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71-688: Borana National Park is located in southern Ethiopia. It covers an area of 45,366 km. The park lies at the southern edge of the Ethiopian Highlands . It is bounded on the south by the Kenya –Ethiopia border. It adjoins Chelbi Wildlife Reserve to the west, Geraille National Park to the east, and Yabelo Wildlife Sanctuary and Arero National Forest Priority Area to the north. The park conservation sites are divided into multiple blocks based on their biodiversity, community, and environment: Yabello, Dida-Hara, Gammedo, Danbala-Dhibayu, and Sarite blocks. The park

142-434: A flood basalt plateau began to form, piling layers upon layers of voluminous fissure-fed basaltic lava flows. Most of the flows were tholeiitic , save for a thin layer of alkali basalts and minor amounts of felsic (high-silica) volcanic rocks, such as rhyolite . In the waning stages of the flood basalt episode, large explosive caldera -forming eruptions also occurred. The Ethiopian Highlands were eventually bisected by

213-428: A biotemperature below 1.5 °C (34.7 °F). Mountain environments are particularly sensitive to anthropogenic climate change and are currently undergoing alterations unprecedented in last 10,000 years. The effect of global warming on mountain regions (relative to lowlands) is still an active area of study. Observational studies show that highlands are warming faster than nearby lowlands, but when compared globally,

284-458: A mountain is roughly equivalent to moving 80 kilometres (45 miles or 0.75° of latitude ) towards the nearest pole. This relationship is only approximate, however, since local factors such as proximity to oceans (such as the Arctic Ocean) can drastically modify the climate. As the altitude increases, the main form of precipitation becomes snow and the winds increase. The effect of

355-481: A mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher than a hill , typically rising at least 300 metres (980  ft ) above the surrounding land. A few mountains are isolated summits , but most occur in mountain ranges . Mountains are formed through tectonic forces , erosion , or volcanism , which act on time scales of up to tens of millions of years. Once mountain building ceases, mountains are slowly leveled through

426-440: A number of endemic wildlife species, including the endangered walia ibex ( Capra walie ) and the gelada baboon, whose thick fur allows it to thrive in the cooler climates of the mountains. These two species are only found on the northern side of the valley, while another rare endemic, the mountain nyala ( Tragelaphus buxtoni ) is restricted to the southern side, and now survives at higher altitudes than its original habitat since

497-634: A significant role in religion. There are for example a number of sacred mountains within Greece such as Mount Olympus which was held to be the home of the gods. In Japanese culture, the 3,776.24 m (12,389.2 ft) volcano of Mount Fuji is also held to be sacred with tens of thousands of Japanese ascending it each year. Mount Kailash , in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, is considered to be sacred in four religions: Hinduism, Bon , Buddhism, and Jainism . In Ireland, pilgrimages are made up

568-467: A whole, 24% of the Earth's land mass is mountainous. There are three main types of mountains: volcanic , fold , and block . All three types are formed from plate tectonics : when portions of the Earth's crust move, crumple, and dive. Compressional forces, isostatic uplift and intrusion of igneous matter forces surface rock upward, creating a landform higher than the surrounding features. The height of

639-452: Is El Alto , Bolivia, at 4,150 metres (13,620 ft), which has a highly diverse service and manufacturing economy and a population of nearly 1 million. Traditional mountain societies rely on agriculture, with higher risk of crop failure than at lower elevations. Minerals often occur in mountains, with mining being an important component of the economics of some mountain-based societies. More recently, tourism has become more important to

710-556: Is Mount Everest in the Himalayas of Asia , whose summit is 8,850 m (29,035 ft) above mean sea level. The highest known mountain on any planet in the Solar System is Olympus Mons on Mars at 21,171 m (69,459 ft). The tallest mountain including submarine terrain is Mauna Kea in Hawaii from its underwater base at 9,330 m (30,610 ft) and some scientists consider it to be

781-478: Is a poor conductor of heat, so a parcel of air will rise and fall without exchanging heat. This is known as an adiabatic process , which has a characteristic pressure-temperature dependence. As the pressure gets lower, the temperature decreases. The rate of decrease of temperature with elevation is known as the adiabatic lapse rate , which is approximately 9.8 °C per kilometre (or 5.4 °F (3.0 °C) per 1000 feet) of altitude. The presence of water in

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852-419: Is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains . Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing , skiing , and traversing via ferratas that have become sports in their own right. Indoor climbing , sport climbing , and bouldering are also considered variants of mountaineering by some, but are part of a wide group of mountain sports . Mountains often play

923-628: Is administered by the Oromia Forest & Wildlife Enterprise (OFWA) of the Oromia Region government along with the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA). Today, the area was now facing multiple threats and challenges that might threaten the park's ecosystem such as droughts, invasive species expansions, livestock overgrazing, and road collisions. Ethiopian Highlands The Ethiopian Highlands (also called

994-583: Is an open woodland found at lower elevations, and dominated by species of Terminalia , Commiphora , Boswellia , and Acacia . Weyna dega is a woodland found in moister and higher locations, dominated by the conifers Afrocarpus gracilior and Juniperus procera . The lower portion of the Harenna Forest is a distinct woodland community, with an open canopy of Warburgia ugandensis , Croton macrostachyus , Syzygium guineense , and Afrocarpus gracilior , with wild coffee ( Coffea arabica ) as

1065-606: Is common on the Sanetti Plateau in the Bale Mountains . The mountain nyala finds its way up to the high moorlands although it is more common at lower elevations. Wintering birds include wigeon ( Anas penelope ), shoveler ( Anas clypeata ), ruff ( Philomachus pugnax ), and greenshank ( Tringa nebularia ). Other fauna in the area also includes aardvark , eagle , Egyptian wolf, gelada , secretarybird , Nubian ibex , and marabou stork and Ethiopian endemic species such as

1136-447: Is established to help restore wildlife along with the community based on environmental recovery and ecological changes, which include repopulating zebra species, protecting the Bush crow's population, and drought prevention. During its establishment, the area was formerly designated as a controlled hunting zone and was later redesignated as a national park because of its poor management. The park

1207-568: Is home to Booqee Sadeen , three maar lakes that were introduced as the main tourist attraction, including El Sod which is known for providing access to mineral water and salt varieties for the locals. Borana national park contains about 327 species discovered in Borena region which are distributed among 197 genera and 69 families are documented: 40% are trees/shrubs, 30% are forbs (non-woody plants other than grasses and sedges), 16% are grass, 10% are climbers, 2% are sedges, and 2% are succulents. Most of

1278-792: Is known as the Harar Massif. Its bounded in the west, by the fault line of the Rift Valley, in the east, by the Ogaden Lowlands and in the south, by the Elkerie and Borena Lowlands. Its highest peaks are located in the Bale Zone of Ethiopia's Oromia Region . The Bale Mountains , also designated a national park , are nearly as high as those of Semien. It is the main source of the Wabishebelle and Genalle (Juba). The range includes peaks of over 4,000 m. Among

1349-556: Is not enough oxygen to support human life. This is sometimes referred to as the " death zone ". The summits of Mount Everest and K2 are in the death zone. Mountains are generally less preferable for human habitation than lowlands, because of harsh weather and little level ground suitable for agriculture . While 7% of the land area of Earth is above 2,500 metres (8,200 ft), only 140 million people live above that altitude and only 20-30 million people above 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) elevation. About half of mountain dwellers live in

1420-457: Is the highest mountain on Earth, at 8,848 metres (29,029 ft). There are at least 100 mountains with heights of over 7,200 metres (23,622 ft) above sea level, all of which are located in central and southern Asia. The highest mountains above sea level are generally not the highest above the surrounding terrain. There is no precise definition of surrounding base, but Denali , Mount Kilimanjaro and Nanga Parbat are possible candidates for

1491-525: Is the largest mountain on Earth in terms of base area (about 2,000 sq mi or 5,200 km ) and volume (about 18,000 cu mi or 75,000 km ). Mount Kilimanjaro is the largest non-shield volcano in terms of both base area (245 sq mi or 635 km ) and volume (1,150 cu mi or 4,793 km ). Mount Logan is the largest non-volcanic mountain in base area (120 sq mi or 311 km ). The highest mountains above sea level are also not those with peaks farthest from

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1562-545: Is the largest of the highland ecoregions, occupying the area between 1,800 and 3,000 meters elevation. The natural vegetation was closed-canopy forest in moister areas, and grassland, bushland, and thicket in drier areas. However these hillsides have good fertile soil and are heavily populated, largely by farming communities, so most of the region has been converted to agriculture with a few areas of natural vegetation remaining. Urban areas in this ecoregion include: Ethiopia's capital city and Africa's fourth largest city Addis Ababa ,

1633-570: The Abyssinian Highlands ) is a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia in Northeast Africa . It forms the largest continuous area of its elevation in the continent, with little of its surface falling below 1,500 m (4,900 ft), while the summits reach heights of up to 4,550 m (14,930 ft). It is sometimes called the " Roof of Africa" due to its height and large area. It is

1704-585: The Amhara Region capital Bahir Dar with its island monasteries on Lake Tana , the old walled city of Harar , the spa town of Ambo , Asella in the Arsi Zone , the trekking center of Dodola , the lakeside Bishoftu , the largest city in the southwest Jimma , the market town of Nekemte , and the capital of the Tigray Region , Mek'ele . Awash National Park is a site for birdwatching. Remaining woodland in

1775-522: The Andes , Central Asia, and Africa. With limited access to infrastructure, only a handful of human communities exist above 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) of elevation. Many are small and have heavily specialized economies, often relying on industries such as agriculture, mining, and tourism. An example of such a specialized town is La Rinconada, Peru , a gold-mining town and the highest elevation human habitation at 5,100 metres (16,700 ft). A counterexample

1846-645: The Basin and Range Province of Western North America. These areas often occur when the regional stress is extensional and the crust is thinned. During and following uplift, mountains are subjected to the agents of erosion (water, wind, ice, and gravity) which gradually wear the uplifted area down. Erosion causes the surface of mountains to be younger than the rocks that form the mountains themselves. Glacial processes produce characteristic landforms, such as pyramidal peaks , knife-edge arêtes , and bowl-shaped cirques that can contain lakes. Plateau mountains, such as

1917-463: The Catskills , are formed from the erosion of an uplifted plateau. Climate in the mountains becomes colder at high elevations , due to an interaction between radiation and convection. Sunlight in the visible spectrum hits the ground and heats it. The ground then heats the air at the surface. If radiation were the only way to transfer heat from the ground to space, the greenhouse effect of gases in

1988-622: The East African mountains further south. The evergreen broadleaved forest of the Semien Mountains , between 2,300 and 2,700 meters elevation, is dominated by Syzygium guineense , Arundinarial, Juniperus procera , and Olea africana . As the lower slopes of the mountains are so heavily populated, even the high altitude moorlands are affected by human interference, such as the grazing of livestock and even farming. There are two protected areas of high moorland: Bale Mountains National Park in

2059-547: The Ethiopia-Yemen Continental Flood Basalts . Contrary to what has been suggested for much of Africa, planation surfaces in northern Ethiopia do not appear to be pediplains nor etchplains . Spatial distribution of temperature in Ethiopia is determined primarily by altitude and latitude. Altitude is the main factor that determines the spatial distribution of temperature in Ethiopia. Ethiopia lies within

2130-741: The Main Ethiopian Rift , which contains a number of salt lakes. The northwestern portion, known as the Abyssinian Massif, includes the Semien Mountains , part of which has been designated the Simien Mountains National Park . Its summit, Ras Dashen (4,550 m), is the highest peak in Ethiopia. Lake Tana , the source of the Blue Nile , also lies in the northwestern portion of the Ethiopian Highlands. The southeastern portion

2201-516: The Mediterranean climate that they knew. The Ethiopian Highlands share a similar flora and fauna to other mountainous regions of Africa; this distinctive flora and fauna is known as Afromontane , but from the time of the last ice age the region has been populated with some Eurasian ( palearctic ) flora. The habitats are somewhat different on either side of the Great Rift Valley which splits

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2272-507: The equator , this has resulted in giving this country an unexpectedly temperate climate . Further, these mountains catch the precipitation of the monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean , resulting in a rainy season that lasts from June until mid-September. These heavy rains cause the Nile to flood in the summer , a phenomenon that puzzled the ancient Greeks , as the summer is the driest season in

2343-531: The shrew ( Crocidura harenna ), the narrow-footed woodland mouse ( Grammomys minnae ), and Menelik's bushbuck ( Tragelaphus scriptus meneliki ), which is a subspecies with long, dark fur. 12°32′00″N 41°23′8″E  /  12.53333°N 41.38556°E  / 12.53333; 41.38556 Mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust , generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock . Although definitions vary,

2414-613: The 952 metres (3,123 ft) Mount Brandon by Irish Catholics . The Himalayan peak of Nanda Devi is associated with the Hindu goddesses Nanda and Sunanda; it has been off-limits to climbers since 1983. Mount Ararat is a sacred mountain, as it is believed to be the landing place of Noah's Ark . In Europe and especially in the Alps , summit crosses are often erected on the tops of prominent mountains. Heights of mountains are typically measured above sea level . Using this metric, Mount Everest

2485-1110: The Dida-hara block contains drought-resistant woodlands that consisted of Boscia mossambicensis and Acacia tortilis . Borana National Park is home to at least 40 species of mammals. It is uniquely known for providing sanctuary for two separate species of zebras that are found within grasslands and woodland areas: the Plain zebras and the endangered Grevy's zebras . Other mammals that are rarely found in Borana National Park include lesser kudus , greater kudus , black-backed jackals , Beisa oryxes , gerenuks , warthogs , Soemmerring's gazelles , and Grant's gazelles . The herds of Swayne's hartebeest once thrived here but were extirpated from these regions. Similar to Yabelo Wildlife Sanctuary , Borana National Park provides multiple bird species recorded at least 280. Ethiopian bushcrows , white-tailed swallows , Prince Ruspoli’s turacoes , and black-fronted spurfowls are four endemic species found within

2556-608: The Earth's mantle uplifted a broad dome of the ancient rocks of the Arabian-Nubian Shield . The opening of the Great Rift Valley split the dome of the Ethiopian Highlands into three parts; the mountains of the southern Arabian Peninsula are geologically part of the ancient Ethiopian Highlands, separated by the rifting which created the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and separated Africa from Arabia. Around 30 million years ago,

2627-568: The Great Rift Valley as the African continental crust pulled apart. This rifting gave rise to large alkaline basalt shield volcanoes beginning about 30–31 million years ago. The northern Ethiopian Highlands contain four discernible planation surfaces , the oldest one being formed not later than in the Ordovician Period. The youngest surface formed in the Cenozoic , being partly covered by

2698-452: The US. Fold mountains occur when two plates collide: shortening occurs along thrust faults and the crust is overthickened. Since the less dense continental crust "floats" on the denser mantle rocks beneath, the weight of any crustal material forced upward to form hills, plateaus or mountains must be balanced by the buoyancy force of a much greater volume forced downward into the mantle. Thus

2769-622: The action of weathering , through slumping and other forms of mass wasting , as well as through erosion by rivers and glaciers . High elevations on mountains produce colder climates than at sea level at similar latitude. These colder climates strongly affect the ecosystems of mountains: different elevations have different plants and animals. Because of the less hospitable terrain and climate, mountains tend to be used less for agriculture and more for resource extraction, such as mining and logging , along with recreation, such as mountain climbing and skiing . The highest mountain on Earth

2840-569: The adjacent elevation, is impressive or notable." Whether a landform is called a mountain may depend on local usage. John Whittow's Dictionary of Physical Geography states "Some authorities regard eminences above 600 metres (1,969 ft) as mountains, those below being referred to as hills." In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a mountain is usually defined as any summit at least 2,000 feet (610 m) high, which accords with

2911-553: The atmosphere complicates the process of convection. Water vapor contains latent heat of vaporization . As air rises and cools, it eventually becomes saturated and cannot hold its quantity of water vapor. The water vapor condenses to form clouds and releases heat, which changes the lapse rate from the dry adiabatic lapse rate to the moist adiabatic lapse rate (5.5 °C per kilometre or 3 °F (1.7 °C) per 1000 feet) The actual lapse rate can vary by altitude and by location. Therefore, moving up 100 m (330 ft) on

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2982-429: The atmosphere would keep the ground at roughly 333 K (60 °C; 140 °F), and the temperature would decay exponentially with height. However, when air is hot, it tends to expand, which lowers its density. Thus, hot air tends to rise and transfer heat upward. This is the process of convection . Convection comes to equilibrium when a parcel of air at a given altitude has the same density as its surroundings. Air

3053-459: The climate on the ecology at an elevation can be largely captured through a combination of amount of precipitation, and the biotemperature , as described by Leslie Holdridge in 1947. Biotemperature is the mean temperature; all temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F) are considered to be 0 °C. When the temperature is below 0 °C, plants are dormant, so the exact temperature is unimportant. The peaks of mountains with permanent snow can have

3124-534: The conditions above and below a particular zone will be inhospitable and thus constrain their movements or dispersal . These isolated ecological systems are known as sky islands . Altitudinal zones tend to follow a typical pattern. At the highest elevations, trees cannot grow, and whatever life may be present will be of the alpine type, resembling tundra . Just below the tree line , one may find subalpine forests of needleleaf trees, which can withstand cold, dry conditions. Below that, montane forests grow. In

3195-469: The continental crust is normally much thicker under mountains, compared to lower lying areas. Rock can fold either symmetrically or asymmetrically. The upfolds are anticlines and the downfolds are synclines : in asymmetric folding there may also be recumbent and overturned folds. The Balkan Mountains and the Jura Mountains are examples of fold mountains. Block mountains are caused by faults in

3266-503: The crust: a plane where rocks have moved past each other. When rocks on one side of a fault rise relative to the other, it can form a mountain. The uplifted blocks are block mountains or horsts . The intervening dropped blocks are termed graben : these can be small or form extensive rift valley systems. This kind of landscape can be seen in East Africa , the Vosges and Rhine valley, and

3337-535: The definition since the 1970s. Any similar landform lower than this height was considered a hill. However, today, the United States Geological Survey concludes that these terms do not have technical definitions in the US. The UN Environmental Programme 's definition of "mountainous environment" includes any of the following: Using these definitions, mountains cover 33% of Eurasia, 19% of South America, 24% of North America, and 14% of Africa. As

3408-451: The dominant understory shrub. The southwesterly winds bring rainfall from May to October with moisture from the Red Sea coming in from the east year round. Fauna at these elevations includes the endemic Harwood's spurfowl ( Pternistis harwoodi ), Prince Ruspoli's turaco ( Tauraco ruspolii ) and yellow-throated seedeater ( Serinus flavigula ) The Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands

3479-474: The drier areas contains much endemic flora and primarily consists of the conifers Afrocarpus falcatus and Juniperus procera , often with the broadleaved Hagenia abyssinica . In the Harenna Forest , pockets of moist, closed-canopy forest with Aningeria and Olea are draped with lianas and epiphytes , while above 2400 meters, a shrubby zone is home to Hagenia , Astropanax , and giant lobelias ( Lobelia gibberroa ), species which can be found on

3550-460: The dry season and in semiarid areas such as in central Asia. Alpine ecosystems can be particularly climatically sensitive. Many mid-latitude mountains act as cold climate refugia, with the ecosystems occupying small environmental niches. As well as the direct influence that the change in climate can have on an ecosystem, there is also the indirect one on the soils from changes in stability and soil development. The colder climate on mountains affects

3621-523: The economies of mountain communities, with developments focused around attractions such as national parks and ski resorts . Approximately 80% of mountain people live below the poverty line. Most of the world's rivers are fed from mountain sources, with snow acting as a storage mechanism for downstream users. More than half of humanity depends on mountains for water. In geopolitics , mountains are often seen as natural boundaries between polities. Mountaineering , mountain climbing, or alpinism

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3692-428: The effect disappears. Precipitation in highland areas is not increasing as quickly as in lowland areas. Climate modeling give mixed signals about whether a particular highland area will have increased or decreased precipitation. Climate change has started to affect the physical and ecological systems of mountains. In recent decades mountain ice caps and glaciers have experienced accelerating ice loss. The melting of

3763-433: The feature makes it either a hill or, if higher and steeper, a mountain. Major mountains tend to occur in long linear arcs, indicating tectonic plate boundaries and activity. Volcanoes are formed when a plate is pushed below another plate , or at a mid-ocean ridge or hotspot . At a depth of around 100 km (60 mi), melting occurs in rock above the slab (due to the addition of water), and forms magma that reaches

3834-495: The finch Ankober serin ( Serinus ankoberensis ), white-winged flufftail ( Sarothrura ayresi ), and blue-winged goose . The farmland is home to many butterflies, especially Papilio , Charaxinae , Pieridae and Lycaenidae . There are several endemic animal species, one of which, the Ethiopian wolf ( Canis simensis ), is critically endangered. Other endemics include the big-headed mole-rat ( Tachyoryctes macrocephalus ) which

3905-462: The former are Mount Tullu Demtu (4,337 m), which is the second-highest major independent mountain in Ethiopia, and Mount Batu (4,307 m). Most of the country's major cities are located at elevations of around 2,000–2,500 m (6,600–8,200 ft) above sea level, including Addis Ababa , Ethiopia's capital and largest city, and historic capitals such as Gondar and Axum . The Ethiopian Highlands began to rise 75 million years ago, as magma from

3976-498: The glaciers, permafrost and snow has caused underlying surfaces to become increasingly unstable. Landslip hazards have increased in both number and magnitude due to climate change. Patterns of river discharge will also be significantly affected by climate change, which in turn will have significant impacts on communities that rely on water fed from alpine sources. Nearly half of mountain areas provide essential or supportive water resources for mainly urban populations, in particular during

4047-501: The high Ethiopian montane moorlands , the largest Afroalpine region in Africa. The montane moorlands lie above the tree line, and consist of grassland and moorland with abundant herbs and some shrubs that have adapted to the high mountain conditions. In Ethiopia, Afro-Alpine and Sub-Afro-Alpine vegetations are found in the Highlands of Semein and Highlands of Bale. These slopes are home to

4118-804: The highlands. At lower elevations, the highlands are surrounded by tropical savannas and grasslands , including the Sahelian Acacia savanna to the northwest and the East Sudanian savanna to the west. The highlands themselves are divided into three distinct ecoregions , distinguished by elevation. The Ethiopian montane forests lie between 1,100 and 1,800 meters elevation, above the lowland grasslands and savannas, and extend to areas of similar habitat in Eritrea, Sudan, and Djibouti. This woodland belt has several natural plant communities, but has mostly been heavily grazed and converted to agricultural use now. Kolla ,

4189-585: The lower slopes are heavily farmed. More widespread mammals found here include the mantled guereza ( Colobus guereza ), which is also threatened as its habitat disappears as does that of many other mammals of the highlands such as olive baboon ( Papio anubis ), Egyptian wolf ( Canis aureus ), leopard ( Panthera pardus ), lion ( Panthera leo ), spotted hyena ( Crocuta crocuta ), caracal ( Caracal caracal ), serval ( Leptailurus serval ), common duiker ( Sylvicapra grimmia ), and giant forest hog ( Hylochoerus meinertzhageni ). Birds include Rueppell's chat ,

4260-511: The official UK government's definition that a mountain, for the purposes of access, is a summit of 2,000 feet (610 m) or higher. In addition, some definitions also include a topographical prominence requirement, such as that the mountain rises 300 metres (984 ft) above the surrounding terrain. At one time, the United States Board on Geographic Names defined a mountain as being 1,000 feet (305 m) or taller, but has abandoned

4331-537: The only country in the region with such a high elevated surface. This elevated surface is bisected diagonally by the Great East African Rift System which extends from Syria to Mozambique across the East African Lakes. Most of the Ethiopian Highlands are part of central and northern Ethiopia, and its northernmost portion reaches into Eritrea . In the southern parts of the Ethiopian Highlands once

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4402-484: The park areas are part of the Somali Acacia–Commiphora bushlands and thickets ecoregion. The Ethiopian montane forests ecoregion extends into the north-central portion of the park and includes dry Afromontane regions located on the mountainous region close of Arero along with dry evergreen trees, and juniper trees. The Sarite block is mostly covered with widespread grassland and dry open savannah whereas

4473-562: The park that are considered endangered. Other birds include ostriches , short-tailed larks , Red-bellied parrots , Pringle's puffbacks , northern grey tits , eastern yellow-billed hornbill , Abyssinian grosbeak-canaries , Superb starling , vulturine guineafowl , Somali sparrows , black-capped social weavers , Donaldson Smith's nightjars , star-spotted nightjars , grey-headed social weavers , magpie starlings , little spotted woodpeckers , grey-headed silverbills , and tawny pipits are found within Borana National Park. The park's area

4544-527: The plants and animals residing on mountains. A particular set of plants and animals tend to be adapted to a relatively narrow range of climate. Thus, ecosystems tend to lie along elevation bands of roughly constant climate. This is called altitudinal zonation . In regions with dry climates, the tendency of mountains to have higher precipitation as well as lower temperatures also provides for varying conditions, which enhances zonation. Some plants and animals found in altitudinal zones tend to become isolated since

4615-399: The southern highlands, accessible from Dinsho ; and Simien Mountains National Park , accessible from Gondar , which includes Ras Dashen. However, even these parks are losing habitat to livestock grazing, while the lower elevation parks ( Harar Wildlife Sanctuary , Awash National Park , Omo National Park , and Nechisar National Park ) are even less secure. Above 3,000 meters elevation lie

4686-504: The surface. When the magma reaches the surface, it often builds a volcanic mountain, such as a shield volcano or a stratovolcano . Examples of volcanoes include Mount Fuji in Japan and Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. The magma does not have to reach the surface in order to create a mountain: magma that solidifies below ground can still form dome mountains , such as Navajo Mountain in

4757-470: The tallest mountain on land by this measure. The bases of mountain islands are below sea level, and given this consideration Mauna Kea (4,207 m (13,802 ft) above sea level) is the world's tallest mountain and volcano, rising about 10,203 m (33,474 ft) from the Pacific Ocean floor. The highest mountains are not generally the most voluminous. Mauna Loa (4,169 m or 13,678 ft)

4828-470: The tallest on earth. There is no universally accepted definition of a mountain. Elevation, volume, relief, steepness, spacing and continuity have been used as criteria for defining a mountain. In the Oxford English Dictionary a mountain is defined as "a natural elevation of the earth surface rising more or less abruptly from the surrounding level and attaining an altitude which, relatively to

4899-473: The temperate portions of the earth, those forests tend to be needleleaf trees, while in the tropics, they can be broadleaf trees growing in a rainforest . The highest known permanently tolerable altitude is at 5,950 metres (19,520 ft). At very high altitudes, the decreasing atmospheric pressure means that less oxygen is available for breathing, and there is less protection against solar radiation ( UV ). Above 8,000 metres (26,000 ft) elevation, there

4970-471: The tropics, a zone of maximum insolation, where every place has overhead sun twice a year. However, considerable portions of Ethiopia are highland areas, and their altitudes give them non-tropical temperatures. Ethiopia's tropical climate occur in lowlands at the country's peripheries. The predominant climate of the Ethiopian Highlands is the Alpine climate . Because the highlands elevate Ethiopia, located close to

5041-596: Was located the Kingdom of Kaffa , a medieval and early modern state, whence the coffee plant was exported to the Arabian Peninsula . The land of the former kingdom is mountainous with stretches of forest. The land is very fertile, capable of three harvests a year. The term coffee derives from the Arabic : قهوة ( qahwah ) and is traced to Kaffa. The Highlands are divided into northwestern and southeastern portions by

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