Mount Kilimanjaro, Dormant volcano in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania.
Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest massif at 5,895 meters above sea level, formed by three volcanic cones called Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. The formation passes through different vegetation zones from rainforest through moorland to alpine desert, while the Kibo summit crater measures roughly two kilometers in diameter and the flanks stretch across a base approximately 60 kilometers wide.
Volcanic activity formed the massif around 750,000 years ago, with Kibo taking its current shape approximately 360,000 years ago. German explorers Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller reached the summit on October 6, 1889, before the British colonial administration established the national park in 1973 and UNESCO granted World Heritage status in 1987.
For the Chagga people, the mountain carries deep spiritual meaning while its fertile slopes have sustained coffee and banana farming for generations. Village communities draw on meltwater for irrigation and regard the summit zone as a sacred place that continues to shape their daily routines and sense of identity.
Climbers need permits, certified guides, and five to nine days for routes like Marangu or Machame through several climate zones. The dry seasons from January to March and June to October provide favorable conditions, while equipment should include sleeping bags rated to minus 20 degrees Celsius and altitude acclimatization medication, with starting points in Moshi and Arusha offering lodging from budget to luxury options.
The summit zone holds shrinking ice fields that have declined 80 percent since 1912, sparking scientific debates about climate change impacts. Researchers track the retreat by comparing historical photographs with current images, while some scientists project complete glacier disappearance within coming decades, which would significantly affect local water supplies and ecosystem balance in surrounding lowlands.
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