Which African mountain is the highest free-standing mountain in the world?

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

Kilimanjaro rises to 5,895 metres above sea level in northeastern Tanzania, near the Kenyan border. It is a massive stratovolcano with three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. Kibo is the highest and contains Uhuru Peak, the mountain’s summit point.

The term “free-standing” distinguishes Kilimanjaro from peaks that form part of a larger mountain range. It is often called Africa’s highest mountain as well. Although Kibo is dormant rather than extinct, the volcano has not erupted in recorded history.

The mountain’s slopes pass through several ecological zones, including cultivated foothills, rainforest, heath, alpine desert, and an icy summit zone. German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller made the first recorded ascent of Kibo in 1889, guided by Yohanas Kinyala Lauwo.