Many of West Africa's highest mountains are active volcanoes.
West Africa is more famous for its steamy tropical forests and political turbulence than for its mountains. Most of the region is low lying, although Cameroon has one mountain over 13,000 feet in Mount Cameroon. Other lesser peaks and volcanoes are to be found across the region but none are higher than 10,000 feet. West Africa is home to a number of active volcanoes and many of its peaks are remote or inaccessible.
Mount Cameroon
The highest peak in West Africa at 13,255 feet Mount Cameroon is an active volcano that last erupted in the year 2000. Its first known eruption was in the 5th Century BC and was recorded by Carthaginian navigator Hanno. It is the closest African volcano to the sea and rises almost directly out of the Gulf of Guinea in West Cameroon. There is another volcano called the Pico de Santa Isabel which reaches 9,868 ft on an island just off the coast. Mount Cameroon was first climbed in 1861 by explorer Sir Richard Burton and can be climbed by hikers, provided it is not erupting.
Pico Basile
Formerly known as the Pico de Santa Isabel this 9,878 volcanic peak sits on Bioko Island in Equatorial Guinea. It last erupted in 1923 and its lower slopes are covered in tropical forest. Mount Cameroon can be seen from the summit and both mountains are part of the Cameroon line; a rift zone stretching from Lake Chad in the East out into the Gulf of Guinea.
Mount Nimba
At 5,748 ft Mount Niimba or Mount Richard-Molard sits on the borders of Liberia, Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire and is the highest mountain in all three countries. It is also the highest point in the Nimba Range. The whole mountain is rich in iron ore, and the Liberia section has been extensively mined while Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire have declared their parts to be nature reserves. The protected parts of the Nimba Range have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Mount Bintumani
The highest peak in Sierra Leone Mount Bintumani or Loma Mansu is 6,381 ft high and the highest peak in the Guinea Highlands range. The mountain is difficult to access as there are no tarmac roads close by.
Pico de Sao Tome
Pico de Sao Tome is only technically 6,640 ft above sea level but is in fact the emergent peak of a giant shield volcano that sits on the sea bed in over 10,000 feet of water. This makes it the highest mountain in West Africa despite being mostly under water. As the highest point of São Tom island in the Gulf of Guinea the mountain is a continuation of the Cameroon Line. The upper slopes of the mountain are forested and inside the Obo National Park.
Tags: West Africa, Mount Cameroon, Gulf Guinea, highest peak, active volcanoes, Cote Ivoire, feet Mount
