Which mountain is the highest in Africa, rising 5,895 metres above sea level?

Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain, rising 5,895 metres above sea level.

Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcanic massif in northeastern Tanzania, near the border with Kenya. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. Uhuru Peak, on Kibo’s crater rim, is the mountain’s highest point. Kibo is dormant rather than extinct, while Mawenzi and Shira are extinct volcanic cones.

The mountain rises dramatically from surrounding plains and supports several ecological zones, including cultivated foothills, montane forest, heath and moorland, alpine desert, and the summit zone. This vertical sequence allows climbers to pass through landscapes that resemble different climate regions during one ascent.

Hans Meyer, Ludwig Purtscheller, and their guide Yohanas Kinyala Lauwo made the first recorded ascent of the summit in 1889. Kilimanjaro’s glaciers have retreated substantially since the late nineteenth century, a change studied in connection with temperature, precipitation, and local atmospheric conditions. Kilimanjaro National Park was established in 1973 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.