Mont Itoupé (also Sommet Tabulaire[3]) is an 826-metre high (2,710 ft) mountain on the border of the Camopi and Maripasoula communes in French Guiana, France. It is the second highest mountain in French Guiana after Bellevue de l'Inini.[3] The mountain is located in the Guiana Amazonian Park,[4] and is about 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Saül.[5]
| Mont Itoupé | |
|---|---|
| Sommet Tabulaire | |
  Mont Itoupé Location in French Guiana | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 826 m (2,710 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 637 m (2,090 ft)[2] |
| Coordinates | 3°01′22″N 53°05′02″W / 3.02278°N 53.08387°W |
| Geography | |
| Location | Camopi/Maripasoula, French Guiana |
Overview
editMont Itoupé is a mountain covered in cloud forests.[6] Often the top of the mountain is literally covered in clouds.[3] To the west of the mountain are the Waki Plains, a vast nearly unexplored land. To the south is an Emerillon trail which links the Maroni to the Oyapock River. Even though the mountain stands in a very remote area, some trees bear witness to the Balatá harvesting of the late 19th century.[3]
There is a remarkable difference between the eastern and western slope of the mountain. The eastern slope has an open canopy with dense undergrowth, while the western side the undergrowth is less dense or even absent and contains endemic species in the canopy.[7]
More than 130 plant species have identified including the rare Chamaecostus curcumoides, and Pitcairnia sastrei. As of 2014, around twenty plant species new to science and not yet described have been discovered around the mountain.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Carte IGN classique". Géoportail (in French). Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "Mont Itoupe-Sommet Tabulaire, French Guiana". Peak Bagger. Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ a b c d Pierre-Olivier Jay & Lise Landrin. "Itoupé: le sommet oublié de Guyane". Une Saison de Guyane (in French). Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "De retour sur le mont Itoupé, à la recherche des Anomaloglossus". Parc Amazonien Guyane (in French). Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "Infographie du Mont Itoupé". Parc Amazonien Guyane (in French). Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ Mélanie Fichaux (2020). "Environmental determinants of leaf littwer ant community composition along an elevational gradient". Biotropica. 34: Abstracts. doi:10.1111/btp.12849. hdl:10067/1726680151162165141. S2CID 225137692.
- ^ "Une mission sur le mont Itoupé". National Forests Office (in French). Retrieved 20 March 2021.
- ^ "Sommet Tabulaire" (PDF). DEAL de Guyane (in French). Retrieved 20 March 2021.