence from Belgium in 1960, the Park was renamed Virunga National Park. The 2008 partnership between the Congolese National Parks Authority (ICCN) and the Virunga Foundation marked a turning point in the parks history. In the national park's northern sector, African leopard (P. pardus pardus), marsh mongoose (Atilax paludinosus), giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea), tree pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis), crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata), Lord Derby's scaly-tailed squirrel (Anomalurus derbianus), Boehm's bush squirrel (Paraxerus boehmi), western tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax dorsalis), Emin's pouched rat (Cricetomys emini) and checkered elephant shrew (Rhynchocyon cirnei) were recorded during surveys in 2008. The range runs east-west, perpendicular to the rift valley in which lie Lakes Kivu and Edward. The 2002 Nyiragongo eruption destroyed much of the nearby city of Goma, Congo, leaving thousands homeless. UNESCO designated the park a World Heritage site in 1979, and it was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1994, because of the growth of permanent settlements within the park and the influx of a great number of refugees fleeing war in neighbouring Rwanda. During the 2002 eruption, some of Nyiragongos lava flows were clocked at 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) and reached all the way to Lake Kivu. The Virunga Mountains (also known as Mufumbiro[1]) are a chain of volcanoes in East Africa, along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Uganda. Still, military and rebel forces remain in eastern Congo and continue fighting as well as poaching and cutting down trees. The Virunga Mountains (also known as Mufumbiro [1]) are a chain of volcanoes in East Africa, along the northern border of Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Uganda. [34], Five rangers were killed in August 2017 near Lake Edward in a militia attack. There is a place in the heart of Africa where glacier-tipped mountains tumble down into steamy rain forests, where fiery lava lakes bubble, and savannas and grasslands stretch as far as the eye can see. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Virunga-National-Park, UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa). The Virunga Mountains rise out of densely populated plateaus that are inhabited mostly by Rwandan cultivators and, in certain areas, by cattle herders. [7], There have been several deadly attacks in the park by rebel groups, and several park rangers have been killed. Of these, nine gorilla families have been carefully habituated over the last thirty years. Furthermore, a substantial number of these are Albertine Rift and Congolese endemics. This may also be done to protect the highly susceptible apes from human diseases like Covid-19. The ICCN and Virunga Foundation enter into a long term management agreement. Non-endemic birds recorded include Wahlberg's eagle, African goshawk, African hobby, harrier hawk, common buzzard, mountain buzzard, hadeda ibis, grey-crowned crane, black-and-white-casqued hornbill, black-billed turaco, African olive pigeon, tambourine dove, blue-spotted wood dove, red-eyed dove, brown-necked parrot, red-chested cuckoo, olive long-tailed cuckoo, barred long-tailed cuckoo, Klaas's cuckoo, Diederik cuckoo, blue-headed coucal, Narina trogon, white-headed wood hoopoe, white-necked raven, white-tailed crested flycatcher, African paradise flycatcher, white-eyed slaty flycatcher, African dusky flycatcher, white-tailed blue flycatcher, mountain oriole, speckled mousebird, cinnamon-chested bee-eater, grey-throated barbet, yellow-billed barbet, western tinkerbird, yellow-rumped tinkerbird, cardinal woodpecker, olive woodpecker, black saw-wing, Angola swallow, Alpine swift, mountain greenbul, yellow-whiskered greenbul, common bulbul, white-starred robin, Archer's ground robin, white-browed robin-chat, African stonechat, rufous thrush, African thrush, olive thrush, grassland pipit, cinnamon bracken warbler, black-faced rufous warbler, mountain yellow warbler, brown woodland warbler, green sandpiper, Chubb's cisticola, banded prinia, chestnut-throated apalis, grey-backed camaroptera, white-browed crombec, black-throated wattle-eye, chinspot batis, mountain illadopsis, grey-chested illadopsis, olive sunbird, bronze sunbird, malachite sunbird, collared sunbird, variable sunbird, yellow white-eye, Mackinnon's shrike, Doherty's bushshrike, Lhder's bushshrike, northern puffback, mountain sooty boubou, tropical boubou, narrow-tailed starling, Sharpe's starling, baglafecht weaver, black bishop, grey-headed nigrita, common waxbill, black-headed waxbill, bronze mannikin, black and white mannikin, pin-tailed whydah, African citril, streaky seedeater and thick-billed seedeater.[57]. [39], In April 2020 at least 12 park rangers were killed by militia men attacking a civilian convoy. Senecio and Lobelia species grow on vast clearings and attain heights of up to 8m (26ft). [15], Virunga National Park's faunal species include 196 mammals, 706 bird species, 109 reptiles and 65 amphibians as of 2012. The number of bird species in Virunga exceeds the total number in the U.S. and is more than three times the number in the U.K. Virungas recorded number of reptile species makes it the richest of the protected areas in Africa. More than 3,000 faunal and floral species have been recorded, of which more than 300 are endemic to the Albertine Rift including eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei) and golden monkey (Cercopithecus kandti). The orphanage is named for a silverback killed in a devastating poaching incident in 2007 that claimed the lives of seven members of the Rugendo family. From north to south it extends approximately 300km (190mi), largely along the international borders with Uganda and Rwanda in the east. The Rwandan genocide causes nearly two million refugees to flee the country. Every family comes with its dynamics, characters and stories, and the rangers have kept track of it all you can read more about their histories and present breakdown here. Ethnic groups living in and around Virunga National Park include: The documentary Virunga documents the work of Virunga National Park rangers and the activities of British oil company Soco International within the park. Okapis are shy and solitary animals that resemble zebras but are more closely related to the giraffe and are endemic to the DRC. In elevation, it ranges from 680m (2,230ft) in the Semliki River valley to 5,109m (16,762ft) in the Rwenzori Mountains. Regional conflict spills over and an estimated 5.6 million Congolese die from the fighting. The, However, this is no idle volcano. Alongside this essential conservation work, the Park is committed to supporting local communities. Five rangers and a driver were killed in April 2018. is the branch of the Congolese government tasked with the protection and conservation of protected areas in the DRC. In this near-forgotten corner of Africa, adventurers, soul-seekers, and naturalists will find an electrifying celebration of life at its most raw a kaleidoscope of natures wonders and a living history of human and wild resilience. The increased human population contributed to deforestation and poaching, and some natural animal migration patterns have been seriously disrupted. (UK) +44 (23) 9387-7464 Lions are carnivores that consume a wide variety of prey, from wildebeest, impala, zebra, giraffe, buffalo and wild hogs to the occasional rhino, hippo, or elephant when food is scarce. There are four recognised subspecies of the African buffalo in Africa and two of these the Cape and forest are found in Virunga. In 2007, the mass killing of the Rugendo family of gorillas catapulted the parks plight onto the world stage, and the global attention spurned increased funding and conservation measures.

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