Places in News: Mount Kilimanjaro

  • 0
  • 4311
Font size:
Print

Places in News: Mount Kilimanjaro

Context:

Just days before the 78th Independence Day, an expedition team sponsored by the Ministry of Defence unfurled a 7,800 sq ft Indian national flag at the Uhuru Summit, the highest peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.

 

More on the news:

  • It was a divyangjan expedition team of Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence.
  • The defence ministry, in a statement, said it aims to “inspire future generations of ‘divyangjan‘ and other underprivileged youth to pursue their dreams, no matter how daunting they may seem”.

 

Places in News: Mount Kilimanjaro

 

About Mount Kilimanjaro:

  • Location and Height: Mount Kilimanjaro is located in Tanzania and is Africa’s tallest mountain, standing at approximately 5,895 meters (19,340 feet). 
  • It is the world’s largest free-standing mountain, not part of a mountain range.
  • Volcanic Structure: Kilimanjaro is a stratovolcano made up of three cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. Kibo, the highest summit, is dormant. The highest point on Kibo’s crater rim is called Uhuru, meaning “freedom” in Swahili. Mawenzi and Shira are extinct. 
  • Glacial Retreat: Kilimanjaro’s iconic snow cap is rapidly disappearing. Over the past century, the mountain has lost over 90% of its ice, with some glaciers vanishing entirely. 
  • Cultural Significance: Yohani Kinyala Lauwo, a member of the Chagga tribe, guided the first successful European ascent in 1889 by Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller. 
  • Lauwo became the first Tanzanian to reach the summit and continued guiding climbers for over 50 years, living to the age of 125.
  • Conservation Status: In 1973, Kilimanjaro and its surrounding forest corridors were designated as Kilimanjaro National Park
  • In 1987, the area was named a UNESCO World Heritage site to help protect its unique environment and biodiversity, which includes species like the blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis).
Share:
Print
Apply What You've Learned.
Previous Post Species in News: Neelakurinji
Next Post India and Ballast Water
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x