What is the highest mountain in Africa? Kilimanjaro: description, photo

Africa is an exotic continent for many Eurasians. Here there are huge deserts and savannahs, unusual animals are found and amazing plants grow. Do you know which are the highest mountains in Africa? The names of some of them we remembered for the school program, others are completely unknown.

general description

The main feature of the continent is that high mountains are not in folded structures. For example, the highest mountain in Africa is located on the East African plateau. In the north-west and south of the continent are folded mountains - Atlas and Cape. The Ethiopian (Abyssinian) Highlands are located in the northeast, the Aberdarskiy Range is in the very center of the continent, the Drakensberg Mountains are in the south, and Ahaggar is in the north-west. In addition, Africa is famous for the active and extinct volcanoes (Kilimanjaro and Cameroon).

The highest mountain in Africa - Kilimanjaro

This huge mountain range consists of three extinct volcanoes - Mavenzi (5129 m), Shira (3962 m), and Kibo (5895 m). Accordingly, the height of the highest mountain in Africa is 5,895 meters. The array is located on the plateau of Masai. Today, scientists do not have documentary evidence that in ancient times there was volcanic activity, only legends say about it. In the Kilimanjaro area today, only periodic gas releases are reminiscent of volcanism. Nevertheless, in the past, shifts and landslides were recorded.

The highest mountain in Africa is famous for its ice cap, since the peak has covered glaciers for many millennia. Today, many scientists express fears that this huge snow cap may disappear in the coming decades. Probably, their fears are not groundless - over the past 100 years, the cap has decreased by almost 80%. This is not a consequence of the temperature increase, but depends on the decrease in the number of snows falling in the region.

The highest mountain in Africa was discovered in 1848 by German pastor Johannes Rebman. For the first time, the Hungarian count Samuel Telleki tried to conquer the summit, but it was not conquered in 1889 by the German traveler Hans Meyer and his companion - the alpinist from Austria Ludwig Purtcheller.

Mount Kenya

This is not the highest mountain in Africa, however, its height reaches 5199 meters. Mount Kenya is an extinct stratovolcano and one of the most popular mountain climbers of the African continent. It is located in Mount Kenya National Park, founded in 1949 to protect the surrounding area.

Most often, the ascent to this mountain is carried out to its three peaks - Batian, Nelion and Point Lenan. From the technical point of view, the most accessible and simple is the Point Lenana, located in the southeast of the massif.

Scientists believe that about two million years ago - Mount Kenya was an active volcano. There is a version that in those distant times it was higher than Kilimanjaro.

In 1849, it was opened by the German missionary Johann Krapf, and 34 years later it was confirmed by the discovery of the explorer J. Thompson, who reached its foot from the west.

Cameroon

This mountain is considered the highest on the territory of Central Africa. Its height is 4070 meters. At the present time it is still showing volcanic activity. The last eruption of Cameroon was recorded in 2000. The top of the mountain is not always covered with snow, only sometimes a hat appears on it. The volcano also has other names - Fako and Mongo Ma Ndemi - as the local population calls it.

This volcano was discovered by the Portuguese sailors - members of the expedition, who was searching through Africa for India. Conquered the summit in 1861 by Richard Francis Burton.

Ethiopian Highlands

It is located in the north-eastern part of the continent, in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and partly in the north of Somalia. The highest point is considered to be Mount Ras-Dashen. Its height is 4,550 meters. In the east and south the ledges of the highlands are steep. They descend into deep valleys. The western ledges are distinguished by a steep form, are cut by the deep canyons of the Blue Nile. The valleys divide the highlands into separate arrays (ambers). The Ethiopian Highlands are made up of gneisses, crystalline schists, higher are the volcanic rocks.

In the highlands there is a monsoon climate, which allows us to grow coffee trees, rye and wheat. In addition, there are many minerals - gold, platinum, sulfur, copper and iron ores. It produces brown coal, limestone and gypsum.

Atlas Mountains

This mountain range is located in the north-west of the continent. For a long time it was believed that it stretches from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to Morocco to the very shores of Tunisia. Today it is established that it stretches for 2300 km from Cape Sirtov to Kotei.

The Atlas Mountains are separated from the Mediterranean and Atlantic coast by the Sahara Desert. They are numerous ridges. The highest point of this massif is Mount Tubkal (4167 m).