Natural Landmarks of the Motherland: Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)

FEELNUBIA PRESENTS: Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)

Mount Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa. Standing at 5,895 meters or 19,341 feet above sea level (the Uhuru Peak/Kibo Peak), snow-capped Kilimanjaro is one of the most famous and highest freestanding mountains in the world, rising from the north-eastern part of Tanzania.

The highest mountain in Africa and the fourth highest of the Seven Summits, Kilimanjaro is situated in the Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania. The trek crosses five distinct vegetation zones, namely lower slopes, rainforest, heath and moorland, alpine and desert and the glaciers/summit. Within each zone, there is an association between altitude, rainfall, temperature, plants and animals. The name Kilimanjaro is thought to be a combination of the Swahili word Kilima, meaning “mountain,” and the Kichagga vernacular language word Njaro, translated as “whiteness,” giving the name White Mountain itself.

Kilimanjaro is a giant stratovolcano that began forming a million years ago when lava spilt from the Rift Valley zone. Two of its three peaks, Mawenzi and Shira, are extinct while Kibo (the highest peak) is dormant and could erupt again. The last major eruption has been dated to 360,000 years ago, while the most recent activity was recorded just 200 years ago.

Although it is dormant, Kilimanjaro has fumaroles that emit gas in the crater on the main summit of Kibo. Scientists concluded in 2003 that molten magma is just 400 m (1,310 ft) below the summit crater. Several collapses and landslides have occurred on Kibo in the past, one creating the area known as the Western Breach.