Mount Gahinga

Mount Gahinga
Mts. Gahinga (left) and Muhabura (right)
Highest point
Elevation3,474 m (11,398 ft)
Prominence423 m (1,388 ft)
Coordinates01°23′13″S 29°38′48″E / 1.38694°S 29.64667°E / -1.38694; 29.64667[Notes 1]
Naming
English translationA little pile of stones
Language of nameKinyarwanda
Geography
Mount Gahanga is located in Rwanda
Mount Gahanga
Mount Gahanga
Mount Gahanga is located in Uganda
Mount Gahanga
Mount Gahanga
Mount Gahanga (Uganda)
Parent rangeVirunga Mountains
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano
Last eruptionunknown[1]
Climbing
Easiest routeHike

Mount Gahinga is a dormant/extinct volcano in the Virunga Mountains on the Rwanda-Uganda border. Gahinga lies between Muhabura and Sabyinyo, but is the smallest of these three valcanoes. Mount Gahinga, also known in the local Kinyarwanda/Rufumbira dialect as "a small pile of stones", has a swampy caldera on its peak. The caldera is believed to be about 180 m (591 ft) wide.[2] Mgahinga Gorilla National Park got its name from this volcano. Mount Gahinga, whose elevation is 3,473 m (11,394 ft), is part of a chain of eight volcanic mountains of the Mufumbiro ranges. The volcano chain spans across Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The vegetation across the mountain can be described as afro-montane with bamboo composing the main vegetation. Like Muhabura and Sabyinyo, the bamboo forests on Mount Gahinga are a habitat of the endangered mountain gorilla. There are several other species of animals and birds that form part of the Mount Gahinga ecosystem. The golden monkeys are notable to these.


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  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference gvp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Uganda_WA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).