Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro
'Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa at 19,341 feet (5,895 meters), but it isn't a mountain in a traditional sense. It is a giant stratification that began forming about a million years ago and is composed of many layers of hardened volcanic ash, lava, pumice and Ephraim — frag mental material that is the fallout from a volcanic eruption.There are three volcanic cones that make up Kilimanjaro: Kibo is the summit; Mawenzi at 16,893 feet (5,149 meters); and Shari at 13,000 feet (3,962 meters). Uhuru Peak is the highest summit on Kibo's crater rim. Ruhr, Swahili for "Freedom," was named in 1961 when Tanganyika gained its independence. Tanganyika later joined with the islands of Zanzibar to form Tanzania.'

In this extensive Mount Kilimanjaro facts article we have tried to distill the most interesting and fun facts about this famous mountain and the people who trek it.

We encourage you to use the quicklinks below to help you navigate to the Mount Kilimanjaro facts that are most interesting to you.

'Please note: if you are planning to hike Kilimanjaro and want to read some excellent guides and books about the mountain, we recommend either getting Henry Stedman’s comprehensive guidebook called Kilimanjaro: The Trekking Guide to Africa’s Highest Mountain or our very own editor’s guidebook, Mount Kilimanjaro: Trekkers Guide to the Summit. If you looking for something a little more entertaining then we recommend checking out these true life stories from Kilimanjaro trekkers.'

killamanjaro volcano
'Massive Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, consists of three large stratovolcanoes constructed along a NW-SE trend.Massive Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, consists of three large stratovolcanoes constructed along a NW-SE trend. The ice-capped, 5895-m-high summit towers 5200 m above the surrounding plains.'