Mambilla Plateau
| Mambilla Plateau | |
|---|---|
| Adamawa Highland | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Gang Chappal Waddi |
| Elevation | 2,419 m (7,936 ft) |
| Dimensions | |
| Area | 9,389 km2 (3,625 sq mi) |
| Geography | |
| Country | Nigeria, Cameroon |
| State | Taraba State |
| Region | Nigeria's Eastern Jut into Cameroon |
| Range coordinates | 7°20′N 11°43′E / 7.333°N 11.717°ECoordinates: 7°20′N 11°43′E / 7.333°N 11.717°E |
The Mambilla Plateau is a plateau in the Taraba State of Nigeria. The plateau is Nigeria's northern continuation of the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon.
The Mambilla Plateau has an average elevation of about 1,600 metres (5,249 ft) above sea level, making it the highest plateau in Nigeria. Some of its villages are situated on hills that must be at least 1,828 metres (5,997 ft) high above sea level.
Some mountains on the plateau and around it are over 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) high, like the Chappal Waddi (more appropriate name: Gang) mountain which has an average height of about 2,419 metres (7,936 ft) above sea level. It is the highest mountain in Nigeria and the highest mountain in West Africa if Cameroon's mountains, such as Mount Cameroon, are excluded.
The plateau developed on basement complex rocks.Tertiary basalts also occur on the Mambilla plateau and are mostly formed by trachytic lavas and extensive basalts, occurring around Nguroje. The Mambilla Plateau measures about 96 km (60 mi) along its curved length; it is 40 km (25 mi) wide and is bounded by an escarpment that is about 900 m (2,953 ft) high in some places. The plateau covers an area of over 9,389 square kilometres (3,625 sq mi). Gang ('Chappal Waddi') Mountain is found at the northeastern flank of the Plateau.
The Mambilla Plateau, cradle of the Bantu-speaking peoples (Zeitlyn & Connell, 2003; Griffith, 2007; Martin, 2009),and continuously inhabited for over four millennia by the same Mambillobantu culture, is found in the southeastern part of Taraba State of Nigeria under Sardauna local government area (the former Mambilla District set up in January 1940, which became known as 'Mambilla Local Authority' in 1970, and then as 'Mambilla Local Government Area' in 1981) . The current 'Sardauna' title is believed to be an inappropriate cognomen for this historically famous spot in Africa, given that the combination of three local government areas in one, which was the tenuous basis for the appellation, has since ceased to exist. The false premise of a "sardauna" "discovering" the area is untenable, since the entire former Northern Cameroon Province headquartered at Mubi has since reverted to the use of their various true names. The people of the Mambilla Plateau are equally entitled to their ancient and historical identity and to be appropriately named, just as all other areas in the defunct "Sardauna" Province. The name "Mambilla" is a derivative of the ancient name "Mamberre" which has been used for the Mambilla Plateau from ancient times and which concomitantly denotes its inhabitants.
...
Wikipedia