Establishment of Kilimanjaro National Park

Kilimanjaro National Park in northern Tanzania protects Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, a dormant volcano whose summit, Uhuru Peak, rises to 5,895 meters. The massif has three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira, and glaciers that have been shrinking rapidly. The national park was established in the 1970s and opened to visitors a few years later, and UNESCO inscribed it in 1987. The slopes pass through several ecological zones, from cultivated farmland and montane forest through heath and alpine desert to an arctic summit. Thousands of climbers attempt the ascent each year by routes such as Marangu and Machame. Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller made the first ascent in 1889.

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