Karre Mountains

Karre Mountains, mountain range, western Central African Republic. The range rises to 4,625 feet (1,410 m) at Mount Ngaoui, the highest point in the country. The granite hills, split by southwest-northeast fractures, extend westward across the border into Cameroon. Their southward and eastward spurs are marked by great round boulders. The mountains provided protection in the early 20th century for Africans who resisted the imposition of French colonial rule. The range forms part of the watershed between the Congo River system to the south and the Lake Chad basin to the north. Noteworthy falls include the Lancrenon waterfall on the Ngou River near Bocaranga. Rainfall of nearly 60 inches (1,500 mm) per year supports livestock grazing and, in the northern foothills, crops such as cotton, sorghum, cassava (manioc), and peanuts (groundnuts). Bouar and Bocaranga are the major towns.