Guinea Highlands


The Guinea Highlands is a densely forested mountainous plateau extending from central Guinea through northern Sierra Leone and Liberia to western Ivory Coast. The highlands include a number of mountains, ranges and plateaus, including the Fouta Djallon highlands in central Guinea, the Loma Mountains in Sierra Leone, the Simandou and Kourandou massifs in southeastern Guinea, the Nimba Range at the border of Guinea, Liberia, and Ivory Coast, and the Monts du Toura in western Ivory Coast.

Geography

In Guinea they are known as Dorsale Guinéenne. The highest peak in the region is Mount Bintumani in Sierra Leone, at 1,945 metres. Other peaks include Sankan Biriwa in Sierra Leone and Mount Richard-Molard on the border of Guinea and Ivory Coast. The highlands mostly lie between above sea level.
The Guinea Highlands are the source of many of West Africa's rivers, including the Niger River, West Africa's longest river, the Senegal and Gambia rivers, and the rivers of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Maritime Guinea, and western Ivory Coast.

Geology

Geologically the composition of the sediments in the highlands are the same as in Upper Guinea and include granites, schists, and quartzites.

Ecology

The Guinea Highlands form the transition between the Western Guinean lowland forests, moist tropical rainforests that lie to the south between the Guinea Highlands and the Atlantic Ocean, and the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic to the north.
The Guinean montane forests ecoregion covers the portion of the highlands above 600 meters elevation. It includes montane forests, grasslands, and savannas, with a distinct flora and fauna from the surrounding lowlands.

People

is the chief market town for the densely forested region of the Guinea Highlands. Main commodities sold in the town include rice, cassava, coffee, palm oil and kernels. The region is mainly inhabited by the Guerze and Mano peoples.

Peaks

  • Mount Bintumani, Sierra Leone, 1945 meters
  • Sankan Biriwa, Sierra Leone, 1,850 metres
  • Mount Richard-Molard, also known as Mount Nimba, Ivory Coast and Guinea, 1752 meters
  • Grand Rochers, Guinea, 1694 meters
  • Mont Sempéré, Guinea, 1682 meters
  • Mont Tô, Guinea, 1675 meters
  • Mont Piérré Richaud, Guinea, 1670 meters
  • Pic de Fon, Guinea, 1658 meters
  • Mont LeClerc, Guinea, 1577 meters
  • Pic de Tibé, Guinea, 1504 meters
  • Mount Wuteve, Liberia, 1420 meters
  • Pic de Tétini, Guinea 1257 meters
  • Kourandou Massif, Guinea, 1236 meters
  • Béro Massif, Guinea, 1210 meters