Great Rift Valley

Click a letter for the index

Or search the encyclopaedia:

 

 

Go

 

Click image to enlarge
Volcanic valley formed 10–20 million years ago owing to rifting (major subsidence through faulting) of part of the Earth's crust, and running about 8,000 km/5,000 mi from the Jordan Valley through the Red Sea to central Mozambique in southeast Africa. For most of its length the Rift Valley has a width of some 60 km/35 mi and, in highland areas especially, is bounded by inward-facing escarpments with a height which often reaches 500–1,000 m/1,500–3,000 ft. It is marked by a series of lakes, including Lake Turkana, and volcanoes, such as Mount Kilimanjaro. The rift system associated with the Rift Valley extends into northern Botswana, with geological faults controlling the location of the Okavango Delta.

The Pillars of Hercules represent the promontories of Gibraltar and Ceuta. The shield represents the regions of Castile, Léon, Aragón, Navarre, and Granada. Effective date: 18 December 1981. >>