Which mountain is the highest point in Africa, rising to 5,895 metres?

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

Kilimanjaro is a volcanic massif in northeastern Tanzania, close to the border with Kenya. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. Kibo is the central and highest cone, and Uhuru Peak on Kibo’s summit is the continent’s highest point.

The mountain is a stratovolcano formed from successive eruptions. Although no eruption has occurred in recorded history, Kibo is considered dormant rather than extinct. Its summit once had extensive ice fields, but glaciers have shrunk dramatically over the past century, a change studied by scientists as part of wider climate research.

Hans Meyer, Ludwig Purtscheller, and their local guide Yohanas Kinyala Lauwo made the first recorded ascent of the summit in 1889. Kilimanjaro is inside Kilimanjaro National Park, which was established in 1973. Climbers generally reach the top without technical mountaineering equipment, but altitude remains the major danger.