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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”.
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).