The Cheringoma Plateau is a low plateau in

Sofala Province Sofala is a Provinces of Mozambique, province of Mozambique. It has a population of 2,259,248 (2017 census). Beira, Mozambique, Beira is the capital of the province, named for the ruined port of Sofala which is to the south. History Portuguese ...

of Mozambique. It lies mostly within Cheringoma, Muanza, and Marromeu districts.

Geography

The Cheringoma Plateau lies near the coast, between the lower

Zambezi The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...

and Pungwe rivers. The plateau is roughly oval in shape, trending northeast-southwest. The ridgeline follows the northern and western edge of the plateau. It reaches over 300 meters elevation along the ridgeline, with the highest point (379 meters) near the town of Inhaminga. The plateau falls gently towards the east and south, and steeply towards the west and north, known as the Cheringoma escarpment. The low, flat Urema Valley lies below the escarpment, bounding the plateau on the north and west. The Urema lowlands are part of the

African Rift Valley The East African Rift (EAR) or East African Rift System (EARS) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa. The EAR began developing around the onset of the Miocene, 22–25 million years ago. It was formerly considered to be part of a la ...

system. The lowlands are home to seasonal lakes and wetlands. The northern portion of the graben is drained northeastwards by the Zangue River, a tributary of the Zambezi, while the southern portion is drained southwards by the

Urema River The Urema Valley, also known as the Urema Graben, is a lowland valley in Sofala Province of central Mozambique. The Urema Valley extends from the Zambezi River south to Sofala Bay. It is a typical graben valley, with a flat bottom and escarpments ...

, a tributary of the Pungwe. The Urema basin and the adjacent western portion of the plateau lie within

Gorongosa National Park Gorongosa National Park is at the southern end of the Great African Rift Valley in the heart of central Mozambique, Southeast Africa. The more than park comprises the valley floor and parts of surrounding plateaus. Rivers originating on nearby ...

.Davies, G.B.P., C.T. Symes, and D.W. Pietersen. "Inhamtianga Forest – the Largest Indigenous Forest in Mozambique and Aspects of its Avifauna". ''Honeyguide'' (2011) 57(2), pp. 92-101. The Zambezi Delta lies to the northeast, and the streams originating in the northeast corner of the plateau empty into the delta. The plateau slopes gently on the southeast and south towards the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

. A number of rivers, including the Savane, Sangussi, Zambazo (or Sambazo), Chinizuia, Zuni, and Mupa, drain southeastwards off the plateau into the Indian Ocean. The port of Beira lies to the southwest, near the mouth of the Pungwe River. In the 1920s, the Trans-Zambezia Railway was built across the plateau, generally following the ridgeline between Beira and the Zambezi. The railway fell into disuse during the

Mozambican Civil War The Mozambican Civil War () was a civil war fought in Mozambique from 1977 to 1992 due to a combination of local strife and the polarizing effects of Cold War politics. The fighting was between Mozambique's ruling Marxist Front for the Liberat ...

, but was returned to use in 2010. The railway, now called the Sena line, runs from Beira to the coal mine at

Moatize Moatize is the principal town and administrative center of Moatize District in western Mozambique's Tete Province. It is located on the eastern side of the Zambezi River at the confluence of the Moatize and Revuboe Rivers. After Tete, it is the ...

Tete Province Tete is a Provinces of Mozambique, province of Mozambique, located in the northwest of the country. It has an area of 98,417 km2 and a population of 2,648,941 (2017 census). Tete, Mozambique, Tete is the capital of the province. The Cahora ...

. Highway 120 runs parallel to the railway between Beira and Caia on the Zambezi. At Inhamitanga, a branch of the railway continues east to the river port of Marromeu on the Zambezi.

Climate

The climate of the plateau is tropical savanna (Aw) according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

. Rainfall ranges from 1000 and 1200 mm annually, with most of the precipitation during the summer rainy season from December to March.

Geology

The plateau is mostly covered by sandy soils, derived from conglomerate

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

s of the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

and

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

marine

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

s, known as the Cheringoma Formation. The Cheringoma Formation's limestone contain numerous marine fossils, including coral,

gastropod Gastropods (), commonly known as slugs and snails, belong to a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, freshwater, and fro ...

bivalve Bivalvia () or bivalves, in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class (biology), class of aquatic animal, aquatic molluscs (marine and freshwater) that have laterally compressed soft bodies enclosed b ...

s, and

nummulite A nummulite is a large lenticular fossil, characterised by its numerous coils, subdivided by septa into chambers. They are the shells of the fossil and present-day marine protozoan ''Nummulites'', a type of foraminiferan. Nummulites commonly vary ...

s. The Cheringoma formation is exposed along the Cheringoma Escarpment, and has eroded into gorges and extensive caverns.

Ecology

Most of the plateau is within the

Southern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

ecoregion, which extends from the coast to the ridgeline. Plant communities include humid

miombo woodland Miombo woodland is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome (in the World Wide Fund for Nature scheme) located in central and southern tropical Africa. It includes three woodland savanna ecoregions (listed below) charac ...

and moist evergreen forest in river valleys. The northeastern and eastern slopes of the plateau and the Urema Graben are in the generally hotter and drier

Zambezian and mopane woodlands The Zambezian and mopane woodlands is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion of southeastern Africa. The ecoregion is characterized by the mopane tree ''( Colophospermum mopane)'', and extends across portion ...

ecoregion, characterized by savanna of ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

, Sclerocarya, Burkea,'' and ''

Hyphaene ''Hyphaene'' is a genus of palms native to Africa, Madagascar, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay ...

'', along with floodplain grasslands and patches of deciduous forest."WWF Wildfinder". World Wildlife Fund. Accessed 27 June 2018

/ref> The forests of the plateau are mostly unprotected and under intense logging pressure, but the plateau is still home to several intact stands of moist evergreen forest and miombo woodland.Briggs, Philip, and Sean Connoly (2014). ''Mozambique''. Bradt Travel Guides, August 1 2014. There are two forest reserves on the plateau, Inhamitanga (1704 ha) and Nhampacue (2620 ha).Müller, Thomas & Sitoe, Almeida & Mabunda, Rito. (2018). Assessment of the Forest Reserve Network in Mozambique

/ref> Controlled hunting areas, called , cover the eastern end of the plateau in Cheringoma and Marromeu districts – 10, 11, and 12. The Chinizuia Forest lies in Muanza District on the eastern slope of the plateau, in the valley of the Chinizuia River. It is famous among birdwatchers for offering some of the best miombo and forest birdwatching in southern Africa. Miombo woodland species include the

southern banded snake eagle The southern banded snake eagle (''Circaetus fasciolatus''), also known as the East African snake eagle or fasciated snake eagle, is a species of snake eagle in the family Accipitridae which is found in eastern Sub-Saharan Africa. Description T ...

''(Circaetus fasciolatus)'',

Ayres's hawk-eagle Ayres's hawk-eagle (''Hieraaetus ayresii''), also referred to as Ayres' eagle,Newman, K (1998) Newman's Birds of Southern Africa. Halfway House: Southern Book Publishers. . is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. It is native t ...

''(Hieraaetus ayresii)'',

racket-tailed roller The racket-tailed roller (''Coracias spatulatus'') is a species of bird in the family Coraciidae. It is found in southern Africa from Angola, south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and southern Tanzania to northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi a ...

''(Coracias spatulatus)'',

Black-and-white shrike-flycatcher The black-and-white shrike-flycatcher (''Bias musicus''), also known as the black-and-white flycatcher or vanga flycatcher, is a species of passerine bird found in Africa. It was placed with the wattle-eyes and batises in the family Platysteiri ...

''(Bias musicus)'',

chestnut-fronted helmetshrike The chestnut-fronted helmetshrike (''Prionops scopifrons'') is a species of bird in the Vanga family Vangidae, formerly usually included in the Malaconotidae. It is found in Kenya, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Its ...

''(Prionops scopifrons)'',

Retz's helmetshrike Retz's helmetshrike (''Prionops retzii'') is a species of bird in the helmetshrike family Vangidae, formerly usually included in the Malaconotidae. Subspecies Four subspecies are recognized: * ''P. r. nigricans'' (Neumann, 1899) – south centra ...

''(Prionops retzii)'',

White-crested helmetshrike The white-crested helmetshrike (''Prionops plumatus''), also known as the white helmetshrike, is a species of passerine bird in the Vanga family Vangidae, formerly usually included in the Malaconotidae. Distribution and habitat It is found in A ...

''(Prionops plumatus)'',

yellow-bellied hyliota The yellow-bellied hyliota (''Hyliota flavigaster'') is a species of Hyliota. It is found in Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, ...

''(Hyliota flavigaster)'', red-throated twinspot ''(Hypargos niveoguttatus)'', and lesser seedcracker ''(Pyrenestes minor)''. In the streamside forests are the

east coast akalat The east coast akalat or Gunning's robin (''Sheppardia gunningi'') is a small passerine bird which can be found in the east of Africa from Kenya to Mozambique, and is named after J. W. B. Gunning. This species is a forest-dwelling insectivorous ...

''(Sheppardia gunningi)'', white-chested alethe ''(Chamaetylas fuelleborni)'', barred long-tailed cuckoo ''(Cercococcyx montanus)'',

African pitta The African pitta (''Pitta angolensis'') is an Afrotropical bird of the family Pittidae. It is a locally common to uncommon species, resident and migratory in the west, and an intra-African migrant between equatorial and southeastern Africa. Th ...

''(Pitta angolensis)'',

eastern bronze-naped pigeon The eastern bronze-naped pigeon (''Columba delegorguei''), also known as Delegorgue's pigeon, is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in Angola, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, an ...

''(Columba delegorguei)'',

silvery-cheeked hornbill The silvery-cheeked hornbill (''Bycanistes brevis'') is a large species of hornbill found in Africa. Silvery-cheeked hornbills are residents of the tall evergreen forests of East Africa from Ethiopia to South Africa. In Zimbabwe it is threatened ...

''(Bycanistes brevis)'', African broadbill ''(Smithornis capensis)'',

Narina trogon __NOTOC__ The Narina trogon (''Apaloderma narina'') is a largely green and red, medium-sized (32–34 cm long), bird of the family Trogonidae. It is native to forests and woodlands of the Afrotropics. Though it is the most widespread and cat ...

''(Apaloderma narina)'',

speckle-throated woodpecker The speckle-throated woodpecker (''Campethera scriptoricauda''), also known as Reichenow's woodpecker, is an East African woodpecker often considered a subspecies of Bennett's woodpecker. The bird is named after the German ornithologist Anton Re ...

''(Campethera scriptoricauda)'',

lowland tiny greenbul The lowland tiny greenbul (''Phyllastrephus debilis''), is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae. It is found in eastern Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical ...

''(Phyllastrephus debilis)'', black-headed apalis ''(Apalis melanocephala)'',

plain-backed sunbird The plain-backed sunbird, also known as blue-throated sunbird (''Anthreptes reichenowi'') is a sunbird. The sunbirds are a group of very small Old World passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially ...

''(Anthreptes reichenowi)'', and western violet-backed sunbird ''(Anthreptes longuemarei)''.

Nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

birds include the

African wood owl The African wood owl (''Strix woodfordii'') or Woodford's owl, is a typical owl from the genus ''Strix (genus), Strix'' in the family Strigidae and is arguably the most common forest owl in Africa. It inhabits wooded areas and possesses a distin ...

''(Strix woodfordii)'', African barred owlet ''(Glaucidium capense)'',

Verreaux's eagle-owl Verreaux's eagle-owl (''Ketupa lactea''), also commonly known as the milky eagle owl or giant eagle owl, is a member of the family Strigidae. This species is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. A member of the genus '' Ketupa'', it is the largest A ...

''(Bubo lacteus)'' and fiery-necked nightjar ''(Caprimulgus pectoralis)''. The Inhamitanga Forest, which lies between the plateau town of

Inhamitanga Inhamitanga is a town in Cheringoma District in Sofala Province of Mozambique. Transport It is served by a station on the Mozambique Railway system, where it is a junction. Inhamitanga is connected by an unpaved road R1002 with Chupanga. ...

and the Zambezi lowlands to the northeast, is Mozambique's largest intact tract of forest. It covers an area of 40,000 hectares. It is located on sandy soil on the northern edge of the plateau, and combines flora typical of the coastal evergreen forest ''(

Celtis mildbraedii ''Celtis mildbraedii'' is a species of forest tree in the family Cannabaceae. It was previously assigned to the family Ulmaceae. These trees grow in limited areas of South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. They are also found in forested areas fro ...

Drypetes gerrardii ''Drypetes gerrardii'' is a species of small tree or large shrub in the family Putranjivaceae. Common names include forest ironplum, bastard white ironwood, and forest ironwood. It is native to tropical and subtropical central and eastern Africa. ...

,'' and ''

Donella viridifolia ''Donella viridifolia'', commonly known as fluted milkwood, is a potentially large (up to 20 m tall) species of evergreen milkwood tree that occurs in East African coastal forests, southerly coastal forest mosaics and in some inland fores ...

)'', deciduous sand forests ''(

Millettia stuhlmannii ''Millettia stuhlmannii'', commonly known as panga panga, is a well-known species of timber tree that is native to the southeastern Afrotropics. The wood of the tropical species '' M. laurentii'' has similar qualities and uses, but is slightly da ...

'' and ''

Xylia torreana ''Xylia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Mainland Southeast Asia. Species ''Xylia'' includes nine accepted species: * '' Xylia africana'' Harms * ''Xylia evansii'' Hut ...

)'', and Zambezian lowland savanna ''(

Sterculia appendiculata ''Sterculia'' is a genus of 182 flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae: subfamily Sterculioideae (previously placed in the now obsolete Sterculiaceae). Members of the genus are colloquially known as tropical chestnuts. ''Sterculia'' ...

)''. The forest has no permanent watercourses. The forest lies Coutada No. 12. The Inhamitanga Forest Reserve includes a narrow corridor through the forest – 250 meters on either side of the Inhamitanga-

Chupanga Chupanga, formerly Shupanga, also known as Lacerdónia, is a village in Marromeu District, Sofala Province, Mozambique, located on the right bank of Zambezi River. It is the administrative center of one of the two postos which constitute Marrome ...

road (Road 213), extending for 32 km. The Nhampacue Forest Reserve is located in Cheringoma and Marromeu districts, on the boundary between the plateau and the inundated grasslands of the Zambezi delta. It covers an area of 2620 ha, with a flat or gently rising landscape. It is mostly Miombo woodland, with ''

Brachystegia spiciformis ''Brachystegia spiciformis'', commonly known as zebrawood (not the genuine zebrawood, ''Microberlinia brazzavillensis''), or msasa (spelled as ''masasa''), is a medium-sized African tree having compound leaves and racemes of small fragrant gree ...

'' predominant, along with ''Millettia stuhlmannii,

Pteleopsis myrtifolia ''Pteleopsis'' is a genus of plant in the family Combretaceae. ''Pteleopsis'' Engl. is often considered a synonym of ''Terminalia Terminalia may refer to: * Terminalia (festival) Terminalia () was an ancient Roman festival in honour of the ...

Aganope stuhlmannii ''Aganope stuhlmannii'' is a deciduous tree within the family Fabaceae. It is native to tropical Africa and grows in savanna woodlands. Description Medium-sized tree that can grow up to 27 meters tall, trunk; branchless up to 12 meters, cylindr ...

,'' and occasionally '' Albizia adianthifolia''. There are areas of moist evergreen woodland, with ''

Erythrophleum suaveolens ''Erythrophleum suaveolens'', also known as the ordeal tree, is a species of flowering plant that can be found across most of tropical Africa. The species are in height, and have a rough and blackish bark. The plants leaves have 2–3 pairs of p ...

, Inhambanella henriquesii,'' and ''

Synsepalum brevipes ''Synsepalum brevipes'' is a shrub or medium-sized to large tree in the family Sapotaceae, that is native to the African tropics and subtropics. Range and habitat It occurs in the African tropics and in subtropical lowlands from Angola to Zimba ...

'', and areas of dry deciduous woodland and grassland. The reserve and the surrounding area has been degraded by logging and wildfires, with little closed-canopy forest remaining, and mature canopy trees widely scattered. The numerous caves along the Cheringoma Escarpment are homes to large colonies of

bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

s, including the striped leaf-nosed bat (''Hipposideros vittatus'') and the African trident bat ''(Triaenops afer)''.

External links

Plateau". ''Gorongosa National Park''
h1>

References

{{reflist Geography of Sofala Province Landforms of Mozambique Southern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic Zambezian and mopane woodlands Plateaus of Africa