The East African Plateau isAfricaThe area with the most lakes is the largest lake in AfricaLake VictoriaAnd other large and small lakes.Therefore, the East African Plateau is known as the "Lake Plateau".genusSavanna climate。Agriculture is relatively developed.
East African RiftIt is divided into two branches that run through the north and south to form two rift belt highlands. The central terrain is relatively flat.The bottom of the eastern rift zone is filled with lava and divided into many occluded basins and lakes of different depths, with towering lava platforms, cliffs, terraces and several hugevolcanoCone, the highest peak in Africakilimanjaro volcano (5895m above sea level), the second peak Kenya volcano (5199m above sea level) is located in the east of the rift zone, near the equator, and forms a rare“Equatorial Snow Mountain”Strange landscape.The height of the western rift zone is lower than that of the eastern rift zone, and the highest part of the valley bottom isLake KivuNearby (1460 meters above sea level), the south is lava plateau, the north is volcanic group, and the north is horst type massive mountain——Luwenzuoli Mountain(5119m above sea level).The widest and lowest part is in Tanganyika Lake Basin, which is 150 kilometers wide in the south, and the lake bottom is lower thansea level。Below the terrace on the east side of the main plateau isWide and narrowUnequal coastal plains.
geographic information
The East African Plateau is in the east of Africa.Refers to the south of Ethiopian Plateau, east of Congo Basin, Zambezi, Africa
East African Plateau
North of the riverplateauRegion.The area is about 1 millionsquare kilometre，Average altitudeAbout 1200 meters.Its north is the "East African Lake Group Plateau", and its south is the "Malawi Plateau".
Geography and geomorphology
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Countries and regions
East African Plateau
East Africaplateau(East African Plateau) including KenyaUganda, TanzaniaRwandaandburundiAnd other countries.This is East AfricariftIn the middle of the plateau,East African Rift ValleyfromLake Turkana Extending southward, it occupies central Kenya and eastern Tanzania. The rift is composed of a series of en echelon faults. The two sides of the rift areLava plateauThe terrain is high and precipitous, generally more than 1500 meters, and some sections are more than 3000 meters, forming the so-called "central high zone", the highest mountain in AfricaKilimanjaroIs located in the east of the rift valleyExtinct volcano。
The West Branch Rift Valley, located at the western edge of the East African Plateau, is famous for many large lakesTanganyika Lake、Lake Kivu、Lake Edward, Lake Albert（Mobutu Lake）Great lakes and rifts are distributed on both sidesFault block mountain。Between the two rift valleys is a vast oval plateau, with an average height of 1200 meters. Surrounded by mountains, the plateau is in the shape of a wide shallow basin. The north of the basin is the largest lake in AfricaLake VictoriaThe south side of the lake is a flat plateau. Because the ground is flat and the slope is not large, the water system is very irregular.
Many deep depressions in the rift valley often store water into lakes, which is one of the characteristics of the rift valley area, so the East African Plateau is also called“East African lakesPlateau ".In the area south of 6 ° south latitude in Tanzania, the steep valley wall has become a scattered hill due to the strong erosion of the rift valley wall, and the shape of the rift valley is not obvious
The plateau to the east of the "central high zone" is in the form of a ladder, gradually descending eastward to narrowCoastal plain, so injectionthe indian oceanThere are many rapids and waterfalls in every river.The complex topography of the East African Plateau has led to great regional differences in climatenatural landscapevarious.SavannaIt is the dominant landscape of the East African Plateau, covering a large area;Around Lake Victoria, especially in the west and north, due to the heavy rainfall and relatively uniform distribution throughout the year, there aretropical forests Distribution;Northern and eastern Kenya, central and northern Tanzania, dry climate, forming desert orSemi desert。
Formative analysis
East African Plateau
More than 10 million years agoFaultingThis huge subsidence zone was formed.Plate tectonicsThink that here isLandmassThe place of separation, that is, East Africa, happens to bemantlematerialUpflowA zone of intense movement.Under the effect of upwelling, the crust of East Africa rises to form a plateau, and the upwelling flows to the opposite directionDispersal actionMake the crust vulnerableSchistosis, fault depressionRift zone。Catatonicaverage velocityIt is 2 cm~4 cm per year, and this effect has been continuously carried out, and the rift zone is still expanding to both sides.Because here iscrustal movementActive zone, so there are many volcanoes and earthquakes.
Geographical division
East African Plateau
There areSecond in the worldDeep lake——Tanganyika Lake。In the southMalawiHighland, East AfricaGreat Rift ValleyThe southernmost section of the belt runs through the Great Rift Valley in the middle of the plateau and platform with an average height of less than 2000 metersLake Malawi And the Shire River Valley, flanked by north-south mountains, the terrain east of the Rift Valley descends in a ladder shape to the coastal plain, and many rivers cut across from west to eastEscarpmentParallel to the sea.
The northern part of the East African Plateau is the East African Lake Group Plateau, which is circular. The east and west are two rift zones. There are lake groups in the rift zone, and there are basins divided by filling lava. The middle plateau is flat and vast.The north section has the largest in AfricaFreshwater lakeLake Victoria.The eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley is high and precipitous, with steep slopes on both sides and magnificent mountainsvolcanoThe activity and the superimposition of huge amount of lava raised the plateau surface and formed highLava platform, largeVolcanic coneAnd cliffs andterrace；The western branch of the rift valley is a north-south depression,Marginal distributionThere are volcanoes and fault block highlands, many of which are higher thanSnowlineThe peak of,
climatic conditions
East African Plateau
The East African Plateau isSavanna climate。There is no formation hereTropical rain forestThe climate is due to the high altitude, low temperature and no hydrothermal conditions for the formation of tropical rainforests.A year here is divided into two periods: dry season and rainy season. The light rainy season starts in early November every year, and there will be no continuous and intensive rainfall. After the transition of light rain in January and February of the next year, there will be heavy rain lasting to May, with an average of 60mm.
East African Plateau andCongo BasinIt is located near the equator, but the Congo Basin is located in the western part of the continent. The terrain is low, and it is under the control of equatorial low pressure all the year roundSouthwest wind, hot and rainyTropical rainforest climate。The East African Plateau is located in the eastern part of the continent, and in January, it is located in the African heatLow voltage centerIn the northeast, north wind andnortheasterly wind, little rainfall;JulyAtlanticThe south-west wind from the upper reaches of the Congo Basin blows to East Africa, and there is little precipitation, so the East African PlateauAnnual precipitationIt is not as much as the Congo Basin, and there is an obvious period of less rain.In addition, the altitude of the East African Plateau is relatively high, generally about 1000~1500 meters, and the temperature is greatly reduced. Therefore, the vegetation is dominated by tropical grassland types with small forests and strip forests. The area of tropical rainforest is very small, and it is only distributed on the humid foothills and low slopes and near the Congo Basin in the west of the Plateau.
Primitive human
East African Plateau
The Great Rift Valley in East Africa is still active,geologistIt is predicted that after millions of years, East Africa may split into different plate shapes.The regions with strong crustal activity are the volcanic regions in Kenya and Tanzania, including Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa（MountKilimanjaro）、Karisingbi Mountain（MountKarisimbi）。
Another feature of the East African Rift Valley is that it may behuman civilizationThe earliest birthplace, from 1950s to 1970sarchaeologistHuman skulls 2 million years ago and 2.9 million years ago were found in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, and what attracted the world's attention was that in 1975, 3.5 million years ago humans were excavated at the border between Tanzania and Kenyaremains, andFootprint fossilThis is the oldest foundPrehistoric manEvidence.
East AfricaOfTanzaniaorKenya, a unique ethnic group, which is the most mysterious in Africanomadic people——Marcel（masai)。They are tall, holding sticks and wearing bright red robes, which make them stand out in the crowd.Some people describe them as AfricanjeepThe total number of Cypriots is about 1 million, about 500000 in Tanzania and 500000 in Kenya.
Holding a stick and wearing a red robe
A newcomer to Tanzania or Kenya, especially the highest peak in Africa at the junction of Tanzania and KenyaKilimanjaroAt my feet, the first surprise was that these Masai people walked in the streets and alleys, tall, holding sticks, and wearing bright red robes.It is said that the stick and red color are used to drive away animals and defend themselves.The wooden sticks are all made of a kind peculiar to AfricahardwoodIt looks like a work of art if it is made into a shape with spherical knots.For frequent andwild animalFor the herdsmen who deal with, wearing red robes and holding a stick is definitely the embodiment of strength and dignity.Due to the habit of life developed all the year round, today's Masai people, whether men or women, whether herding, walking or chatting, never leave them alone with that magic stick.Many Chinese companies in Tanzania, considering thephysical qualityAnd loyalty, are willing to hire them as security guards of the company.
There are many well preserved traditionalMarseilles village 。It takes about 100000 shillings (US $100) to visit these villages. Before entering the village, the patriarch should lead more than 10 young Masai to perform dances for the guests, and then allow the guests to enter the village.The village is round, and the wall is made of branches.The entrance gate faces another round wall, inside which are the cows of the whole village. The village wall and the cowshed wall belong to oneConcentric circle。The villagers' houses are surrounded by the cowshed, which is the most primitive building I have seen: using branches andStraw weavingimagingWicker basketThe same low building skeleton, and then paste the materials mixed with cow dung and soil.In such a Masai village, you have to summon up some courage: first, you have to bend down to enter the low door. After entering the house, it is dark. After a few minutes of eye adaptation, you can only see the Masai old man lying on the bed in front of you and the sheep tied to the bed. When you are ready to talk to the old man, the pungent smell of cow dung is unbearable.
The Maasai people living in Maasai Village are open-minded and cheerful. They say that cattle are their God, and cattle are their everything.MasaiAdult signThe young man had to kill a cow himself. The best gift from the Maasai people was to invite people to drink the fresh cow blood just taken out with an arrow. The more cattle the Maasai people had, the more wives they had... It's hard to imagine how the Maasai people would live without cattle, and how their history would be written.
Masai nationality on black wood carving
People returning from Tanzania or Kenya usually bring back someAfrican BlackWood carvings are for commemoration, and the most memorable one is the black wood carvings made of Masai figures.In the black wood carving market in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, black wood sculptures based on Masai figures are the most popular.These black wood carvings vividly depict the image of the Maasai people: a man who is used to wearing a pigtail and a woman who shaves her head, as well as a child holding a bow and arrow in a bucket, especially the longEarlobeStand out.When Masai people grow to 8 years old, they are used to wearing a hole in their earlobe, both men and women, and then plugging it with leaves or sticks, so that the hole will grow bigger and bigger.In adulthood, some earlobes can hang various ornaments on their shoulders.Because according to the MasaiAesthetic standardsThe bigger the earlobe, the more beautiful it will become.
In Masai Village, there is a legend about Masai people drilling wood to make fire. It is said that they still maintain this tradition. So in the black wood carving market in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, I tried to find the primitive way of life that belongs to this world.
