The Nguru Mountains are a mountain range in Morogoro Region , Tanzania , Africa . They are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains . The mountains are predominantly covered with rainforest , home to 83 species of birds and African violets . Several forest reserves are located in the mountains.
21-693: The Nguru Mountains cover an area of 1672.90 km. The highest elevation is 2400 meters in Nguru South. The range runs roughly northeast-southwest, and is split by the valley of the Mjonga River , a tributary of the Wami River . The range lies in the watershed of the Wami. The plain of the Wami and its tributary the Mkata lies to the southeast and east. The Uluguru Mountains lie to the southeast across
42-607: Is a river located in Pwani Region , Tanzania . The headwaters of the Wami and its tributaries originate in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Morogoro Region . The river then flows northeastward through of Pwani Region to empty into the Indian Ocean west of Zanzibar Island. The Wami drains a catchment of 43,946 km². The catchment extends through four ecological regions. Coastal forests extend along
63-576: Is slightly larger than Belgium (32,133 square kilometres (12,407 sq mi)). The native peoples of the Pwani Region are the Zaramo , Kwere , Doe , Ndengereko , Zigua , and Rufiji . The Zaramo are the dominant people group in Pwani Region and are native to central Pwani, specifically in Kisarawe, Kibaha, Mkuranga, and Bagamoyo districts. The second-largest group in terms of the territory
84-502: Is the Rufiji people who are native to Rufiji and Kibiti districts. The Kwere and Doe are native to Bagamoyo District and also southern Zigua people. In 2012, the region had 1,098,668 residents, up from 885,017 in the 2002 Population Census, indicating a considerable increase of 213,651 individuals (24.1%) during the intercensal period. The region has a population of 2.5 percent of Tanzania's overall population. When compared to other regions on
105-579: The Indian Ocean coast. Further inland, woodlands and seasonally-flooded grasslands cover the plains of the central catchment. These plains are bounded on the northwest by the Rubeho , Ukakuru , Nguru , and Nguu mountains, some of the Eastern Arc ranges. The Eastern Arc Mountains intercept moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean, and receive more rainfall than the surrounding lowlands. Most of
126-526: The Mainland, the Coast Region ranks fifth least populated, followed by Iringa, Lindi, Njombe, and Katavi. Between 1988 and 2002, the population of the Pwani Region increased at a rate of 2.4 percent each year. Between 2002 and 2012, the annual growth rate fell to an average of 2.2 percent. Agriculture remains the mainstay of the Pwani Region's economy. Commercial and peasant farming are practiced, with
147-534: The east, and the low hills to the south, west, and north. Forests extend from 300 to 2000 meters elevation. The forests vary in species composition with elevation and the direction of the slope. At lower elevations on the eastern slope, evergreen lowland rainforests dominate, with flora similar to the humid Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forests further east. At higher elevations, the mountains are home to montane rainforests, with characteristic Afromontane species. Submontane forests occur from 900 to 1400 meters elevation on
168-423: The eastern slopes, and between 1400 and 1500 meters elevation on the western slopes. Montane rainforests predominate between 1400 and 2000 meters on the eastern slope, with mossy cloud forests at higher elevations. On the western slope are drier montane forests between 1600 and 200 meters. Above 2000 meters, montane heathlands predominate. An analysis of satellite images taken between 1999 and 2003 found 297 km of
189-411: The fault system and uplift process may be far older. Soils derived from these ancient rocks are not as fertile as the younger volcanic soils of mountains to the north and west. About 30 million years ago, the area was covered by extensive rainforest . During a cooler and drier period some 10 million years ago, the lowland forests were converted to savanna , leaving the mountain ranges as "islands" where
210-440: The latter taking precedence. Crop farming employed 82 percent of the economically active population in the 2007/08 Coast area agriculture sample census report, followed by livestock husbandry (2 percent), and fishing (2%). The remaining 12% worked in non-farming activities such as trade and repairs. Agriculture generates the majority of the region's monetary income, primarily through the sale of coconuts, oranges, mango, and cassava on
231-440: The mountains were still covered in evergreen forest. The Nguru and Usambara Mountains are home to the rare tree, Millettia sacleuxii , which was once feared extinct. Since its rediscovery seedlings are cultivated in some quantities. The mountains have one nature reserve and two forest reserves, totaling 31,409 ha. The Mkingu Nature Reserve is home to one of Tanzania's largest remaining undisturbed areas of montane forest. Mkingu
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#1732786952554252-614: The plain. The Ukaguru Mountains lie to the southwest, and the Nguu Mountains lie to the north; both ranges are separated from the Nguru Mountains by low hills. More hilly country separates the Maasai Steppe the northwest. The Nguru mountains intercept moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean, which provide most of the rainfall in the mountains. Rainfall averages 1,800 millimetres or 70 inches annually. Most of
273-474: The rainfall occurs in the November-to-May wet season, although mist and light rain occur at higher elevations during the dry season months. The mountains' windward eastern and southern faces receive more rainfall the northern and western slopes. These rains sustain montane forests as well as the Wami's tributary rivers and streams. The Eastern Arc forests are important to both sustaining and moderating
294-571: The rainfall occurs in the November-to-May wet season, although mist and light rain occur at higher elevations during the dry season. Rainfall is higher on the southern and eastern slopes, and lower in the mountains' rain shadow to the north and west. Temperatures are cooler and rainfall is higher at higher elevations. The Nguru Mountains, along with the others in the Eastern Arc, are made up of ancient crystalline Precambrian rocks that were lifted up over millions of years along fault lines. The most recent period of uplift started 30 million years ago, but
315-422: The region had a population of 1,098,668, which was slightly lower than the pre-census projection of 1,110,917. From 2002 to 2012, the region's 2.2 percent average annual population growth rate was the seventeenth-highest in the country. It was also the 21st most densely populated region with 34 people per square kilometre., According to the 2022 census the population had nearly doubled to 2,024,947. The region
336-537: The river Wami hydrological station of Mandera (in m³ / s ) (Calculated using the data for a period of 30 years, 1954–84) Pwani Region Pwani Region ( Mkoa wa Pwani in Swahili ) is one of Tanzania 's 31 administrative regions . The word " Pwani " in Swahili means the " coast ". With the town of Kibaha serving as the capital, the region borders the Tanga Region to the north, Morogoro Region to
357-612: The rivers' flow. The seasonal Kinyasangwe River extends west of the Eastern Arc mountains to Dodoma , draining the southern portion of the semi-arid Maasai Steppe , which is in the rain shadow of the Eastern Arc Mountains. Only after leaving the Mkata River basin on the northern edge of the Mikumi National Park is its name Wami. Due to deforestation and climatic changes in the region
378-732: The runoff decreased. Near its mouth the Wami River forms the southern border of the Saadani National Park , the only coastal national park in Tanzania. The river flow observed over 30 years (1954–84) in Mandera a town about 50 km above the mouth. The at Mandera observed average annual flow during this period was 60.6 m³ / s fed by an area of about 82% of the total catchment area of the River. The average monthly flow of
399-468: The tropical forests continued to flourish. The long-term persistence of a humid climate and the isolation of each mountain range has led to a great deal of endemism , with very diverse flora and fauna. The Nguru and other Eastern Arc mountains have extremely high biodiversity with numerous endemic species (more than 25 percent of the vertebrate species). Miombo woodland covers the Mkata-Wami plain to
420-471: The west, Lindi Region to the south, and surrounds Dar es Salaam Region to the east. The Indian Ocean also borders the region to its northeast and southeast. The region is home to Mafia Island , the Rufiji delta and Saadani National Park . The region is home to Bagamoyo town, a historical Swahili settlement, and the first colonial capital of German East Africa . According to the 2012 national census,
441-639: Was formed from the merger of the Nguru South Catchment Forest Reserve (19,793 ha) and Mkindo CFR (7,451 ha). The Kanga South CFR (6,664 ha) is in the northeastern portion of the mountains, divided from the main block by the Mjonga River valley. Magotwe reserve (709 ha) is at a lower elevation on the eastern slope, between the two mountain blocks. 6°00′S 37°30′E / 6.000°S 37.500°E / -6.000; 37.500 Wami River The Wami River
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