Mount Namuli is the second highest mountain in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

and the highest in the Province of Zambezia. It is high and was measured, surveyed and described in 1886 by

Henry Edward O'Neill Henry Edward O'Neill FRGS, FRAS, RN, (1848–1925) was a Royal Navy officer and British explorer of central Africa. He served as HBM consul, Mozambique. O'Neill was a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and Royal Geographical Society, as wel ...

, the British consul in Mozambique. The Namuli massif consists of a level plateau with the granite dome of Mount Namuli above. The area was historically clad in tropical rainforest and is an important

biodiversity hotspot A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Norman Myers wrote about the concept in two articles in ''The Environmentalist'' in 1988 and 1990, after which the co ...

with many

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

species of animals and plants. The lower slopes are now mainly used for the cultivation of tea and the middle slopes for other agricultural purposes, with indigenous forest now mostly restricted to the higher parts and corridors along water courses.

Geography

Mount Namuli is the highest peak in the

Zambezia Province Zambezia ( pt, Zambézia) is the second most-populous province of Mozambique, located in the central coastal region south-west of Nampula Province and north-east of Sofala Province. It has a population of 5.11 million, according to the 2017 censu ...

. At 2,420 metres it is the second highest mountain of Mozambique behind the

Monte Binga Monte Binga is the highest mountain in Mozambique and the second highest mountain in Zimbabwe. It is located in the Chimanimani Mountains, on the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique in the Chimanimani Transfrontier Park in Manica Province. It ...

. The Namuli massif consists of a level plateau which rises 700 to 800 metre. The granite dome of the Namuli rises 1,600 metre above the plateau. The area above 1,200 metre measures 50 x 30 km. Mount Namuli is located 12 km north-east of Gurué and about 160 km from the

Mulanje Massif The Mulanje Massif, also known as Mount Mulanje, is a large inselberg in southern Malawi. Sapitwa Peak, the highest point on the massif at 3,002 m, is the highest point in Malawi. It lies 65 km east of Blantyre, rising sharply from the su ...

in south-eastern

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

. The forests of Mount Namuli are an important

which means that they have a high biodiversity rate of threatened animals and plant taxa. Species like the

Namuli apalis The Namuli apalis (''Apalis lynesi'') is a small African passerine bird belonging to the genus ''Apalis'' in the family Cisticolidae. It was formerly considered as a subspecies of the bar-throated apalis. It is the only bird species endemic to Mo ...

(''Apalis lynesi'') and the

Vincent's bush squirrel Vincent's bush squirrel (''Paraxerus vincenti'') is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae, named in honour of Jack Vincent. It is endemic to Mozambique. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and it is threate ...

(''Paraxerus vincenti'') are endemic to Mount Namuli. Other rare species are the

Thyolo alethe The Thyolo alethe or Cholo alethe (''Chamaetylas choloensis'') is an endangered species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Malawi and Mozambique. It is named after Thyolo, a nearby town in Malawi. Its natural habitat is subtropi ...

(''Alethe choloensis'') and the

dapple-throat The dapple-throat (''Arcanator orostruthus'') is a species of bird in the small African family Modulatricidae. Other common names include dappled mountain robin and dappled mountain greenbul. It is native to Mozambique and Tanzania. This is the o ...

(''Modulatrix orostruthus'') which occur elsewhere too. The lower slopes of Mount Namuli are dominated by tea plantations. The middle slopes are agrarian oriented. Indigenous forests are confined to corridors along stream courses. The nearest town is

Gurúè Gurúè (also spelt Gurué; known before independence as ''Vila Junqueiro'') is a town located in the northern part of Mozambique, near the center of the province of Zambezia. It serves as the principal town of Gurué District, and is Mozambique' ...

which is the largest tea estate of Mozambique.

History

Mount Namuli was first explored in August 1886 by

who was the British consul in Mozambique in 1879. It became notable in ornithological circles for the expedition by

Hubert Lynes Rear Admiral Hubert Lynes, (27 November 1874 – 10 November 1942) was a British admiral whose First World War service was notable for his direction of the Zeebrugge and Ostend raids designed to neutralise the German-held port of Bruges, which ...

and

Jack Vincent Jack Vincent (6 March 1904 – 3 July 1999) was an English ornithologist. Biography Vincent was born in London. At age 21 he moved to South Africa where he worked on two farms in the Richmond district of the Natal Province. In the 1920s he w ...

in 1931/1932. Due to the

Mozambican Civil War The Mozambican Civil War ( pt, Guerra Civil Moçambicana) was a civil war fought in Mozambique from 1977 to 1992. Like many regional African conflicts during the late twentieth century, the Mozambican Civil War possessed local dynamics but was a ...

and poor road access, it was not until 1998 when a South African team of ornithologists were able to explore the forests of Mount Namuli.

References

The birds of Namuli, northern Mozambique: retracing Vincent's footsteps
* New records of Ficus (Moraceae) species emphasize the conservation significance of inselbergs in Mozambiqu
PDF, online
*

: ''The Namuli Mountains, Portuguese East Africa'' In: ''The Geographical Journal'', Vol. 81, No. 4 (Apr., 1933), p. 314-327 * Timberlake, J.R., Dowsett-Lemaire, F., Bayliss, J., Alves T., Baena, S., Bento, C., Cook, K., Francisco, J., Harris, T., Smith, P. & de Sousa, C. (2009). ''Mt Namuli, Mozambique: Biodiversity and Conservation.'' Report produced under the Darwin Initiative Award 15/036. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London. 114 p

Geography of Zambezia Province, Namuli

Namuli Mount Namuli is the second highest mountain in Mozambique and the highest in the Province of Zambezia. It is high and was measured, surveyed and described in 1886 by Henry Edward O'Neill, the British consul in Mozambique. The Namuli massif cons ...

Important Bird Areas of Mozambique Inselbergs of Africa {{Mozambique-geo-stub