Knuckles Mountain Range

Knuckles conservation forest

Knuckles Range

A view of the Knuckles mountain range
Map showing the location of Knuckles conservation forest

Location of the conservation forest

Location Central Province, Sri Lanka
Nearest city Matale
Coordinates 7°27′N 80°48′E / 7.450°N 80.800°E / 7.450; 80.800Coordinates: 7°27′N 80°48′E / 7.450°N 80.800°E / 7.450; 80.800
Governing body Department of Forest Conservation
World Heritage Site 2010 (within the site Central Highlands of Sri Lanka)[1]
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Knuckles Conservation Forest
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Type Natural
Criteria ix, x
Reference 1203
UNESCO region Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription 2010 (34th Session)

The Knuckles Mountain Range lies in central Sri Lanka, in the Districts of Matale and Kandy. The range takes its name from a series of recumbent folds and peaks in the west of the massif which resemble the knuckles of clenched fist when viewed from certain locations in the Kandy District. Whilst this name was assigned by early British surveyors, the Sinhalese residents have traditionally referred to the area as Dumbara Kanduvetiya meaning mist-laden mountain range (Cooray, 1984).

The entire area is characterised by is often robed in thick layers of cloud. In addition to its aesthetic value the range is of great scientific interest. It is a climatic microcosm of the rest of Sri Lanka as the conditions of all the climatic zones in the country are exhibited in the massif. At higher elevations there is a series of isolated cloud forests, harbouring a variety of flora and fauna, some of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Although the range constitutes approximately 0.03% of the island’s total area it is home to a significantly higher proportion of the country’s biodiversity.

References

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Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/19/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.