FEATURE: From Ahren's Hill to Kilimanjaro

Here are some interesting facts about the fabled Mt. Kilimanjaro:

• Mt. Kilimanjaro, at 19,563 feet, is the tallest mountain, and therefore the highest point, in Africa.
It is located in Tanzania near the border of Kenya. Most of the mountain is included in the Kilimanjaro National Park, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• The mountain has three distinct volcano cones: Kibo, 19,340 feet; Mawenzi, 16,896 feet, and Shira, 13,000 feet. Shira was the first volcano to become extinct, followed by Mawenzi. Kib is considered a “dormant active volcano” and a strong sulpher smell still emanates from the inner ash pit.
• Hans Meyer, a German geographer, and Ludwig Purtscheler, an Austrian mountain climber, were the first people to climb to the summit in 1889.
• Although Kilimanjaro is not the tallest mountain in the world, it is the tallest freestanding mountain rise in the world. The mountain towers over the surrounding savannah.
• Kilimanjaro containes examples of virtually every ecosystem on earth—glacier, snowfield, desert, alpine moorland, savannah, and tropical jungle.
• Some 25,000 people attempt to scale the mountain each year.
• There are five common routes up Kilimanjaro. The best months to climb are January, February, March, June, July, August, and December.

Sources:
Peakware World Mountain Encyclopedia
www.peakware.com

Mt. Kilimanjaro Logue
www.mtkilimanjarologue.com