Ituri Rainforest
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Ituri Rainforest Forêt tropicale de l’Ituri | |
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DRC | |
Location | Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
Nearest city | Mambasa, Bunia |
Coordinates | 1°33′26″N 28°26′57″E / 1.5571°N 28.4491°E |
Area | c. 63,000 km2 (24,000 sq mi) |
The Ituri Rainforest (French: Forêt tropicale de l’Ituri) is a rainforest located in the Ituri Province of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The forest's name derives from the nearby Ituri River which flows through the rainforest, connecting firstly to the Aruwimi River and finally into the Congo.
Geography
The Ituri Rainforest is about 63,000 km2 (24,000 square miles) in area, and is located between 0° and 3°N and 27° and 30° E. Elevation in the Ituri ranges from about 700 to 1,000 m (2,300 to 3,300 feet). The climate is warm and humid, as exemplified by the nearby city of Bunia, which however is at a slightly higher elevation. About one-fifth of the rainforest is made up of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a World Heritage Site.
It is also the home of the
The Ituri rainforest was first traversed by Europeans in 1887 by Henry Morton Stanley on his Emin Pasha Relief Expedition.
References
External links
- Blog by Biologists working on conservation in the Ituri forest
- Osfac
- "Northeastern Congolian lowland forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.