Matthews Range

Matthews Range
Lenkiyio Hills
Location
Highest point
Peak	Warges
Elevation	2,688 m (8,819 ft)
Dimensions
Length	150 km (93 mi) N/S
Width	40 km (25 mi) E/W
Geography
Country	Kenya
Range coordinates	1°15′N 37°15′E / 1.25°N 37.25°E / 1.25; 37.25Coordinates: 1°15′N 37°15′E / 1.25°N 37.25°E / 1.25; 37.25

The Matthews (or Mathews) Range, also known as the Lenkiyio Hills, is a range of mountains in Kenya, Africa.

Geography

The range is about 150 km long, oriented north-south. It is located in the Laikipia district of the Rift Valley Province in northern Kenya. The town of Wamba lies at the southeastern edge of the range.^[1]

Peaks

The highest point is Warges, at 2688 m above sea level, a peak located the southern end of the range, separated by a valley from the rest of the range.^[2] The 1,809 metres high Ldoinyo Lenkiyo, 1,860 m high Mathews Peak, 1,491 m high Ilpisyon, 1,184 m high Lolgek, 1,472 m high Lomolok, 1,861 m high Tipito and 1,289 m high Ilmara Muroi are located in the middle of the range.^[1] There is also a breast shaped hill locally known as Sweet Sixteen in the range.^[3]

• Oldoinyo Sabachi, 1,963 m
• Lekat, 1,625 m
• Namanyaraboo, 1,216 m

Ecology

The area is isolated, and holds forests of juniper and cycads. It is home to elephants and other large mammals, and was one of the last places in northern Kenya to have wild Black Rhinos. The last Black Rhino in the Mathew's was poached out in the 1990s. The Mathew's are also home to the Samburu people. The mountain range is a sky island: surrounded by plains, with Ndoto Mountains to the north and the Karisia hills to the west. A number of the species in the Mathew's have evolved independently and the diversity of the forest is of great conservation value.^[4] Part has been designated as a wildlife sanctuary.

References