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Geographic Locations of the Chimpanzee

Chimpanzees share 98 percent of the genetic material human beings have. These mid-sized apes (Pan troglodytes) usually walk on their knuckles, though on occasion they stand and walk upright as humans do. Though habitat destruction has greatly decreased chimpanzee numbers and landed the animals on the endangered species list, the primates live in 20 or 21 countries through central, western and northwestern coastal Africa in a handful of habitat types.

Central and East African Countries
- Three varieties of chimpanzees exist. Two of these varieties, Pan troglodytes troglodytes and Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii, live in central and east Africa, respectively. Chimpanzees inhabit a few regions of eastern Africa, among them Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and southwestern Sudan. Gombe National Park in western Tanzania is the first nature preserve created specifically for chimpanzees. Central African countries in which chimpanzees live include the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. More chimpanzee communities exist in central African than in eastern Africa.
Western African Countries
- The third variety of chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes verus, lives throughout central western and northwestern coastal Africa. Central western countries in which chimpanzees live include Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. Northwest coastal African countries in which chimpanzees live include Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Guinea Bissau. According to the nonprofit organization Save the Chimps, chimpanzee populations in Ivory Coast declined 90 percent during the 1990s and 2000s.
Habitat
- Chimpanzees inhabit a handful of geographical areas. The apes live north of the River Congo in humid, closed-canopy forests, montane forest, seasonally dry forests and savanna woodlands. Closed-canopy forests are those so densely packed with trees that no openings occur between the canopies of individual trees. Montane forests, also known as cloud forests, occur at high altitudes. Chimpanzees inhabit cloud forests at altitudes of 6,500 feet or lower. Savanna woodlands comprise open grasslands littered with wooded patches. Savannas occur throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
Where Chimps Spend Their Time
- The geographic locations -- savannas and forests -- in which chimpanzees live suit the nature of these animals. Chimpanzees split their time between the ground and trees, requiring geographical locations offering both open ground space and tall trees . While active during daylight hours, chimpanzees stay on the ground, collecting food, making tools and interacting with one another. When sleeping or feeding, chimpanzees take to trees for safety.

Animals & Science