Ethiopian Highlands

Individual mountains and very many animals

It consists of a large part of the Nubian Desert, where the terrain is very rugged leading to the Red Sea. A part of the African Rift Valley is also present in this region, which branches off to the Great Rift Valley. The highlands of Abyssinia are surrounded by many lakes and the Nile Valley as well as swamps from Sudan adjoin the foothills. Various smaller mountain ranges are integrated into the highlands. Some highlands and mountains that fade into dense jungle are recorded here. There are almost no inhabitants in this region, but all the more elephants, snakes or other predators. A coastal strip towards the Red Sea also begins here and the climate in this area is mainly dry savanna. On the eastern edge, there are also various valleys, the Koba Depression and various swamp areas with streams or rivers. This region is characterized mainly by dry but also by wet savannas. The highlands of Abyssinia also have a thorn savanna where there are many lakes.

Grassland and mountains

The highlands of Abyssinia are rich in grassland in the center of the mountains. Here you can also find part of the tropical rainforest and the table mountains, which rise up without forest and very rocky. Hippopotamuses can be observed very nicely in the region and the rather lush vegetation is ideal for various African animal species. The peaks located in the highlands are well watered and are connected by a unique plateau. However, they are rather rocky, which means that livestock farming sometimes takes place there. The slopes are very steep and the terrain merges into a dry savanna that stretches into the valleys to the Blue and White Nile.

Rainy season and mountains

The climate of the highlands of Abyssinia is very humid and tropical in the summit regions. In the valleys, however, it is dry and warm. The droughts known in Ethiopia are due to the climate change prevailing there. The rainy season usually lasts three months, but precipitation only occurs in the summit regions. The rainy season lasts from June to September, affecting the highlands of Abyssinia and increasingly the mountain regions. This is why there is very lush fauna and flora there, which, however, does not appear in the drought zones. The high mountains integrated into the highlands are about 4500 meters high. It can happen that the peaks are covered with snow and ice for several months. This is why the Blue Nile is always filled with water. The Nile Valley, however, is at risk because climate change does not provide enough precipitation in the valleys. There are also various mountains over 4000 meters high in the highlands of Abyssinia, which are also recorded in this region.