Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, East Africa. It is in the Great Rift Valley, and has two volcanic peaks: Kibo, the highest at 5,900 m/19,357 ft, and Mawenzi at 5,273 m/17,300 ft.

Glacier on Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. The main peaks of Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, are three extinct volcanoes: Kibo, Mawensi, and Shira. Glaciers on Kibo's southwestern slopes terminate at 4,270 m/14,000 ft.

Kilimanjaro seen from Mount Meru, Tanzania. At 5,895 m/19,340 ft, Kibo, the central cone of Kilimanjaro, is the highest point in Africa. Kilimanjaro first became known to Europeans in 1848 when it was reached by German missionaries, but the report of snow-capped mountains so close to the Equator was initially received with great scepticism. The summit was first reached in 1889.

Thorn trees with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background, in Tanzania. Thorn trees, of the genus Acacia, are an important component of the plant life of the dry, subtropical African savannah.

Volcano in Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa, 5,895 m/19,340 ft. It is situated between Lake Victoria and the coast. It culminates in two peaks, Kibo (5,895 m/19,340 ft) and Mawenzi (5,149 m/16,893 ft), both craters of extinct volcanoes. The first recorded ascent was by the German geographer Hans Meyer and the Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller in 1889.

Physical features The crater of Kibo is 1,981 m/6,500 ft in diameter and 198 m/650 ft deep. Moshi, to the south, is the nearest settlement. The lower slopes are densely settled and intensively cultivated. Bananas and coffee are grown on the eastern and southern slopes. From 1,800 m/5,905 ft to 3,000 m/9,842 ft is the forest belt, some 8–11 km/5–7 mi wide; grasslands extend about 900 m/2,953 ft above that, and then there are snowbanks. The Kenya border skirts the mountain on the northern side, which receives less rain, has poorer forest, and little settlement.