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Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano in the Eastern Hemisphere and the fourth most topographically prominent peak on Earth. Kilimanjaro's southern and eastern slopes served as the home of the Chagga Kingdoms until their abolition in 1963 by Julius Nyerere. The origin and meaning of the name Kilimanjaro is unknown, but may mean "mountain of greatness" or "unclimbable". Although described in classical sources, German missionary Johannes Rebmann is credited as the first European to report the mountain's existence, in 1848. After several European attempts, Hans Meyer reached Kilimanjaro's highest summit in 1889. The mountain was incorporated into Kilimanjaro National Park in 1973. As one of the Seven Summits, Kilimanjaro is a major hiking and climbing destination. There a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amboseli National Park
Amboseli National Park, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is a national park in Loitoktok District in Kajiado County, Kenya. It is in size at the core of an ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. It harbours 400 species of birds including water birds like pelicans, kingfishers, crakes, hamerkop and 47 raptor species. The local people are mainly Maasai. The park protects two of the five main swamps and includes a dried-up Pleistocene lake and semiarid vegetation. History In 1883, Jeremy Thompson was the first European to penetrate the feared Maasai region known as ''Empusel'' (meaning 'salty, dusty place' in Maa). He, too, was astonished by the fantastic array of wildlife and the contrast between the arid areas of the dry lake bed and the oasis of the swamps, a contrast that persists today. Amboseli was set aside as the Southern Reserve for the Maasai in 1906 but returned to local control as a game reserve in 1948. Gazetted a national park in 1974 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Julius Nyerere
Julius Kambarage Nyerere (; 13 April 1922 – 14 October 1999) was a Tanzanian politician, anti-colonial activist, and political theorist. He governed Tanganyika (1961–1964), Tanganyika as prime minister from 1961 to 1962 and then as president from 1962 to 1964, after which he led its successor state, Tanzania, as president from 1964 to 1985. He was a founding member and chair of the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) party and of its successor, Chama Cha Mapinduzi, from 1954 to 1990. Ideologically an African nationalism, African nationalist and African socialism, African socialist, he promoted a political philosophy known as Ujamaa. Born in Butiama, Mara Region, Mara, then in the British colony of Tanganyika, Nyerere was the son of a Zanaki people, Zanaki chief. After completing his schooling, he studied at Makerere College in Uganda and then Edinburgh University in Scotland. In 1952 he returned to Tanganyika, married, and worked as a school teacher. In 1954, he helpe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dendrosenecio Kilimanjari
''Dendrosenecio kilimanjari'' is a giant groundsel found on Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, below . Taxonomy It was originally known as ''Senecio kilimanjari'', but a recent botanical reclassification split off some species formerly in ''Senecio'', putting it and various other species in the new genus '' Dendrosenecio''. Both genera are in the family ''Asteraceae''. The giant groundsels of the genus ''Dendrosenecio'' evolved, about a million years ago, from a ''Senecio'' that established itself on Mount Kilimanjaro, with those that survived adapting into ''Dendrosenecio kilimanjari''. This later colonised other mountains by some means—a standard distance for wind dispersal of seeds is a few metres—and these isolated populations adapted in ways different from the parent population, creating new species. Infraspecific name synonymy The infraspecific name In botany, an infraspecific name is the scientific name for any taxon below the rank of species, i.e. an infraspecif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giant Groundsel
''Dendrosenecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Asteraceae, sunflower family. It is a Segregate (taxonomy), segregate of ''Senecio'', in which it forms the subgenus ''Dendrosenecio''. Its members, the giant groundsels, are native to the higher-altitude zones of ten mountain groups in equatorial East Africa, where they form a conspicuous element of the flora. Description They have a giant rosette Habit (biology), habit, with a terminal leaf Rosette (botany), rosette at the apex of a stout woody stem. When they bloom, the flowers form a large terminal inflorescence. Concomitantly, two to four lateral branches are normally initiated. As a result, old plants have the appearance of candelabras the size of telephone poles, each branch with a terminal rosette. Species ''Dendrosenecio'' varies geographically between mountain ranges, and altitudinally on a single mountain. There has been disagreement among botanists as to which populations of ''Dendrosenecio'' warrant recognition ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or, in scientific literature, as an ''endemite''. Similarly, many species found in the Western ghats of India are examples of endemism. Endemism is an important concept in conservation biology for measuring biodiversity in a particular place and evaluating the risk of extinction for species. Endemism is also of interest in evolutionary biology, because it provides clues about how changes in the environment cause species to undergo range shifts (potentially expanding their range into a larger area or bec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cloud Forests
A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, montane, moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level, formally described in the ''International Cloud Atlas'' (2017) as silvagenitus. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and vegetation, in which case they are also referred to as mossy forests. Mossy forests usually develop on the saddles of mountains, where moisture introduced by settling clouds is more effectively retained. Cloud forests are among the most biodiversity-rich ecosystems in the world, with a large number of species directly or indirectly depending on them. Other moss forests include black spruce/ feathermoss climax forest, with a moderately dense canopy and a forest floor of feathermosses, including '' Hylocomium splendens'', '' Pleurozium schreberi'', and '' Pt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Montane Forests
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial factor in shaping plant community, biodiversity, metabolic processes and ecosystem dynamics for montane ecosystems. Dense montane forests are common at moderate elevations, due to moderate temperatures and high rainfall. At higher elevations, the climate is harsher, with lower temperatures and higher winds, preventing the growth of trees and causing the plant community to transition to montane grasslands and shrublands or alpine tundra. Due to the unique climate conditions of montane ecosystems, they contain increased numbers of endemic species. Montane ecosystems also exhibit variation in ecosystem services, which include carbon storage and water supply. Life zones As elevation increases, the climate becomes cooler, due to a decrease in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
East African Rift
The East African Rift (EAR) or East African Rift System (EARS) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa. The EAR began developing around the onset of the Miocene, 22–25 million years ago. It was formerly considered to be part of a larger Great Rift Valley that extended north to Asia Minor. A narrow zone, the rift is a developing divergent tectonic plate boundary where the African plate is in the process of splitting into two tectonic plates, called the Somali plate and the Nubian plate, at a rate of per year. The rift system consists of three microplates, the Victoria microplate to the north, and the Rovuma and Lwandle microplates to the south. The Victoria microplate is rotating anti-clockwise with respect to the African plate. Its rotation is caused by the configuration of mechanically weaker and stronger lithospheric regions in the EARS. Many of the African Great Lakes lie within the Rift Valley. Extent A series of distinct rift basins, the East A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Altitude Sickness
Altitude sickness, the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is a harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People's bodies can respond to high altitude in different ways. Symptoms of altitude sickness may include headaches, vomiting, tiredness, confusion, trouble sleeping, and dizziness. Acute mountain sickness can progress to high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) with associated shortness of breath or high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) with associated confusion. Chronic mountain sickness may occur after long-term exposure to high altitude. Altitude sickness typically occurs only above , though some people are affected at lower altitudes. Risk factors include a prior episode of altitude sickness, a high degree of activity, and a rapid increase in elevation. Being physically fit does not decrease the risk. Diagnosis is based on symptoms and is supported for those who have more than a minor reduction ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing Routes
Mount Kilimanjaro ( /ˌkɪlɪmənˈdʒɑːroʊ/) is a dormant volcano in the United Republic of Tanzania, 5,895 meters (19,341 ft) above sea level. There are several routes by which to reach Kibo, or Uhuru Peak, the highest summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, namely: Marangu, Rongai, Lemosho, Shira, Umbwe, and Machame. One of the most popular mountains in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro is visited yearly by roughly 50,000 trekkers who aspire to reach its summit, with the average summit success rate across all climbers and routes being 70-80%. However, summit success rate heavily depends upon the route, as routes vary considerably in terms of acclimatization profile and climb duration. Trekking routes Kilimanjaro has a number of official climbing routes. These are: Northern Circuit, Machame, Marangu, Rongai, Londorossi Lemosho, Umbwe, Shira, and Mweka (descent only). Summary of routes Marangu Route The Marangu Route (also known as the "Coca-Cola" route) is the easiest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seven Summits
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains on each of the seven traditional continents. On 30 April 1985, Richard Bass became the first climber to reach the summit of all seven. In January 2023, ''Climbing (magazine), Climbing'' said "Today, the Seven Summits are a relatively common—almost cliché—tour of each continent's highest peak", and while reaching the peak of the "Seven Summits" is no longer considered a significant achievement amongst mountaineers, it remains a popular challenge for "adventure mountaineers" using expedition climbing techniques. Definitions The Seven Summits consist of the highest mountain peak on each of the continents. Different lists include slight variations, but generally, the same core is maintained. The seven summits depend on the definition used for a continent – in particular the location of the border of that continent. This results in two major points of variation. The first one is Mont Blanc versus Mount Elbrus for Europe, which depend ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kilimanjaro National Park
Kilimanjaro National Park (''Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Kilimanjaro'', in Swahili) is a national park of Tanzania located south of the equator in the Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. The park is located near the region of Moshi. The park includes the whole of Mount Kilimanjaro above the tree line and the surrounding montane forest belt above . It covers an area of , 2°50'–3°10'S 37°10'–37°40'E. The park is administered by the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA). It was established as a national park in 1973. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987 and Natural Wonder of Africa in 2013. The Park Headquarters is at Marangu, about 44 Km from Moshi town and 86km from Kilimanjaro International Airport The park generated US$51 million in revenue in 2013, the second-most of any Tanzanian national park, and was one of only two Tanzanian national parks to generate a surplus during the 2012–2013 budget year. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
