Western High Plateau

Coordinates: 6°30′N 10°30′E / 6.500°N 10.500°E / 6.500; 10.500
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Bamenda Highlands
)
"Cameroon Highlands" redirects here. Not to be confused with
Cameron Highlands District
.
Bamileke grassland
Lake Oku is a crater lake on the plateau.
Menchum Falls is a tributary of the Benue River
.
Bamenda from the mountain road into town.

The Western High Plateau, Western Highlands or Bamenda Grassfields is a region 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.

Topography and geology

The Western High Plateau lies along 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 metres to 2,500 metres 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

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]
Erosion played a large role.

Climate and drainage

The plateau experiences an

Sudan climate becomes predominant.[8]

The Western High Plateau's relief and high rainfall make it a major

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 Region is 80 metres high.[12] Crater lakes dot the plateau, the result of dead volcanoes filling with water.[2]

Flora

Main article: Cameroonian Highlands forests

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.

6°30′N 10°30′E / 6.500°N 10.500°E / 6.500; 10.500

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