Usangu Plain
 
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Location of the Usangu Plain in Tanzania |
The Usangu Plain is a plateau in southwest Tanzania in the Mbeya region .
geography
The Usangu Plain has a size of around 16,500 square kilometers. It is a bowl-shaped area bounded by the Kipengere Mountains to the south and the Mbeya Mountains to the northwest . The water from these mountains collects in the Ruaha , which later flows into the Rufiji . The land lies at an altitude of around 1000 meters above sea level. In the eastern part of the plain lies the Ruaha National Park .
history
The Usangu Plain area is home to the Sangu , who were wealthy ranchers from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries. At the end of the 20th century, most of the land was nationalized, irrigation systems installed and rice cultivation promoted.
geology
The Usangu Plain is the eastern branch of the East African Rift. The fault runs along the Mbeya Mountains and the Lupa Highlands to the northwest and north. The Chimala Fault marks the southern edge of the Usangu Basin and defines the northern edge of the Kipengere and Udzungwa Mountains.
ecology
The valley of the Ruaha River was a wetland. As a result of the heavy withdrawal of water for the irrigation of fields and the increase in cattle farming, the area dries up seasonally. This leads to a change in the ecosystem from humid-tropical to dry-tropical and also to the hindrance of electricity production in the hydropower plants downstream.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Zacharia JU Malley, Mohammed Taeb, Tetsuo Matsumoto and Hiroyuki Takeya: Environmental change and vulnerability in the Usangu plain, southwestern Tanzania: Implications for sustainabledevelopment. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, 2007, pp. 2–3 , accessed July 22, 2020 .
- ↑ Maps for the world, Map 500k - xc36-2. Retrieved July 22, 2020 (Russian).
- ↑ Tanzania in Figures 2018. (PDF) National Bureau of Statistics, June 2019, p. 8 , accessed on July 25, 2020 .
- ^ Susan Charnley: Pastoralism and the Demise of Communal Property in Tanzania. March 1996, accessed July 26, 2020 .
- ^ Interpretation of Reflection Seismic Data from the Usangu Basin, East African Rift System. (PDF) In: Tanzanian Journal of Science. University of Dar es Salaam, 2002, accessed July 22, 2020 .
- Jump up ↑ MGG Mtahiko, E. Gereta, AR Kajuni, EAT Chiombola, GZ Ng'umbi, P. Coppolillo & E. Wolanski: Towards an ecohydrology-based restoration of the Usangu wetlands and the Great Ruaha River, Tanzania. July 4, 2006, accessed July 25, 2020 .