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[[File:Albertine Rift, East African Rift (artificial rendering).jpg|thumb|400px|right|alt=An artificial computer rendering depicting the Albertine Rift|An artificial rendering of the Albertine Rift. Visible features include (from background to foreground): [[Lake Albert (Africa)|Lake Albert]], [[Rwenzori Mountains]], [[Lake Edward]], [[Virunga Mountains]], [[Lake Kivu]], and northern [[Lake Tanganyika]]]]
[[File:Map of Great Rift Valley.svg|thumb|Map of the region showing the Albertine Rift to the west]]▼
The '''Albertine Rift''' is the western branch of the [[East African Rift]], covering parts of [[Uganda]], the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] (DRC), [[Rwanda]], [[Burundi]] and [[Tanzania]].
It extends from the northern end of [[Lake Albert (Africa)|Lake Albert]] to the southern end of [[Lake Tanganyika]].
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==Geology==
▲[[File:Map of Great Rift Valley.svg|thumb|left|Map of the region showing the Albertine Rift to the west]]
The Albertine Rift and the mountains are the result of [[Plate tectonics|tectonic movements]] that are gradually splitting the [[Somali Plate]] away from the rest of the African continent. The mountains surrounding the rift are composed of uplifted [[Pre-Cambrian]] [[basement rock]]s, overlaid in parts by recent [[volcanic rock]]s.
==Lakes and rivers==
The northern part of the rift is crossed by two large mountain ranges, the [[Rwenzori Mountains]] between Lake Albert and [[Lake Rutanzige]] (formerly Lake Edward) and the [[Virunga Mountains]] between Lake Rutanziga and [[Lake Kivu]]. The Virungas form a barrier between the Nile Basin to the north and east and the Congo Basin to the west and south. Lake Rutenzige is fed by several large rivers, the [[Rutshuru River]] being one, and drains to the north through the [[Semliki River]] into Lake Albert. The Victoria Nile flows from [[Lake Victoria]] into the northern end of Lake Albert and exits as the [[White Nile]] from a point slightly to the west, flowing north to the Mediterranean.{{sfn|Erfurt-Cooper|Cooper|2010|p=35-36}}
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==Mountains==
[[File:Mount Stanley.jpg|thumb|
From north to south the mountains include the [[Lendu Plateau]], [[Rwenzori Mountains]], [[Virunga Mountains]] and [[Itombwe Mountains]].{{sfn|WWF}}
The Ruwenzori mountains have been identified with Ptolemy's "Mountains of the Moon". The range covers an area {{convert|120|km|mi}} long and {{convert|65|km|mi}} wide.
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