Great Rift Valley

The Great Rift Valley is a geographical and geological feature running north to south for around 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers), from northern Syria to central Mozambique in East Africa.

Pronunciation

IPA: /ɡreɪt rɪft ˈvæli/

Etymology

The term "Great Rift Valley" is derived from the English words "great" (meaning large or immense), "rift" (meaning a crack, split, or break in something), and "valley" (meaning a low area of land between hills or mountains). The term was first used to describe the geographical feature in the late 19th century.

Related Terms

Rift: A large crack in the ground or in rock, especially one running along the earth's crust, where tectonic plates are diverging.
Valley: A low area of land between hills or mountains, typically with a river or stream flowing through it.
Tectonic Plates: The two sub-layers of the earth's crust (lithosphere) that move, float, and sometimes fracture, causing continental drift, earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, and oceanic trenches.
Geology: The science that deals with the earth's physical structure and substance, its history, and the processes that act on it.
Geography: The study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these.

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Great Rift Valley