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The South Cameroon Plateau or Southern Cameroon Plateau ((フランス語:Plateau Sud-Camerounais)) is the dominant geographical feature of Cameroon. The plateau lies south of the Adamawa Plateau and southeast of the Cameroon Range. It slopes south and west until giving way to the Cameroon coastal plain in the southwest and the Congo River basin in the southeast. The plateau is characterised by hills and valleys in the southwest and a more gentle peneplain in the southwest. Isolated massifs occur, especially in the southwest. Metamorphic rocks make up the plain's basement. The soils are ferrallitic and lateritic, with colouration ranging from red or brown in the interior to yellow on the coast. The soils are subjected to silica leeching, so they are not productive without fertiliser. The plateau experiences four major seasons, two rainy, and two dry. Rainfall is high, especially along the coast. The average temperature changes little from 25°C. Rivers in the region drain into the Atlantic Ocean and the Congo River basin. South of the Sanaga, rivers flow steadily year-round, but the Sanaga and rivers north have a complex regime characterised by high- and low-water periods upstream and constant flow downstream. The predominant vegetation is rainforest, especially to the plateau's south. To the north, forests give way to savanna. ==Topography== The South Cameroon Plateau lies between 2 and 6° N and 10 and 16° E. It covers about 225,100 km², more than half of Cameroon's total area. The plateau is characterised by sloping terrain and gently rolling hills.〔Gwanfogbe et al. 9.〕 The altitude varies from 250 to 800 m and averages 600 or 650 m.〔Gwanfogbe et al. 9 says 600 m; Neba 16 says 650 m.〕 The Western High Plateau lies northwest of the plateau and separates it from the interior African plain.〔Gwanfogbe et al. 7.〕 The Adamawa Plateau lies to the plateau's north. From an altitude between 800 to 900 m.〔Neba 16.〕 there, the plateau slowly slopes south and west from the region of Bedzare and Meiganga. To the southwest, large inselbergs and tall hills separated by deep gullies predominate. The plateau gives way to the Cameroon coastal plain in escarpments.〔Gwanfogbe et al. 9; Neba 16.〕 This topography has resulted in the creation of the Lobé Falls near Kribi, where the Lobé River meets the sea in a series of rapids.〔 Some of the plateau's highest points are in this region, such as Mbam Minkom near Yaoundé (1,295 m), and Ntem massif near Ebolowa (1,400 m).〔 To the southeast, the transition to the Congo basin takes place on a gently sloping peneplain.〔 The hills of the eastern portion are gentler than those of the west. These hills are known as ''half-oranges'' and can easily be seen in the area of Batouri and Bélabo. The lowest point of the plateau is the Sangha River valley in the southeast.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「South Cameroon Plateau」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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