The Mlanje Mountains of Nyasaland

Abstract

HE traveler visiting Nyasaland by rail obtains his first good view of the Mlanje Mountains in clear weather from near Chiromo, from which they are seen to rise above the head of the broad, shallow Ruo Valley at a distance of about 45 miles (Fig. 2). Subsequently, near Luchenza, the railway passes within I5 miles of the mountains and affords probably the best point for a comprehensive view. The mountains rise up boldly from the southeastern corner of the Shire Highlands, where they constitute a more or less rectangular mass about twelve miles across, of which the four sides face the four cardinal points. The Shire Highlands lie at an altitude of about 2I00 feet. The fine precipices that limit the mountains on almost all sides attain to heights of about 6000 feet, where they form the outer edges of a number of small plateaus that rest upon the flanks of the mass. Behind the plateaus rise numerous high peaks and ridges; while most of these reach altitudes of 8000 to 9000 feet, the highest peak, known as Mlanje Peak, is nearly IO,OOO feet in height. The mountains rise so steeply above the surrounding country that climatic differences are sharply marked. On the Shire Highlands the year is divided into a rainy period extending from the end of November to the end of March and a dry period occupying the remainder of the year, with a cool period following the rains. On the mountains the rains are much more prolonged and are apt to extend intermittently all through the year. On the Shire Highlands the annual rainfall usually ranges from 40 to 50 inches; about the southwestern foot of the mountains approaches 70 inches; on Lichenya Plateau, 4000 feet above, is about IIo inches. The heavy rainfall is an economic asset to Nyasaland in that it has given rise to a valuable tea-growing industry. Moreover the abundant waters of the Ruo and its tributaries, to which it gives birth, not only enable the Shire below Chiromo to function as a river in dry periods but also form potential sources of water power of considerable magnitude. During the cool season frosts and hail are frequently experienced, and ice forms on open pools to a 6ii