Mount Gahinga

Mount Gahinga is a dormant/extinct volcano in the Virunga Mountains on the border between Rwanda and Uganda. Gahinga lies between Muhabura and Sabyinyo, but is the smallest of these three. 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 also 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.

Mount Gahinga
Mts. Gahinga (left) and Muhabura (right)
Highest point
Elevation3,473 m (11,394 ft) [Notes 1]
Prominence2,821 m (9,255 ft) 
Coordinates01°23′13″S 29°38′48″E [Notes 1]
Naming
English translationA little pile of stones
Language of nameKinyarwanda
Geography
Mount Gahanga
Mount Gahanga
Mount Gahanga (Uganda)
Parent rangeVirunga Mountains
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano
Last eruptionunknown[1]
Climbing
Easiest routeHike

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.

References
  1. "Mahavura". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
  2. "Mgahinga Gorilla National Park - Areas of Interest: The Virunga Volcanoes". Uganda Wildlife Authority. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
Notes
  1. See the Synonyms & Subfeatures tab on the GVP page
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