Mambilla Plateau
Mambilla Plateau | |
---|---|
Taraba Highland | |
Highest point | |
Peak | Gang a.k.a. Chappal Waddi |
Elevation | 2,419 m (7,936 ft) |
Dimensions | |
Area | 9,389 km2 (3,625 sq mi) |
Geography | |
Country | Nigeria, Cameroon |
State | Taraba State |
Region | Nigeria's Eastern Jut into Cameroon |
Range coordinates | 7°20′N 11°43′E / 7.333°N 11.717°E |
The Mambilla Plateau is a plateau in the Taraba State of Nigeria. The Mambilla Plateau has an average elevation of about 1,600 metres (5,249 ft) above sea level, making it the highest plateau in Nigeria.[1] Some of its villages are situated on hills that are at least 1,828 metres (5,997 ft) above sea level.[2] Some mountains on the plateau and around it are over 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) high, like Gang or Chappal Waddi which has a height of 2,419 metres (7,936 ft) above sea level. It is the highest mountain in Nigeria[3] and in West Africa. The Mambilla Plateau measures about 96 km (60 mi) along its curved length; it is 40 km (25 mi) wide and is bounded by an escarpment that is about 900 m (2,953 ft) high in some places.[4] The plateau covers an area of over 9,389 square kilometres (3,625 sq mi).[5]
Geography
The Mambilla Plateau is located in the southeastern part of Taraba State of Nigeria under
The Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Station is proposed for construction in Western Mambilla near the Nigeria-Cameroon border, within an anticipated completion date of 2030,[8] although it has been on the drawing boards for upwards of 48 years. Nigeria's largest game reserve, the Gashaka/Gumti Game Reserve, is located north of Chappal Waddi on the northern border of the Mambilla Plateau.[9]
Climate
The climate of the plateau is comparatively cold. Daytime temperatures hardly ever exceed 25 °C (77.0 °F) making it the coolest region in Nigeria.[10] Strong winds prevail during the daytime and the rainy season lasts from mid-March until the end of November.[2] As a result of its high elevation, the plateau experiences temperate weather conditions but on a smaller scale because of its location in a tropical environment. The rainy season on the Mambilla Plateau is associated with frequent and heavy rainfall because of orographic activities on the plateau involving moist winds from the south Atlantic Ocean in southern Nigeria and the steep escarpments of the plateau. The Mambilla Plateau receives over 1850 millimetres of rainfall annually.[11]
Vegetation
Vegetation on the plateau comprises low grasses with trees being noticeably absent except for man-made forest planted by German colonialists during the period of German administration of the
The
People
The major, original and predominant group of the Mambilla Plateau are the Mambilla people. The 60,000-km2 Mambilla region straddling the borderlands here has been identified as containing remnants of "the Bantu who stayed home" as the bulk of Bantu-speakers moved away from the region (see Bantu expansion) .
Since the British occupation and thereafter, there has been immigration of other groups including the
Christianity and Islam are the main religions today, having gradually displaced the Mambilla Traditional Religion that was based on the Suu system, which was the predominant religion before the coming of Christian missionaries (from the 1920s) and Hausa and Wawa itinerants. These new religions became particularly visible after the 1960s.
See also
References
- ^ Mambilla Plateau. Wikimapia.org. Retrieved on 2011-04-09.
- ^ a b Chapter IX. The Mambila, David Zeitlyn, University of Kent
- ^ Physical Map of Nigeria. Freeworldmaps.net. Retrieved on 2011-04-09.
- ^ MAMBILLA PLATEAU – Nigeria Online Tourism Magazine. Goodlife.com.ng. Retrieved on 2011-04-09. (archived link, July 24, 2011)
- ^ Mac Leva, Fidelis (20 May 2007). "Nigeria: Myths and Wonders of Mambilla Plateau". www.allafrica.com.
- ^ "MAMBILLA PLATEAU – Nigeria Online Tourism Magazine". www.goodlife.com.ng. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
- ^ Anthropological Notes on the Mambila Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine. Lucy.ukc.ac.uk. Retrieved on 2011-04-09.
- ^ NS Energy (2018). "Mambilla Hydropower Project". United Kingdom: NS Energy. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
- ^ The Gashaka Primate Project: Gashaka-Gumti National Park. Ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved on 2011-04-09.
- ^ Rendezvous: Mambilla Plateau: Taraba’s unexploited treasure. Zainabokino.blogspot.com (2010-09-16). Retrieved on 2011-04-09.
- ^ "Physical Setting". www.onlinenigeria.com.
External links
Media related to Mambilla Plateau at Wikimedia Commons