Mount Richard-Molard is a mountain along the border of Guinea, Ivory Coast and Liberia in West Africa. The summit is on the border of Guinea and Ivory Coast and is the highest peak for both countries at . The mountain is part of the Guinea Highlands, which straddles the borders between the three countries. The nearest major settlements are the town Yekepa in Liberia and the towns of Bossou and N'Zoo in Guinea.
Toponymy The mountain is named after the French geographer Jacques Richard-Molard, who died in an accident at the mountain site in 1951.Westermann, Diedrich; Smith, Edwin William; Forde, Cyril Daryll (1951). Africa. Oxford University Press. p. 335. Before that it was called Mount Nouon.
Geology The mountain is rich in iron ore and cobalt. The mix of iron rich quartzite sheets, schists and granite gneiss have characterised the geological pedogenesis.
Conservation Mount Richard-Molard lies within the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, which currently covers 17,540 hectares and straddles the borders of Guinea and Ivory Coast.
World Heritage status Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is a site with outstanding universal value and was therefore nominated to the World Heritage List in 1981. It has been listed as World Heritage in Danger since 1992.
This site was added to Guinea's "Tentative List" for consideration for UNESCO World Heritage Site status on 29 March 2001, in the cultural category.Paysage culturel des monts Nimba, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (in French)
Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve has been listed as a World Heritage Site in both Guinea and Ivory Coast, under the criteria for natural heritage.
See also Iron ore in Africa Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve
References
Colombant, Nico (30 January 2008)."Villagers Resist Environmentalists Around Guinea's Mount Nimba". Voice of America.
External links Official website of the Guinean Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve World Heritage Site Data Sheet–Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve Rollard Ch., Wesolowska W. 2002. Jumping spiders (Arachnida, Araneae, Salticidae) from the Nimba Mountains in Guinea. Zoosystema. Paris, 24 (2):283-307