Mount Nimba
Encyclopedia
Mount Richard-Molard is a mountain
along the border of Côte d'Ivoire
and Guinea
in West Africa
. At 1,752 m (5,750 ft) it is the highest point in both nations. The mountain is the highest peak of the Nimba Range (the "Guinean Backbone"), straddling the border between the two countries and Liberia
. The nearest major settlement are the town Yekepa
to the west in Liberia and Bossou
in Guinea.
Since 1944 the area, excluding Liberia's portion, has been a nature reserve. Currently covering 180 km², the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve
is classified as a World Heritage Site
, including both rainforest
and savanna
. It is a "strict" reserve, forbidding tourism
.
. There was intensive mining in the Liberian portion of the mountain until reserves were exhausted in 1989. The mix of iron-quartzite sheets, schist
s and granitogneiss has produced startling land formations by soil erosion.
World Heritage Tentative List on 29 March 2001 in the Cultural category.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
along the border of Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
and Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. At 1,752 m (5,750 ft) it is the highest point in both nations. The mountain is the highest peak of the Nimba Range (the "Guinean Backbone"), straddling the border between the two countries and Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
. The nearest major settlement are the town Yekepa
Yekepa
Yekepa is a town in northern Liberia, lying near the Guinean border. It was the base for Lamco's iron ore mining operation until it was destroyed in the First Liberian Civil War. Nearby Guesthouse Hill is one of the highest points in the nation...
to the west in Liberia and Bossou
Bossou
Bossou is a town and sub-prefecture in the Lola Prefecture in the Nzérékoré Region of south-eastern Guinea.Much of the sub prefecture consists of the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve...
in Guinea.
Since 1944 the area, excluding Liberia's portion, has been a nature reserve. Currently covering 180 km², the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve
Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve
Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is a protected area and UNESCO World Heritage Site in both Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire. A further extension of the reserve to include areas in Liberia has also been proposed....
is classified as a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, including both rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
and savanna
Savanna
A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
. It is a "strict" reserve, forbidding tourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
.
Toponymy
The mountain is named after the French geographer Jacques Richard-Molard, who died in an accident at the mountain site in 1951. Before that it was called Mount Nouon. Sometimes the term Mount Nimba, which is the name of the whole range, is used for its highest peak as well.Minerals
The mountain is rich in iron ore and cobaltCobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
. There was intensive mining in the Liberian portion of the mountain until reserves were exhausted in 1989. The mix of iron-quartzite sheets, schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
s and granitogneiss has produced startling land formations by soil erosion.
World Heritage Status
This site was added to the UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Tentative List on 29 March 2001 in the Cultural category.