Ten interesting facts about Mt. Kilimanjaro
Feb 19th, 2010 by wwftravel
- Courtesy Tanzania Tourist Board
Rising majestically above the African plains, the 20,000-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro has beckoned to climbers since the first recorded summit in 1889. Here are 10 interesting facts to help inspire your own future summit:
10. Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain on the African continent and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
9. Kilimanjaro has three volcanic cones, Mawenzi, Shira and Kibo. Mawenzi and Shira are extinct but Kibo, the highest peak, is dormant and could erupt again. The most recent activity was about 200 years ago; the last major eruption was 360,000 years ago.
8. Nearly every climber who has summitted Uhuru Peak, the highest summit on Kibo’s crater rim, has recorded his or her thoughts about the accomplishment in a book stored in a wooden box at the top.
7. The oldest person ever to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro was 87-year-old Frenchman Valtee Daniel.
6. Almost every kind of ecological system is found on the mountain: cultivated land, rain forest, heath, moorland, alpine desert and an arctic summit.
5. The fasted verified ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro occurred in 2001 when Italian Bruno Brunod summitted Uhuru Peak in 5 hours 38 minutes 40 seconds. The fastest roundtrip was accomplished in 2004, when local guide Simon Mtuy went up and down the mountain in 8:27.
4. The mountain’s snow caps are diminishing, having lost more than 80 percent of their mass since 1912. In fact, they may be completely ice free within the next 20 years, according to scientists.
3. Shamsa Mwangunga, National Resources and Tourism minister of Tanzania, announced in 2008 that 4.8 million indigenous trees will be planted around the base of the mountain, helping prevent soil erosion and protect water sources.
2. South African Bernard Goosen twice scaled Mt. Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair. His first summit, in 2003, took nine days; his second, four years later, took only six. Born with cerebral palsy, Goosen used a modified wheelchair, mostly without assistance, to climb the mountain.
1. Approximately 25,000 people attempt to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro annually. Approximately two-thirds are successful. Altitude-related problems is the most common reason climbers turn back.
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If you enjoyed this article, you might also like Q-and-A: Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.
What a beautiful pic of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Very interesting thank you for sharing I enjoyed reading your article. Would love to climb it one day. So sad to hear that there are only a certain number of years left till the ice caps are fully melted.
Rongai is the easiest route up Mount Kilimanjaro, in some respects easier than Marangu. Rongai has excellent success rates. Rongai is the only route that approaches Kilimanjaro from the north. You have to descend on the Marangu route on the southern side, so you get to see both sides of the mountain.
I was able to climb the mountain in 1968. My friend and I went alone and carried our own provisions for the 5 days. We meet others who were on a tour. We left the last camp late and finally made the summit. It was grueling and breathing was hard..I have a picture at the top. Going down was a breeze.. 20 minutes and we were at the camp, the hardest part was using up muscles and then only down muscles. We could hardly walk after getting down to the village. We understood why the villagers greeted you with flowers and clapping. It is a good memory..
i needed info cause I am doing a project on this so if you can paste more info, it would really help thank you
This is way cool
Another fact for you!
The first successful sumit climb took 6 weeks, It can now be achieved by an average climber in 6 days
great help thanks.im doing a profject on africa and mt kilimanjaro is the next topic!!
why is it 10-1??????
Im thrilled with this natural phenomenon.I am a geographer based in Zambia and wish to do research on mount Kilimanjaro.Thanx for the info.Im more determined than ever to climb it to the summit.
I am ambling through an afternoon and saw some comments on the Kil. mountain climb. I also spent time in Zambia…one nation. I remember one time watching t.v. in 68. The anounce said. ‘”It is 6 oclock greenwich …mean time the news…. It was funny at the time…Really nice people lived there….the country side persons were the best. so generous and hospitable
this is very interesting im actually doin research post more things!!!!!!
Great blog post! You may be interested in the Summit Murder Mystery Series. All books take place on one of the world’s seven continental summits! The final book in the series will be Murder on Kilimanjaro.
http://www.summitmurdermystery.com
Thanks I had to write an essay
**Loving Jordan**
thanks a lot I had to do a display board on Africa and this really helped!
Would like to hike it some day !!! That would be a priceless experience and a personal accomplishment !!!
Getting ready to climb Kili with Team World Vision in June. Thanks for the info. Our team of climbers is climbing with one purpose… To change children’s lives. Each climber is attempting to sponsor 50 children in the process forever changing their lives. I have worked for the past several years in the fight against human trafficking and this is one of the ways people can make a real practical difference.
If you want to help go to our website and sponsor a child or contact me for more info at dmaclearn@gmail.com
what a great climb i did it 2 years ago
Thanks for the info. I had to do a project. It relly helped me! VERY INTERESTING!