| Mambilla Plateau | |
| Adamawa Highland | |
| Mountain Range | |
| Country | Nigeria |
|---|---|
| State | Taraba State |
| Region | South eastern part of Nigeria |
| Highest point | Mount Chappal Waddi |
| - elevation | 2,419 m (7,936 ft) |
| Area | 9,389 km2 (3,625 sq mi) |
The Mambilla Plateau is a highland region, found in Taraba State of Nigeria. This highland region, is the northern continuation of the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon.
The mambilla plateau, has an average elevation of about 1,524 metres (5,000 ft) above sealevel,leaving it as the highest plateau in Nigeria since no other plateau in Nigeria rivals it in elevation.[1] Some of its villages are situated on hills that must be at least 1,828 metres (5,997 ft) high above sea level.[2]
Some mountains on the plateau and around it are over 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) high, like the Chappal Waddi mountain which has an average height of about 2,419 metres (7,936 ft) above sealevel. It is the highest mountain in Nigeria[3] and the highest mountain in West Africa if the Republic of Cameroon's higher mountains like the Mount Cameroon are excluded as mountains in west Africa, even though they are sometimes included among mountains found in the west African region.
The plateau developed on basement complex rocks.Tertiary basalts also occur on the mambilla plateau and are mostly formed by trachytic lavas and extensive basalts, occurring around Nguroje.[4] The Mambilla plateau measures about 96 km (60 mi) along its curved length; it is 40 km (25 mi) wide and is bounded by an escarpment that is about 900 m (2,953 ft) high in some places.[5] The plateau covers an area of over 9,389 square kilometres (3,625 sq mi).[6] Chappal Waddi mountain is found at the northeastern flank of the Plateau.
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The Mambilla Plateau is found in the southeastern part of Taraba state of Nigeria under Sardauna local government area.[7] The plateau has its south and eastern escarpment standing along the Cameroonian border, while the remainder of its giant northern escarpment and its western slope are in Nigeria.
The climate of the plateau is comparatively cold. Daytime temperatures hardly exceeds 25 °C (77.0 °F) making it the coldest plateau in Nigeria.[8] Strong winds prevail during the daytime, and the rainy season lasts from mid-March until the end of December.[2] As a result of its high elevation, the plateau experiences temperate weather conditions but on a smaller scale due to its location in a tropical environment.
The rainy season on the Mambilla Plateau is associated with frequent and heavy rainfall due to orographic activities on the plateau involving moist winds from the south Atlantic Ocean in southern Nigeria and the steep edges and escarpments of the plateau.The Mambilla Plateau receives over 1850 millimetres of rainfall annually.[9]
The Mambilla Plateau is hilly with deep gorges and travellers are constantly passing from one panoramic view to the other. The plateau is entirely covered by soil with occasional occurrence of granite.[10]
The plateau is dissected by many streams and rivers; notably among them are the Donga River and Taraba River, with both having their sources on/from the Mambilla Plateau.
Vegetation on the plateau comprises low grasses with trees being noticeably absent except for man made forest planted by German colonialist during the period of German administration of the cameroons and other Nigerian government tree planting programs.
The eucalyptus tree is the dominant tree is these man made forest as a result of the easily adaptability of the eucalyptus tree to the harsh climatic conditions on the plateau.
The abundance of low lush green grasses on the plateau has attracted a large number of cattle, this has resulted in overgrazing of the plateau and has created problems between the cattle herders, referred to as the fulanis, and the indigenous people, the Mambila.
Towns on the plateau are small with populations ranging from 100 to 5000 people except for Gembu. The latter contains the headquarters of Sardauna Local Government Area to which the Mambilla Plateau belongs. Other important towns on the plateau are Kabri, Dorofi, Nguroje, Mayo Ndaga, Wakili Buba, Maisamari, Hainare, Mbamnga, Mayo Sollare, Kilatin, Labbare, Mayo Tolore, Tamnya, and Gembu.