| Lion Mountains | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Beach in Freetown with the Lion Mountains in the background. | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Picket Hill |
| Elevation | 888 m (2,913 ft) |
| Geography | |
  Lion Mountains Location in Sierra Leone | |
| Location | Sierra Leone |
| Range coordinates | 8°20′31″N13°10′13″W / 8.34194°N 13.17028°W /8.34194; -13.17028 |
TheLion Mountains (also calledLioness Mountains orPeninsula Mountains, originally fromPortuguese:Serra Leoa) are amountain range inSierra Leone. The range stretches 30 kilometres (19 mi) on theFreetown Peninsula by theAtlantic Ocean, southeast of the capital,Freetown. The mountains are part of theWestern Area Forest Reserve, anature reserve with a hunting ban, established in 1916. The highest point is Picket Hill at 888 metres (2,913 ft).
The Lion Mountains lie isolated on the coast of the Atlantic, and are surrounded by sea and lowlands in all directions. Around 200 kilometres (120 mi) inland the terrain starts to elevate up to theGuinea Highlands, the closest mountains. Being the only significant coastal mountains betweenMorocco andCameroon, the Lion Mountains were a striking feature to the early European explorers.
The republic of Sierra Leone is named after the range. The Portuguese explorerPedro de Sintra named in 1462 the mountainsSerra Leoa (Lioness Mountains). At a later point in time, Italiancartographers consulted the Italian explorerAlvise Cadamosto about the name of the mountains. He referred to them asSierra Leone in his own language, and since then the Italian name has been used.[1]
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