Uluguru Mountains

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Uluguru Mountains

Uluguru Mountain Ranges
Elevation 2,630 m (8,629 ft)
Location
Location Morogoro, Tanzania
The Uluguru Mountains are a mountain range in eastern Tanzania, Africa, named after the
Luguru tribe.
[1]
The main portion of the Uluguru Mountains is a ridge running roughly north-
south and rising to 2,630 metres (8,600 ft) altitude at its highest point.
[2]
On the main Uluguru
range, 50 villages touch the forest boundary and over 151,000 people are found within the
mountain area, often at increasing densities at higher altitudes up to the forest boundary.
Contents
1 Geography
2 Vegetation
3 Climate
4 Water Catchment
5 Local people
6 Biodiversity
7 Tourism
8 References
Geography


Panorama of the Uluguru Mountain Ranges
The Ulugurus lie 200 km inland from the Indian Ocean. They are part of a chain of mountains in
eastern Africa collectively called the Eastern Arc Mountains, which include the Taita Hills, Pare
Mountains, Usambara Mountains, Nguru Mountains, Rubeho, Ukaguru, Udzungwa Mountains
and Mahenge Mountains.
Vegetation


Sisal plantation in the outskirts of Morogoro. Uluguru Mountains can be seen in the background
The vegetation of the Uluguru main ridge and the outlying blocks is extremely variable. It ranges
from drier lowland coastal forest habitats, to transitional rainforests, to sub-montane, montane
and upper montane forest types.
Climate
Climatically, the Uluguru mountains capture moisture passing inland from the Indian Ocean and
the east facing slopes are especially wet, with rainfall estimated at over 3,000 millimetres
(120 in) per annum, with some rain falling in every month.
[3]

Water Catchment


Stream at the Uluguru Mountains which forms the Ruvu river
The forests of the mountains provide the water catchment areas for the streams and rivers. This
water flows mainly from the forest-capped peaks of the Ulugurus with the streams joining to
form the Ruvu river, which provides the water supply to the city of Dar es Salaam. Most of the
neighboring population, around 3 million people, and the major industries in Tanzania rely on
this water supply for their continued survival.
[4]
The loss of the Uluguru forests and any
reduction in water supply potential of the mountains could therefore have a drastic impact on the
human well-being and the industrial capacity of Tanzania.
Local people
The local people of the Ulugurus are the Waluguru tribe people. They have been living in the
mountains for several hundred years, coming from other areas of Tanzania. The land ownership
is through the female line and women are powerful in village life, in contrast to other tribes in
Tanzania where men own the land and make most of the decisions about its use and
management.
Biodiversity
In the Ulugurus are home to more than 100 plants, 2 birds, 2 mammals, 4 reptiles and 6
amphibians which are known from nowhere else in the world. In addition to these there are a
large number of additional species which are only shared with one or two other Eastern Arc
mountains, and hence are globally rare. The endemic species include African Violets, Impatiens
and Begonias which are popular pot-plants in the rest of the world.