Inselbergs

Do you know what an inselberg is? Well, just look at the photos and you will see some.

Here is a definition I found online: An inselberg is a prominent, steep-sided hill made of resistant solid rock, such as granite, rising out of a plain, usually in a tropical area. Its rounded appearance is caused by weathering, in which the surface is eroded in successive layers. Ayers Rock in Australia is an example.

Nampula is surrounded by these kinds of rocks and you find them all over this area for hundreds of kilometers. They really are so interesting and when flying over in a plane it looks like a giant just hurled all these enormous stones in all directions. I'll include a few photos here for you to enjoy. Kevin and Toby have climbed one of these outside of town several times and enjoyed the view. Some of them are MASSIVE! Like a mountain, really, but a large piece of stone. In various places, the sides of them are being quarried (often by hand) and the pieces of granite sold for construction. I would not want to be the guy who is trying to chip away that mountain. -C