Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro, highest mountain in Africa, in north-eastern Tanzania, near the border with Kenya. The two volcanic peaks of Kilimanjaro stand about 11 km (7 mi) apart and are connected by a broad saddle at about 4,600 m (15,000 ft). Kibo, the higher peak, was previously believed to be 5,895 m (19,340 ft) above sea level, but global positioning system (GPS) satellite equipment has revealed that the peak is only 5,892 m (19,330 ft). The summit of Mawensi is 5,149 m (16,892 ft) above sea level. The central crater of Kibo, which is 2 km (1.2 mi) across and 300 m (980 ft) deep, displays continuing volcanic activity. Although Kilimanjaro lies just 3° south of the equator, Kibo is covered year-round with an ice cap, which is pierced by several smaller craters.

Coffee and plantains are grown on the lower slopes of the massif, while successively higher elevations support dense forest, heathland, alpine plants, and moss and lichen. Glaciers descend to about 4,270 m (14,000 ft). The first recorded ascent of Kibo was by the German geographer Hans Meyer and the Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller in 1889. Mawensi’s peak was reached in 1912 by Fritz Klute, another German cartographer. The region is the setting for The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1938), one of the most famous stories of American writer Ernest Hemingway.