Why does Kilimanjaro have an "equatorial snow peak"?

Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain on the African continent, the only snow peak on the equator, the highest point that humans can reach without special equipment, and the highest isolated mountain in the world. It is called "the roof of Africa" and "the king of Africa". As far away as 200 kilometers, you can see its snow crown hanging in the blue sky and shining in the equatorial sun.

Kilimanjaro is a volcano with an altitude of about 5,892 meters, with an area of 756 square kilometers and a latitude of 3 4' south, only over 300 kilometers away from the equator. It is located in the northeast of Tanzania, adjacent to Kenya. Kilimanjaro National Park and Forest Reserve occupy the whole Kilimanjaro Mountain and surrounding forests. Kilimanjaro National Park consists of all mountainous areas above the tree line and six forest corridors passing through mountain forest belts. Kilimanjaro is surrounded by mountains, and many mammals live here, some of which are endangered species.

In 2000, the Tanzanian government held the "2000 Century Climbing" activity. After re-measurement, it was officially announced that the exact height of Kilimanjaro was 5892 meters. Since it has always been recognized as 5895 meters, many Tanzanians have begun to be unbalanced: why, the mountain is 3 meters shorter! In fact, the mountain is still so high, but there are errors in past measurements. It is reported that since 1889, German and British scholars have taken turns to measure this mountain almost like a competition, and they have obtained various figures such as 60 1 1, 5982, 5930, 5965, 5963 and 5895 respectively.

Kilimanjaro is covered with snow all year round, which is a magnificent scenery near the equator; The famous writer Hemingway's novel "The Snow of Kilimanjaro" makes this magical mountain last forever in people's imagination. Ptolemy, an ancient Greek, marked the volcano on a map drawn more than 2000 years ago, but it was once erased by Europeans who didn't know the truth and made a joke. Kilimanjaro has been a mysterious and fascinating mountain for centuries-no one really believes that there is such a snow-covered mountain near the equator. Kilimanjaro is extremely sacred in Tanzanian hearts. Many tribes hold traditional sacrificial activities at the foot of the mountain every year to worship the mountain gods and pray for peace.

Kilimanjaro has two main peaks, one is Kibo (Kibo was renamed "Youhulu Peak" after Tanzania became independent) and the other is Ma Wenji. There is a saddle ridge with a length of 10 kilometers between the two peaks. From a distance, Kilimanjaro is an isolated mountain, rising from the vast East African prairie and towering into the sky. Kilimanjaro Kibo has a crater with a diameter of 2400 meters and a depth of 200 meters. The walls of the crater are flawless, and huge icicles stand at the bottom, covered with snow and ice, just like a huge jade basin.

In Swahili, Kilimanjaro means "sparkling mountain". Its outline is very clear: the slowly rising slope leads to a long, flat top, which is a real giant crater-a basin-like volcanic peak. On a hot day, from a distance, the blue mountain base is pleasing to the eye, while the top of the snowy mountain seems to hover in the air. Fog that often extends below the snow line deepens this illusion. The temperature at the foot of the mountain is sometimes as high as 59℃, while the temperature at the top of the mountain is often MINUS 34℃, so it is called "equatorial snow peak". East Africans have their own unique aesthetics, which they call "the sail of the grassland" vividly. This rich imagination of East Africans has brought people into a mythical dream world of "watching sails on the grassland". It is said that Amboseli Wildlife Park in Kenya is one of the best places to overlook the magnificent scenery of Kilimanjaro Snow Mountain, and February to 10 is the golden season to enjoy the scenery every year.

Kilimanjaro's latitude is 3 4' south latitude, and a snow-capped mountain stands near the equator, which is breathtaking. Kilimanjaro's snow originates from its height. Although the climate near the equator is hot, with the elevation of the terrain, the temperature will gradually decrease. In general, the temperature will drop by about 6℃ for every increase of1000 m. Kilimanjaro's altitude of more than 5000 meters makes the temperature at the top of the mountain often below O℃, so the snow does not melt all year round.

Mount Kilimanjaro is located about 160 km east of the Great Rift Valley, and its formation is related to the activities of the Great Rift Valley. More than 654.38+million years ago, the crust here broke and there was strong volcanic activity along the fault line. Kilimanjaro is covered with a lot of lava. The mountain peaks over 5000 meters are covered with permanent glaciers, and the thickness is as high as 80 meters, forming a "snow peak wonder" near the equator in the south latitude! Due to the influence of global climate change or volcanic activity, the alpine glaciers in Kilimanjaro are shrinking. According to research, according to the current rate of retreat, it may melt completely in one or two hundred years.

The top of Kilimanjaro is frozen with ice and snow, but at the foot of the mountain is a tropical scenery, which makes the foothills and the top of the mountain look like two worlds. Kilimanjaro Mountain has obvious vertical zonation, and there are all kinds of vegetation and animals in tropical, subtropical, temperate and cold zones from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain. At the foot of the snow-capped mountain is a vast and desolate tropical rainforest; Around the foothills, African elephants, zebras, giraffes and other animals haunt the savanna; On the mountainside, tropical cash crops such as coffee, sisal and pyrethrum grow on fertile volcanic ash weathered soil; From the mountainside up, the landscape will transition from shrubs to alpine meadows, and finally the alpine desert and snow all year round. This mountain peak is called "Snow White on the Equator" because of its beautiful natural scenery. However, the true face of the "princess" is not easy to see. The warm and humid air flow from the Indian Ocean rises along the mountain, and turns into clouds when it is cold, which often makes the mountainside fog around and casts a mysterious veil on Kilimanjaro.

The vegetation of Kilimanjaro Mountain has obvious vertical changes due to different heights and slope directions. There is less precipitation in the foothills and a large savanna. Zebra and Long Neck said they were taking a leisurely walk. The southern part is windward waves, with an altitude of about 1000 meters, belonging to the tropical rain forest belt. With the increase of height, the temperature gradually decreases to 1000 ~ 2000m, which belongs to subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest belt. 2000 ~ 3000 meters is a temperate forest belt; Above 3000 meters, it gradually transitions into alpine grassland belt, desert belt and ice and snow belt. Leeward north slope, dry climate, tropical rain forest almost no longer exists; The grassland is more than 2700 meters above sea level, and the grassland in different terrain parts rises to 4200 ~ 5 100 meters, and then there is alpine desert or alpine ice. At present, most of the southern slope of the foothills below 1800 meters above sea level has been reclaimed as cultivated land for planting bananas, coffee, grain and vegetables. In order to protect the heat drive, plant resources and develop tourism, it has been designated as Kilimanjaro National Park and listed in the World Natural Heritage List by UNESCO.

Kilimanjaro has five mountaineering routes, of which Malan Valley is the easiest and Machamei is the most difficult. Although the absolute altitude of Kilimanjaro is far less than that of Mount Everest, the relative altitude of climbing is almost the same, all around 3000 meters, and the probability of acute mountain reaction when climbing Kilimanjaro is much greater than that of climbing Mount Everest. So many climbers in the world like to challenge the highest peak in Africa.

Moxi Town (elevation1000m)

Gate of Kilimanjaro National Park (elevation 1970 m)

From the gate of the park to Camp Mandela 1 (2700 meters above sea level). The journey is 9 kilometers and the time is about 4 hours.

From Camp Mandela to Camp No.2, Huolunpo (3,700 meters). Travel 12km, and the time is about 6 hours.

From Camp Huolunpo to Camp Kibo No.3 (4,750m), the journey is 16km, and the time is about 8 hours.

The journey from Kibo camp to the top of the mountain is 7 kilometers, and the time is about 6-8 hours.

The wooden sign near the peak reads: "You are now at Gilman Point at an altitude of 568 1 m.. Tanzania welcomes you and congratulates you. "

The highest peak is the "oil gourd" (oil gourd) peak at an altitude of 5895 meters.

At the entrance of Kilimanjaro National Park, you must register for mountaineering. Everyone should register a series of information such as name, gender, passport number, etc., and check the mountain entry permit. You can't climb the mountain without an appointment. Before departure, all partners should show their qualification certificates in a cabin for identity confirmation and registration, and all luggage should be weighed here. If it is found that the weight is less than the weight when entering the mountain and exceeds a certain proportion, it will be fined. The purpose of this is to protect the environment, because there are no garbage bins on the mountain. The weight of the backpack should be controlled within 10 kg. "Malangu Route" is also called "tourist route" and "Coca-Cola route" because only on this route can each camp have wooden houses to live in and drink soft drinks and bottled water.