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See More. United States Change. Located in Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro is the African continent's highest peak at 5, meters 19, feet. The majestic mountain is a snow-capped volcano. Photograph by W. Robert Moore, courtesy of the National Geographic image collection. It is the largest free-standing mountain rise in the world, meaning it is not part of a mountain range.
Also called a stratovolcano a term for a very large volcano made of ash, lava, and rock , Kilimanjaro is made up of three cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. Kibo is the summit of the mountain and the tallest of the three volcanic formations. While Mawenzi and Shira are extinct, Kibo is dormant and could possibly erupt again. Scientists estimate that the last time it erupted was , years ago.
In , German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller became the first people on record to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro. Since then, Kilimanjaro has become a popular hiking spot for locals and tourists.
Because mountaineering gear and experience is not needed to reach the peak, tens of thousands of climbers ascend the mountain each year.
The climb is still dangerous, however, because of the risk of altitude sickness —a condition climbers experience if they ascend too quickly, which can be deadly if not treated right away. In , the mountain and its six surrounding forest corridors were named Kilimanjaro National Park in order to protect its unique environment.
A variety of animals live in the area surrounding the mountain, including the blue monkey Cercopithecus mitis. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit.
The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. How is this possible? Athletes who do perform speed climbs of high altitude mountains have already well acclimatized to the altitude prior to their attempt. Therefore the risk of acute mountain sickness is eliminated. German Anne-Marie Flammersfeld holds the record for the fastest ascent and descent by a woman on Kilimanjaro, climbing to the summit in 8 hours 32 minutes and reaching the bottom in a total time on the mountain of 12 hours 58 minutes in The record for fastest unaided ascent meaning that the climber carried his own food, water and clothing is held by Tanzanian Simon Mtuy, who climbed to the summit and back in 9 hours 19 minutes in She took the world record in from Dr.
Fred Distelhorst, who was 88 when he summited. The youngest person to climb Kilimanjaro is American Coaltan Tanner, who summited at age six in The youngest girl to summit is Ashleen Mandrick, who was also six years old when she accomplished the feat, wrestling that title away from Montannah Kenney, who was seven. The minimum age for climbing Kilimanjaro is 10 years old, but the park authority grants exceptions to children who have significant experience trekking.
While climbing Kilimanjaro, trekkers will experience five distinct ecological zones on their way to the top. These include:. Weather conditions near the base of the mountain tend to be tropical to semi-temperate and are relatively stable all year round. The lower plains are hot and dry. As one heads away from the bushland towards the rainforest, conditions become increasingly warm and humid.
Each zone gets colder and drier as the elevation increases. Plant and animal life also disappear with the rise in altitude through the heath and alpine desert zones.
The summit is in the arctic zone, characterized by ice and rock. Scientists estimate the glaciers may be completely gone in 50 years. The cause of this is thought to be due to deforestation, and not necessary global warming. Melting and sublimation the transition from solid phase directly to vapor both contribute to the ice loss, says study author Doug Hardy, a glaciologist from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
The glaciers have been in retreat for more than a century, Hardy says, with a drying climate in East Africa one main culprit. Nearly 5 million indigenous trees were planted around the base of the mountain in to combat the issue.
Download our Kilimanjaro Guide. Updated December 22, How to Stay Warm on the Summit of Kilimanjaro. The 5 Best Boots for Climbing Kilimanjaro. It is one of the seven summits. Kilimanjaro stands on its own. The mountain is on the equator. Three volcanic cones created it. The first ascent was more than a century ago.
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