Here at Peak Planet we hear this question often, “Where is Kilimanjaro?” Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the seven summits – the highest peaks on each continent. Kilimanjaro is the tallest peak in Africa, standing at 19,340 feet tall. The mountain is located in East Africa, in the country of Tanzania.
Kilimanjaro is a giant stratovolcano that lies on a tectonic line intersection east of the Rift Valley. Stratovolcanoes are formed when erupted ash and cinders mix with lava flows and cool to produce a steep conical formation. Eruptions from about one million years ago created the massive mountain .
Kilimanjaro is actually made up of three volcanic peaks – Shira, Mawenzi and Kibo. Kibo has the highest point of the mountain, called Uhuru, which means freedom in Swahili. Shira collapsed about 500,000 years ago, forming the Shira Plateau. Mawenzi lies to the east of Kibo, and is 16,900 feet tall.
