Mount Gahinga
Mountain in Rwanda and Uganda / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mount Gahinga is a dormant/extinct volcano in the Virunga Mountains on the Rwanda-Uganda border. Gahinga lies between Muhabura and Sabyinyo, but is the smallest of these three valcanoes. Mount Gahinga, also known in the local Kinyarwanda/Rufumbira dialect as "a small pile of stones", has a swampy caldera on its peak. The caldera is believed to be about 180 m (591 ft) wide.[2] Mgahinga Gorilla National Park got its name from this volcano. Mount Gahinga, whose elevation is 3,473 m (11,394 ft), is part of a chain of eight volcanic mountains of the Mufumbiro ranges. The volcano chain spans across Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mount Gahinga | |
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 3,474 m (11,398 ft) |
Prominence | 423 m (1,388 ft) |
Coordinates | 01°23′13″S 29°38′48″E[Notes 1] |
Naming | |
English translation | A little pile of stones |
Language of name | Kinyarwanda |
Geography | |
Parent range | Virunga Mountains |
Geology | |
Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
Last eruption | unknown[1] |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | Hike |
The vegetation across the mountain can be described as afro-montane with bamboo composing the main vegetation. Like Muhabura and Sabyinyo, the bamboo forests on Mount Gahinga are a habitat of the endangered mountain gorilla. There are several other species of animals and birds that form part of the Mount Gahinga ecosystem. The golden monkeys are notable to these.