Topology
The Aberdare Range forms a section of the eastern rim of the Great Rift Valley running roughly north to south. On the west, the range falls off steeply into the Kinangop Plateau and then into the Great Rift Valley. On the east, the range slopes more gently. Lake Naivasha and the distant Mau Escarpment can be seen from peaks in the range.
The range has a maximum elevation of 3,994 metres (13,104 ft) above sea level and is heavily-forested. The former name of the range survives in Mount Satima ("the mountain of the young bull"), the highest peak in the Aberdare Range. The second-highest peak, at the southern end of the range, is Mount Kinangop at 3,906 metres (12,815 ft). Mount Kenya, 5,199 metres (17,057 ft) the second highest mountain in Africa after Kilimanjaro lies east of the Aberdare Range.
The Aberdares are the water catchment area for the Sasumua dam and the Ndakaini dam, which provide most of the water for Nairobi. The mountain forests are catchment areas for the Tana River, the largest river in Kenya, supplying water to the Seven Forks hydroelectric power plant, which generates over 55 percent of Kenya’s total electricity output.
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