Noted anthropologists Richard and Mary Leakey have also done significant work in this region. ![]() One of the most famous finds came in 1974 when the nearly complete skeleton of an australopithecine nicknamed “ Lucy.” Lucy was discovered by anthropologist Donald Johanson. Important fossils and bones of several hominid species have been found in the Great Rift Valley. The erosion patterns of the highlands have caused a buildup of sediments on the rift valley floor, creating a favorable environment for the preservation of biological remains, including both human and animal remains. ![]() A number of other volcanic peaks are present in the Eastern Rift, such as Ol Doinyo Lengai, an active volcano. The eastern edge of the Eastern Rift is home to the inactive volcanic peaks of Mt. Birds attract other wildlife, which in turn creates a unique set of environmental ecosystems. Millions of birds feed off the abundant supply of algae and fish. Alkaline water creates an ideal breeding ground for algae and other species of fish, such as tilapia, which thrive in this environment. The differences in water composition of the lakes along the Eastern Rift vary from freshwater to extremely alkaline. The lakes have higher levels of sodium carbonate and mineral buildup because of a high rate of evaporation. The Eastern Rift does not have deepwater lakes rather, it is a wide valley or basin with shallow lakes that do not have outlets. Lake Victoria is located between the Western Rift and the Eastern Rift. The Western Rift includes a series of deepwater lakes, such as Lake Tanganyika, Lake Edward, and Lake Albert. ![]() The Virunga Mountains on the Congo–Uganda border are home to endangered mountain gorillas. On the western edge of the Western Rift are the highlands, which have a series of high-elevation mountain ranges, including the Rwenzori Mountains, the highest in the series. A series of deepwater lakes run along its valley. The Western Rift runs along the border with the Congo. The Great Rift Valley in East Africa is divided into the Western Rift and the Eastern Rift. The Great Rift Valley provides evidence of a split in the African Plate, dividing it into two smaller tectonic plates: the Somalian Plate and the Nubian Plate. The source of the Blue Nile is Lake Tana in the highlands of Ethiopia. The White Nile starts at Lake Victoria and flows north to the city of Khartoum in Sudan, where it converges with the Blue Nile to become the Nile River. (Lake Superior, on the border between the United States and Canada, is considered the lake with the largest surface area.) Lake Victoria provides fish and fresh water for millions of people in the surrounding region. The world’s second-largest lake by surface area is Lake Victoria, which borders Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. Rwanda and Burundi are physically in East Africa but are covered in the lesson about Central Africa because of their border activities with the Congo. ![]() The region also comprises the countries of Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritrea, which are located in the African Transition Zone between North Africa and Subsahran Africa. East Africa is a region that begins in Tanzania in the south and extends north through the great grasslands and scrub forest of the savannas of Kenya and Uganda and then across the highlands of Ethiopia, including the Great Rift Valley.
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