Western High Plateau

Western High Plateau
Menchum Falls in the Northwest Province

The Western High Plateau, Western Highlands, or Bamenda Grassfields is a region of Cameroon characterised by high relief, cool temperatures, heavy rainfall, and savanna vegetation. The region lies along the Cameroon line and consists of mountain ranges and volcanoes made of crystalline and igneous rock. The region borders the South Cameroon Plateau to the southeast, the Adamawa Plateau to the northeast, and the Cameroon coastal plain to the south.

Contents

Topography and geology

The Western High Plateau lies along the Cameroon line, a series of volcanic swells running from the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part of the plateau to the Adamawa Plateau in the northeast. The region is characterised by accidented relief of massifs and mountains. The Western High Plateau features several dormant volcanoes, including the Bamboutos Mountains, Mount Oku, and Mount Kupe.[1] The plateau rises in steps from the west. To the east, it terminates in mountains that range from 1,000 meters to 2,500 meters in height, terminating in the South Cameroon Plateau.[1] The plateau gives way to the Adamawa Plateau to the northeast, which is a larger but less accidented region.[2]

The core of the plateau is made up of volcanic rock, which is ringed by plutonic rock.[3] The base is crystalline and metamorphic rock.[4] The base rock is primarily gneiss and granite that dates to the Precambrian period. A layer of basalt covers this.[2] Vulcanism has created fertile black and brown soils.[5]

Climate and drainage

Lake Oku is a crater lake on the plateau.

The plateau experiences an equatorial climate of the Cameroon type. The area experiences two major seasons: A long, wet season of nine months, and a short, dry season of three months. During the wet season, humid, prevailing monsoon winds blow in from the west and lose their moisture upon hitting the region's mountains. Average rainfall per year ranges from 1,000 mm to 2,000 mm.[6] High elevations give the region a cooler climate than the rest of Cameroon. For example, the average temperature at Dschang in the West Province is 20 degrees C.[7] Toward the north, rainfall levels are reduced as the Sudan climate becomes predominant.[8]

The Western High Plateau's relief and high rainfall make it a major watershed for Cameroon.[9] Important rivers in the region include the Manyu, which rises in the Bamboutos Mountains and becomes the Cross River on its lower course, and the Nkam, which is known as the Wouri River on its lower course.[7] The region gives rise to important tributaries to the Sanaga River.[10] These rivers follow a Cameroon regime, a subtype of the equatorial regime of other southern Cameroonian rivers. This means that the rivers experience a long, high-water period during the wet season and a short, low-water period during the dry season.[11] The region's rivers ultimately empty into the Atlantic Ocean.[9] The area's accidented geography gives rise to several waterfalls along these waterways. Ekon Falls near Nkongsamba in the West Province is 80 meters high.[12] Crater lakes dot the plateau, the result of dead volcanoes filling with water.[2]

Flora

The Western High Plateau was once heavily forested. However, repeated cutting and burning by human beings has forced the forest back to areas along the waterways and has allowed grasslands to expand into the area.[13] Sudan savanna forms the dominant vegetation. This consists of grassfields—leading to the name Bamenda grassfields around the city of Bamenda—and short shrubs and trees that shed their foliage during the dry season as a defence against brush fires and dry weather. Raffia palms grow in the valleys and depressions.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b Gwanfogbe et al. 1983, pp. 8.
  2. ^ a b c Neba 1999, pp. 17.
  3. ^ Neba 1999, pp. 23-24.
  4. ^ Gwanfogbe et al. 1983, pp. 12.
  5. ^ Gwanfogbe et al. 1983, pp. 19.
  6. ^ Gwanfogbe et al. 1983, pp. 16-17.
  7. ^ a b Gwanfogbe et al. 1983, pp. 17.
  8. ^ Neba 1999, pp. 19.
  9. ^ a b Gwanfogbe et al. 1983, pp. 24.
  10. ^ Neba 1999, pp. 40.
  11. ^ Gwanfogbe et al. 1983, pp. 25.
  12. ^ Gwanfogbe et al. 1983, pp. 27.
  13. ^ Gwanfogbe et al. 1983, pp. 18.
  14. ^ Neba 1999, pp. 34.

Sources

  • Gwanfogbe, Mathew; Meligui, Ambrose; Moukam, Jean; Nguoghia, Jeanette (1983). Geography of Cameroon. Hong Kong: Macmillan Education. ISBN 0-333-36690-5. 
  • Neba, Aaron (1999). Modern Geography of the Republic of Cameroon. Bamenda: Neba Publishers. 


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Western Highlands — may refer to:*Western Highlands (Papua New Guinea) *Western High Plateau, a region of Cameroon …   Wikipedia

  • High Plains (United States) — Coordinates: 39°N 102°W / 39°N 102°W / 39; 102 …   Wikipedia

  • Western United States — The Western United States mdash;commonly referred to as the American West or simply the West mdash;traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States (see geographical terminology section for further… …   Wikipedia

  • Plateau Indian — Any member of various North American Indian peoples that inhabited the high plateau between the Rocky Mountains on the east and the Cascade Range on the west. The Plateau culture was not stable. By AD 1200–1300 the classic phase had emerged,… …   Universalium

  • High Point, North Carolina — For other places named High Point, see High Point (disambiguation). High Point   City   City of High Point …   Wikipedia

  • Western Australia — Western Australian. a state in W Australia. 1,273,624; 975,920 sq. mi. (2,527,635 sq. km). Cap.: Perth. * * * State (pop., 2001: 1,906,114), western Australia. Covering 976,790 sq mi (2,529,880 sq km), it constitutes one third of the continent s… …   Universalium

  • Western Pennsylvania — consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie,… …   Wikipedia

  • High Raise (Langdale) — High Raise This view of High Raise from the cairn on Thunacar Knott shows that it is not the most spectacular of the Lake District mountains …   Wikipedia

  • High school ice hockey in Missouri — is not sanctioned by the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) but is sanctioned by USA Hockey. High school hockey in Missouri consists of two leagues centered in the two largest cities in the state, St. Louis, Missouri and… …   Wikipedia

  • Western Chalukya architecture — ( kn. ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಚಾಲುಕ್ಯ ವಾಸ್ತುಶಿಲ್ಪ), also known as Kalyani Chalukya or Later Chalukya architecture, is the distinctive style of ornamented architecture that evolved during the rule of the Western Chalukya Empire in the Tungabhadra region of central …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”