King-Lyopold (mountains)

The King-Lyopold Mountains stretch for about 241 km along an axis extending from northwest to southeast, from the Collier Bay of the Indian Ocean to the Fitzroy River in the interior of the mainland. In the eastern part directly bordering Dyurak ridge. The highest point of the King-Lyopold Mountains, Mount Ord, reaches 937 m. The average height of the area is about 600 m. ^[1] . The mountains consist of folded and heavily damaged rocks (mainly sandstone , dolerite and arkosa ), which were formed during the Precambrian period. ^[2] Many rivers originate in King Lyopolde, including Fitzroy, Isdell , Lennard , which flow through deep mountain gorges. All rivers belong to the Indian Ocean basin .

The average annual precipitation in the mountains varies greatly: about 1500 mm of rain a year falls near the coast, while in the inner regions - about 380 mm. ^[2] Eucalyptus predominates.

In the caves of the mountains there is a large number of rock paintings made by Australian aborigines . The European discoverer of the mountains was the Australian explorer Alexander Forrest , who discovered them in 1879 and named them in honor of the King of Belgium Leopold II . ^[one]

In 2008, a group of activists petitioned the Committee on Geographical Names asking them to rename the mountains. In their opinion, they cannot bear the name of the King of Belgium, who is known for his active efforts to seize the Congo Basin in Africa and the brutal exploitation of the local African population (up to the genocide ). ^[3]