Gorillas are native to the tropical and subtropical forests of Central and West Africa. Their range is divided mainly between two species: the eastern gorilla and the western gorilla.
- Eastern gorillas inhabit montane and lowland forests in three countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and Uganda. The mountain gorilla subspecies lives in high-altitude montane forests around the Virunga Volcanoes and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, spanning these three countries
- Western gorillas live in lowland tropical rainforests and swamp forests across several countries in West and Central Africa, including Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo, and Angola
The Congo River and its tributaries separate the ranges of the eastern and western gorillas. Eastern gorillas tend to inhabit higher elevations (up to 4,300 meters), including montane cloud forests, while western gorillas are found mostly in lowland forests and swamps, from sea level up to about 1,600 meters
. In summary, gorillas are native exclusively to equatorial Africa, with eastern gorillas in the mountainous forests of the Albertine Rift region (DRC, Rwanda, Uganda) and western gorillas in the lowland tropical forests of west- central Africa (Nigeria to Angola)
