TANZANIA: THE LAND

The land: Tanzania mainland Relief Except for the narrow coastal belt of the mainland and the offshore islands, most of Tanzania lies above 600 feet (200 metres) in elevation. Vast stretches of plains and plateaus contrast with spectacular relief features, notably Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro (19,340 feet [5,895 metres]), and the world's second deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika (4,710 feet [1,436 metres] deep). The East African Rift System runs in two northsouth-trending branches through Tanzania, leaving many narrow, deep depressions that are often filled by lakes. One branch, the Western Rift Valley, runs along the western frontier and is marked by Lakes Tanganyika and Rukwa, while the other branch, the Eastern (or Great) Rift Valley, extends through central Tanzania from the Kenyan border in the region of Lakes Eyasi, Manyara, and Natron south to Lake Nyasa at the border with Mozambique. The Central Plateau, covering more than a third of the country, lies between the two branches. Ol Doinyo Lengai, volcano near Lake Natron, northern Tanzania. Highlands associated with the Western Rift Valley are formed by the Ufipa Plateau, the Mbeya Range, and Rungwe Mountain in the southwestern corner of the country. From there the Southern Highlands run northeastward along the Great Rift to the Ukuguru and Nguru mountains northwest of Morogoro. Extending from the northern coast, the Usambara and Pare mountain chains run in a southeast-to-northwest direction, culminating in Kilimanjaro's lofty, snow-clad peak and continuing beyond to Mount Meru (14,980 feet). Immediately to the west of Mount Meru, another chain of mountains begins, which includes the still-active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai and the Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest caldera, or volcanic depression. This chain extends through a corridor between Lake Eyasi and Lake Manyara toward Dodoma. Drainage Because of its numerous lakes, approximately 22,800 square miles of Tanzania's territory consists of inland water. Lake Victoria, which ranks as the world's second largest freshwater lake, is not part of the Rift System. Interestingly, Tanzania has no big rivers, yet it forms the divide from which the three great rivers of the African continent risethe Nile, Congo, and Zambezi, which flow to the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean, respectively. Separated by the Central Plateau, the watersheds of these rivers do not meet. All of Tanzania's major riversthe Ruvuma, the Rufiji, the Wami, and the Panganidrain into the Indian Ocean. The largest, the Rufiji River, has a drainage system that extends over most of southern Tanzania. The Kagera flows into Lake Victoria, whereas other minor rivers flow into internal basins formed by the Great Rift Valley. With so many rivers, Tanzania is rich in hydroelectricity potential.