Eastern Highlands
The Eastern Highlands, also known as the Manica Highlands, is a mountain range on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The Eastern Highlands extend north and south for about 300 kilometres (190 mi) through Zimbabwe's Manicaland Province and Mozambique's Manica Province.
| Eastern Highlands Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest-grassland mosaic | |
|---|---|
North face of Monte Binga in the Chimanimani Mountains | |
Extent of the Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest-grassland mosaic | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Afrotropical |
| Biome | Montane grasslands and shrublands |
| Geography | |
| Area | 7,770 km2 (3,000 sq mi) |
| Countries |
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| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | critical/endangered |
| Protected | 14.13% |
- "Eastern Highlands" also refers to Eastern Highlands Province in Papua New Guinea, and part of the Great Dividing Range, Australia.
The Highlands are home to the Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest-grassland mosaic ecoregion. The ecoregion includes the portion of the highlands above 1000 meters elevation, including the Inyangani Mountains, Bvumba Mountains, Chimanimani Mountains, Chipinge Uplands, and the isolated Mount Gorongosa further east in Mozambique. The Southern miombo woodlands ecoregion lies at lower elevations east and west of the highlands.
The highlands have a cooler, moister climate than the surrounding lowlands, which support distinct communities of plants and animals. The ecoregion is home to several plant communities: submontane and montane grasslands, moist evergreen forest, dry montane forest, miombo woodlands, and heathlands.