Wildest Africa

Ethiopia Land of Extremes (1x13)

Air date: Jun 06, 2010

The Ethiopian Highlands are a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia, Eritrea and northern Somalia in the Horn of Africa. It is sometimes called the Roof of Africa for its height and the large area it covers. The Ethiopian highlands first began to rise 75 million years ago, pushed upwards by volcanic forces. The main dome was split into two halves, the northern and southern highlands, by the development of the Great Rift Valley. Plants and animals from different directions then colonised these separate massifs.