Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Which places does the East African Rift System extend through?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
tectonic basins and rift valleys
Escarpments of the Great Rift Valley rising above the plain north of Samburu Game Preserve, central Kenya. Beisa oryxes graze in the foreground.
The East African Rift System is a massive geological feature spanning approximately 4,000 miles (6,400 km). It originates in Jordan in southwestern Asia and extends southward through eastern Africa to Mozambique.1
The system is divided into two primary branches:
- The Eastern Rift Valley: This branch runs from the north, where it is occupied by the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba. It continues through the Red Sea, the Ethiopian Denakil Plain, and across Kenya and Tanzania. It eventually reaches the Indian Ocean coast near Beira, Mozambique.1
- The Western Rift Valley: This branch extends in an arc from the northern end of Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) through regions including Uganda and Congo (Kinshasa), encompassing several deep, fjordlike lakes such as Tanganyika, Kivu, Edward, and Albert.12