LIVINGSTONE MOUNTAINS, a band of highlands in German East Africa,
forming the eastern border of the rift-valley of Lake Nyasa, at the
northern end of the lake. In parts these highlands, known also under
their native name of Kinga, present rather the character of a plateau
than of a true mountain range, but the latter name may be justified by
the fact that they form a comparatively narrow belt of country, which
falls considerably to the east as well as to the west. The northern end
is well marked in 8° 50´ S. by an escarpment falling to the Ruaha
valley, which is regarded as a north-eastern branch of the main
rift-valley. Southwards the Livingstone range terminates in the deep
valley of the Ruhuhu in 10° 30´ S., the first decided break in the
highlands that is reached from the north, on the east coast of Nyasa.
Geologically the range is formed on the side of the lake by a zone of
gneiss running in a series of ridges and valleys generally parallel to
its axis. The ridge nearest the lake (which in Mount Jamimbi or
Chamembe, 9° 41´ S., rises to an absolute height of 7870 ft., or 6200
ft. above Nyasa) falls almost sheer to the water, the same steep slope
being continued beneath the surface. Towards the south the range appears
to have a width of some 20 m. only, but northwards it widens out to
about 40 m., though broken here by the depression, drained towards the
Ruaha, of Buanyi, on the south side of which is the highest known summit
of the range (9600 ft.). North and east of Buanyi, as in the eastern
half of the range generally, table-topped mountains occur, composed
above of horizontally bedded quartzites, sandstones and conglomerates.
The uplands are generally clothed in rich grass, forest occurring
principally in the hollows, while the slopes towards the lake are
covered with poor scrub. Native settlements are scattered over the whole
range, and German mission stations have been established at Bulongwa and
Mtandala, a little north of the north end of Nyasa. The climate is here
healthy, and night frosts occur in the cold season. European crops are
raised with success. At the foot of the mountains on Lake Nyasa are the
ports of Wiedhafen, at the mouth of the Ruhuhu, and Old Langenburg, at
the north-east corner of the lake. (E. He.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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