There are several interesting Facts about Rwenzori mountains in Uganda and DRC Congo.
The Rwenzori mountains are located along the Uganda-DR Congo border with the highest point Margherita peak on Mount Stanley the highest mountain in the Rwenzori mountain ranges located in the Democratic republic of Congo.
The Rwenzori mountains are a world heritage site and Ramsar site
The Rwenzori mountains range are the highest non-volcanic and non-orogenic mountains in the world.
The Rwenzori mountains range are about 120 kilometres (75 mi) long and 65 kilometres (40 mi) wide. The range consists of six mountains separated by deep gorges: Mount Stanley (5,109 metres (16,762 ft)), Mount Speke (4,890 metres (16,040 ft)), Mount Baker (4,843 metres (15,889 ft)), Mount Emin (4,798 metres (15,741 ft)), Mount Gessi (4,715 metres (15,469 ft)) and Mount Luigi di Savoia (4,627 metres (15,180 ft)). Mount Stanley has several subsidiary peaks, with Margherita Peak being the highest point.
The Rwenzori mountains have over 5 vegetation zones ranging from tropical rainforests to Afro Alpine vegetation.
The Rwenzori mountains are surrounded by the Rwenzori mountains national park in Uganda and the Virunga national park in DR Congo.
The Rwenzori mountains national park are managed by the Uganda Wildlife Authority under the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities under the Government of Uganda.
Glacial Recession
In 1906, forty-three named glaciers were distributed over six mountains with a total area of 7.5 square kilometres (2.9 sq mi), about half the total glacier area in Africa. By 2005, less than half of these were still present, on only three mountains in Africa of Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya and the Rwenzori mountains of the moon in Uganda, with an area of about 1.5 square kilometres (0.58 sq mi). Recent scientific studies, such as those by Richard Taylor of University College London, have attributed this retreat to global climate change and have investigated the impact of this change on the mountain’s vegetation and biodiversity.
The highest point in the Rwenzori mountains, Margherita peak (5,109m asl) is actually in the DR Congo on the Map.
While glaciers are retreating everywhere, the causes are different from place to place. In the Rwenzoris, where glaciers occur at a relatively low 14,400 feet (4,400 meters), warming air is the problem. The Rwenzori mountains, whose name means “rain maker” in the local language, receive 6 to 10 feet of precipitation a year, so the glaciers are not being starved of water — they are just melting faster than rain can freeze and replace the melted ice.
