Ruwenzori Range

Mountain range on the frontier between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda; length 105 km/65 mi; width about 48 km/30 mi. The highest point is Mount Stanley at 5,119 m/16,794 ft.

Mount Stanley, together with other peaks, has a permanent snow-cap. Annual rainfall is about 4,570 mm/180 in. There are clearly marked vegetation zones, which include tropical forest, grasslands, savannah, swamp, and tundra. In 1952 a natural park was established in the Ruwenzori to protect the wide variety of species and habitats. The mountain range is thought to be the ‘Mountains of the Moon’ mentioned by the Eygyptian astronomer and geographer Ptolemy.