Back Kenia (berg) Afrikaans جبل كينيا Arabic Monte Kenia AST Kenėjės kalns BAT-SMG Bukid Kenya BCL Кенія (гара) Byelorussian Кенія (гара) BE-X-OLD Кения (планина) Bulgarian কেনিয়া পর্বত Bengali/Bangla Menez Kenya Breton

Mount Kenya

Mount Kenya
Highest point
Elevation5,199 m (17,057 ft)[1]
Prominence3,825 m (12,549 ft)[1]
Ranked 32nd
ListingSeven Second Summits
Country high point
Ultra
Coordinates0°9′03″S 37°18′27″E / 0.15083°S 37.30750°E / -0.15083; 37.30750[1]
Naming
Native name
Geography
Mount Kenya is located in Kenya
Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya
Topo map(s)Mount Kenya by Wielochowski and Savage[2][3]
Geology
Mountain typeStratovolcano (extinct)
Last eruption2.6–3.1 MYA
Climbing
First ascent13 September 1899 by Mackinder, Ollier, and Brocherel, although the peoples of Kenya believed God (Ngai in Gikuyu) resided on this mountain and regularly ascended the peaks to perform spiritual rites.[4]
Easiest routeRock climb

Mount Kenya (Meru: Kĩrĩmaara, Kikuyu: Kĩrĩnyaga, Kamba: Ki nyaaa, Embu: Kirinyaa) is an extinct volcano in Kenya and the second-highest peak in Africa, after Kilimanjaro.[5] The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (5,199 metres (17,057 feet)), Nelion (5,188 m (17,021 ft)) and Point Lenana (4,985 m (16,355 ft)). Mount Kenya is located in the former Eastern and Central provinces of Kenya; its peak is now the intersection of Meru, Embu, Kirinyaga, Nyeri and Tharaka Nithi counties, about 16.5 kilometres (10.3 miles) south of the equator, around 150 km (90 mi) north-northeast of the capital Nairobi.[6][5] Mount Kenya is the source of the name of the Republic of Kenya.

Mount Kenya is a volcano created approximately 3 million years after the opening of the East African Rift.[7] Before glaciation, it was 7,000 m (23,000 ft) high. It was covered by an ice cap for thousands of years. This has resulted in very eroded slopes and numerous valleys radiating from the peak.[8][9] There are currently 11 small glaciers, which are shrinking rapidly, and may disappear by 2050.[10] The forested slopes are an important source of water for much of Kenya.[11]

There are several vegetation bands from the base to the peak.[12] The lower slopes are covered by different types of forest. Many alpine species are endemic to Mount Kenya, such as the giant lobelias and senecios and a local subspecies of rock hyrax.[13] An area of 715 km2 (276 sq mi) around the centre of the mountain was designated a National Park and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.[14] The park receives over 16,000 visitors per year.[15][11]

  1. ^ a b c "Africa Ultra-Prominences" Peaklist.org. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ewp_kenya_map was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference map was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference facingmtkenya was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference rough_guide was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Where is Mount Kenya Located?". WorldAtlas. 8 June 2018.
  7. ^ Philippe Nonnotte. "Étude volcano-tectonique de la zone de divergence Nord-Tanzanienne (terminaison sud du rift kenyan) – Caractérisation pétrologique et géochimique du volcanisme récent (8 Ma – Actuel) et du manteau source – Contraintes de mise en place thèse de doctorat de l'université de Bretagne occidentale, spécialité : géosciences marines" (PDF).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference gregory1894 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference baker was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ TravelMedals (26 January 2020). "Mount Kenya Summit Challenge!". Travel Medals. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  11. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference development was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Resnick, Mike (1998). Kirinyaga: a fable of Utopia. Ballantine. p. 293. ISBN 978-0-345-41701-5.
  13. ^ Coe, Malcolm James (1967). The Ecology of the Alpine Zone of Mount Kenya. The Hague: Dr W. Junk.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference unesco was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "World Heritage Nomination – IUCN Technical Evaluation Mount Kenya (Kenya)" (PDF).

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