Nature is absolutely incredible. This Earth of ours is filled with so many creatures, so much flora, and much more that we have not discovered yet. We continue to unearth things that have been around for thousands if not millions of years. Our rivers are amazing, our lakes beautiful, and our mountains, majestic. One such majestic mountain is Mount Kilimanjaro. It is one of the tallest mountains in the world and one of the most beautiful. Let’s take a look at 7 incredible facts about Mount Kilimanjaro.
Mountain Climbers
The mountain is popular with mountain climbers and every year around 30,000 people come to try and climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Around two-thirds of climbers that try are successful. The oldest person to climb up the mountain was 87 years old and his name was Valtee Daniel, a Frenchman. The youngest person to climb up Mount Kilimanjaro was 6 years old Coaltan Tanner from Canada.
Highest Free-Standing Mountain
Mount Kilimanjaro is not the tallest mountain in the world. That top prize belongs to Mount Everest, which is part of the Himalayas. The factor of the matter is that most mountains belong to mountain ranges. However, Mount Kilimanjaro is, in fact, a free-standing mountain. Thus, it is the highest free-standing mountain in the world. It is also the African continent’s tallest mountain. Uhuru Point is Mount Kilimanjaro’s summit, which is 19,341 feet above sea level.
Seven Summits
Because it’s the tallest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro is part of the seven summits. It is a club where only seven mountains can be — the highest mountain in each continent. The other six summits are as follows:
North America: Mount McKinley
South America: Mount Aconcagua
Antarctica: Mount Vinson
Australasia: Mount Kosciuszko
Asia: Mount Everest
Europe: Mount Elbrus
Mountain’s History
The Chagga tribe historically lived in the foothills of the mountain for thousands of years. In 1848, the first Europeans to reach the mountain (and attempt to climb to the top) were Germans Johannes Rebmann and Johann Krapf. The International Union of Geological Sciences has named it a geological heritage site.
It’s A Volcano
Mount Kilimanjaro is not only a mountain, but it is also a dormant volcano. Furthermore, Mount Kilimanjaro has three volcanic cones — Mawenzi, Shira, and Kibo. Out of three volcanic cones, Mawenzi and Shira are extinct. Kibo is dormant and could potentially erupt in the future. The last time there was volcanic activity was around 360,000 years ago.
Tourism Industry
Tanzania, the country where Mount Kilimanjaro is located, relies on the mountain for revenue. Mount Kilimanjaro is located within Kilimanjaro National Park and it has generated tens of millions of dollars every year. Tanzania built an airport, the Kilimanjaro International Airport, to ensure accessibility for tourists visiting the mountain.
Incredible Biodiversity
When it comes to wildlife, there aren’t many animals, but you can see a few while you climb up. Some of the animals that you may spot include elephants, Cape buffaloes, mongooses, warthogs, zebras, leopards, and bushbucks. In terms of plants and vegetation, maize, sunflowers, wheat, and beans are farmed in the foothill areas of the mountain.
