Do you know what the largest volcano in Africa is? Africa's tallest volcano Africa Volcanoes Report

There are many volcanoes on the African continent, especially in its eastern part. There are about fifty active dangerous mountains in Ethiopia alone. There are volcanoes in countries such as Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Cameroon, etc.

But how dangerous are these African mountains? Below are ten of the most terrifying ones.

Dabbahu (Ethiopia)

This active volcano is located in the East African Rift Valley. In 2005, its last eruption was so powerful that it created a 60 km long crack in the ground. The erupted ash spread over a radius of up to 40 km.

Three days after Dabbahu awakened, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.5 occurred. Ethiopian authorities were forced to evacuate more than 11 thousand local residents.

Marion Island (South Africa)

This small island is actually the tip of a huge underwater volcano rising 1,242 meters above the Indian Ocean. Over the past 40 years, the volcano has awakened twice: in 1980 and 2004.

Now only scientists living on this island are exploring a dangerous mountain. In case of danger, they will be able to evacuate by boat.

Ol Doinyo Lengai (Tanzania)

Translated from the language of the local Maasai tribe, Ol Doinyo Lengai means "Mountain of God". In 2007, a powerful eruption caused a series of earthquakes reaching 6 points on the Richter scale. The volcano is very active - over the past ten years it has awakened four times.

Manda Hararo (Ethiopia)

This name unites a whole group of volcanoes that first woke up in 2007. Powerful eruptions lasted three days, but, fortunately, local residents were evacuated. Two years later, the volcano exploded again, creating lava flows up to 5 kilometers long.

Mount Cameroon

Mount Cameroon is the most dangerous volcano in western Africa. In 2000, after two of its eruptions, lava flows came close to the city of Buea. In 2012, the volcano exploded again, throwing huge amounts of ash into the air.

Mount Cameroon poses a great danger to the 500 thousand people living in its immediate vicinity.

Nyamlaghira (Democratic Republic of Congo)

This volcano is considered the most active on the continent. For several decades he woke up every two years. After a major eruption in 2011, Nyamlaghira remained relatively quiet, but in recent years it has awakened, and a lava lake 500 meters deep has formed in its crater.

Although there are no populated areas near the volcano, it poses a great danger to neighboring Lake Kivu.

Fogo (Cape Verde)

On November 23, 2014, seismic activity near Mount Fogo first increased, and then the volcano exploded. Due to strong tremors, local residents were completely evacuated. The eruption lasted almost 80 days, during which time two villages were destroyed. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

The entire island of Fogo is part of a huge volcano with a diameter of 25 km. If a major eruption occurs, it will put tens of thousands of residents in an extremely difficult situation.

Kartala (Comoros)

Mount Kartala, located on the island of Ngazidja, is an active volcano rising 2361 m above sea level. It has erupted more than twenty times over the past 120 years and is therefore considered very dangerous.

In 2005, the volcano's activity reached its highest limit. The violent eruption of Kartala, accompanied by large lava flows and deadly volcanic gases, forced the evacuation of more than 30 thousand people.

In subsequent years, it flared up three more times, but much weaker. More than 300 thousand inhabitants of the island constantly live on a “powder keg”, because the next strong eruption could lead to a big catastrophe.

Nabro (Ethiopia)

In June 2011, there was a powerful eruption of the Ethiopian volcano Nabro. It was accompanied by powerful emissions of lava and ash, as well as a series of earthquakes reaching a magnitude of 5.7. The ash that flew out of the crater rose to a height of 15 kilometers and scattered over a huge distance, complicating air travel for the entire region.

The main impact of the eruption fell on the Afar region of Ethiopia. More than thirty people died, thousands were evacuated. This eruption was the first for Nabro. Until this time, he was considered dormant, so no research was carried out.

Nyiragonga (Democratic Republic of Congo)

This Congolese volcano, shown in the main photo, is considered the most dangerous on the continent. Over the past 135 years, it has exploded at least 34 times.

Nyiragonga is deadly because of its lava. It is very liquid, so it can cover significant distances at high speed. In 1977, a lava flow moving at speeds of more than 60 km/h burned several villages and killed at least 70 people. 25 years later, after another strong eruption, a crack formed from the crater to the neighboring town of Goma, along which hot lava flowed. Almost 150 people died, about 400 thousand were evacuated.

The biggest danger coming from Nyiragonga comes from neighboring Lake Kivu. If lava gets into it, it could release large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, as happened in 1986 near Lake Nyos, where 1,700 people died from suffocation. Considering that more than two million people live near Kivu, the scale of the tragedy is difficult to even imagine.

When I read “Doctor Aibolit” by Chukovsky as a child, I had no idea that the good doctor had traveled to almost all the natural attractions of Africa. He was on the largest island archipelago of Tanzania (Zanzibar, 75 islands), and on the “crocodile river” Limpopo, and on the highest African mountain Kilimanjaro. But at that time I had absolutely no idea that Kilimanjaro was also a potentially active volcano.

Where and why were African volcanoes formed?

Mountain building in Africa did not occur, as usual, along the edges of the continent, but almost along its center. Closer to the eastern part of the continent there is a fault, the length of which reaches almost 6,000 km, and the width varies from 75 to 125 km. This natural crack received the toponym “Great African Rift” and arose at the junction of two lithospheric plates - the Arabian and African.

This is what poses a threat of seismic activity to East African countries such as Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. All active volcanoes are located right along the edges of the crack, because... The earth's crust has not yet calmed down and is in permanent motion. Relatively recently, scientists discovered that a large depression has formed in the Ethiopian Afar Desert. In 2005, a series of powerful earthquakes occurred here, as a result of which the surface dropped 100 m below sea level. Summarizing the above, it can be argued that all active volcanoes are located in the eastern part of Africa, and their appearance is due to the convergence of two lithospheric plates.

The most dangerous volcanoes in Africa

In order for a volcano to be recognized as dangerous, it must exhibit constant activity, its awakening could pose a threat to human life, and its activity irreversibly affected the surrounding world (ash fall, surface fractures, etc.). Among African volcanoes these will be:

• Dabbahu - in Ethiopia.
• Ol Doinyo Lengai - in the United Republic of Tanzania.
• Nyiragonga is in the Republic of the Congo.

Even suspicion of any activity of these volcanoes leads to the immediate evacuation of thousands of residents.

A volcano is a very beautiful, but at the same time dangerous and unpredictable natural phenomenon. Seeing its eruption means getting an unforgettable experience, but at this time you need to be at a great distance from the center of events, because it covers huge areas with ash, lava and volcanic bombs. Such natural phenomena exist on all continents. And today we will talk about what it is like in Africa, what it is like.

The highest, but no longer active, volcano here is Kilimanjaro. Its height is approximately 5895 meters. In Swahili the name means “white mountain”. The largest volcano in Africa is located in Tanzania, just 300 km south of the equator. Kilimanjaro consists of 3 separate cones, the highest peak is Kibo (5895 meters). The second peak is Mawenzi (5149 m), the third is Shira (3962 m). At the top of Kibo there is a crater whose diameter is approximately 3 km and depth is 800 m.

The tallest volcano in Africa, the name of which you already know, began to form several million years ago, when lava went beyond the fault zone. Mawenzi and Shira are already extinct peaks, but Kibo can come out of dormancy at any moment and flare up with renewed vigor. The last significant eruption was 360,000 years ago, and data on the activity of the volcano was recorded in the 19th century.

The discoverer of Kilimanjaro was Johannes Rebman. This happened in 1848, although, of course, mentions of this volcano were many years before the official date of discovery. Austrian Ludwig Purtscheller and German Hans Meyer were the first to climb Kilimanjaro's highest peak on October 6, 1889.

The largest volcano in Africa has a lot of snow on its top, which appeared there many years ago after the Ice Age, and now its amount is gradually decreasing. Scientists believe that soon the snow will disappear there altogether.

Kilimanjaro is a beautiful mountain, climbing which is very popular among tourists, because it allows you to immediately feel 3 At the very beginning (the first 3 km) there are tropical forests, mountain rivers, streams and waterfalls. Residents in this area successfully grow bananas, coffee, and corn. In the middle of the climb there is desert, and at the very top there is snow. The peculiarities of Kilimanjaro are the absence of a bamboo zone and high biodiversity with a fairly low endemicity of some species.

The largest volcano in Africa is an ideal place for tourists. There are even specially created routes here, some of them are intended exclusively for ascent, others - for descent. However, this is not as simple as it may seem. People must be prepared before climbing, because at high altitudes it is easy to experience a lack of oxygen, headaches and hypothermia. Pulmonary or cerebral edema may occur. According to some reports, more people died on Kilimanjaro than on Everest.

There are also Africa, and one of the largest is Cameroon, whose height is more than 4 km. He is quite active, so he has a good chance of quickly gaining great height.

The top of the dormant volcano is covered with a snow-white cap of snow, which sparkles impressively in the rays of the bright African sun. Perhaps that is why the local population gave it such a name - Kilimanjaro, which translated from Swahili means “sparkling mountain”. In ancient times, the tribes inhabiting this area, who had never seen snow in their lives, were sure that it was covered with silver. But for a long time they did not dare to check their assumptions, since many frightening legends were associated with the volcano, telling about evil spirits that lived on the top of Kilimanjaro and guarded its treasures. And yet, after some time, the local leader sent a small detachment of the bravest warriors to conquer the mysterious peak. Upon arrival, they immediately began to examine the “silver” lying everywhere, but, to everyone’s surprise, it instantly melted in their hands. On the “sparkling mountain” there was nothing but eternal cold snow. Then the aborigines, feeling the cold of the silvery ice cap, gave the giant volcano another name - “The Abode of the God of Cold.”

Many legends associated with Kilimanjaro have survived to this day. Local residents believe that the top of the volcano is inhabited by gods, and the caves and ravines of the mountain are inhabited by pygmy gnomes who hunt and gather. Weather conditions, according to local beliefs, are associated with the mood of the evil spirits living on the mountain.

The beauty of Mount Kilimanjaro can be seen for many kilometers around the surrounding Tanzanian and Kenyan savannas. Its outline is sloping slopes rising to an elongated, flat peak, which is in reality a giant 2-kilometer caldera - a vast basin at the peak of the volcano.

On very hot days, you can contemplate a fantastic picture: from a distance, the bluish base of the mountain becomes almost indistinguishable against the background of the savannah, and it seems that the snow-covered peak is floating in the air. And the clouds floating around, often flying below the snow cap, enhance this effect.

The first mentions of huge snow-capped mountains come from the 2nd century AD. e. They were plotted on Ptolemy's geographical map. However, the official date of the discovery of the “sparkling mountain” is considered to be May 11, 1848, when it first appeared before the eyes of the German pastor Johannes Rebmann. Since 1861, attempts to conquer the peak began: in the same year, a height of 2500 meters was conquered, in 1862 - 4200 meters, and in 1883-1884 and 1887 a point located at an altitude of 5270 meters was reached. All these numerous ascents were made by the Hungarian Count Samuel Teleki. Already in October 1889, the German traveler Hans Meyer, in company with the Australian climber Ludwig Purtscheller, managed to reach the top of Kilimanjaro.

Kilimanjaro is a dormant, nearly conical volcano composed of multiple layers of tephra, solidified lava, and volcanic ash. According to scientists, it was formed as a result of several volcanic movements more than a million years ago.
It includes three main peaks, which are also extinct volcanoes: Shira (3962 m) located in the west, Mawenzi (5149 m) in the east, and in the central part there is the youngest and highest volcano - Kibo (5895 m), on which contains multiple cascades of ice terraces. Uhuru Peak, located on the rim of the Kibo Crater, is the highest point on Kilimanjaro and all of Africa.

Volcano Kibo:

Kilimanjaro has had no documented eruptions, but according to local legends, the last major volcanic activity occurred approximately 150,000–200,000 years ago. As a result of research carried out in 2003, scientists discovered the presence of lava just 400 meters below the crater of Kilimanjaro's highest peak, Kibo. Although no negative predictions regarding volcanic activity have been made yet, gas emissions regularly occur at the top of the volcano, which can lead to its collapse, which in turn will cause a major eruption. Kibo has experienced several landslides and landslides in the past, creating an area known as the “western gap.”
Today there is a lot of talk about global warming, which is contributing to the fact that the famous Kilimanjar glaciers are rapidly melting.

Scientists explain this phenomenon not by global warming, but by the falling level of daily precipitation, which is necessary to restore the glacial mass. Some researchers believe that the volcano is awakening, resulting in its heating and, as a result, the melting of the ice cap. The concern is that over the past 100 years, the amount of ice and snow covering Kilimanjaro has decreased by more than 80%. In 2005, for the first time in 11 thousand years, their almost complete melting occurred. At the current rate, the disappearance of Kilimanjaro's snow is expected to occur between 2022 and 2033.

Glacier on Kilimanjaro in 2007:

Kilimanjaro in 2012. View from above:

The area occupied by the volcano is 64 km wide and 97 km long. Such enormous size allows Kilimanjaro to form its own climate. At an altitude of about 4000 meters above sea level, you can find numerous small streams and rivers born in glaciers, which carry life-giving moisture to pastures and fields.
The world of flora and fauna in the Kilimanjaro region is extremely rich and diverse. In the lower part of the mountain, at an altitude of up to 1000 meters, there are savannas inhabited by monkeys, leopards, servals and honey badgers. Interestingly, on the lower slopes of the mountain there are coffee plantations and banana groves, and there are corn crops. At an altitude of 1800 meters, the domain of humid equatorial forests begins.

The territory, located at an altitude of 2800-4000 meters, is covered by mountain swamps and meadows strewn with colorful flowers.

Starting at 4400 meters, closer to the top, the kingdom of the mountain desert begins, where only alpine lichens and mosses survive.

Above is a world of cold snow, in which you can only see cold stone and ice.

Kilimanjaro Glacier at an altitude of 5800 meters:

On the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro live the Chaga mountaineers, who, like their ancient ancestors, are engaged in agriculture. They are the ones who grow coffee and banana plantations in the local warm and moderately humid climate.
The territory of Kilimanjaro has the status of a National Park, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro has been particularly popular among outdoor enthusiasts for many years. Today there are several tourist routes. The most popular among them is Marangu or the “Coca-Cola Route,” which tourists cover in 5-6 days. The presence of mountain shelters, which eliminate the need to pitch tents, greatly simplifies the task. The "Whisky Route" or Machame is the most beautiful route, the duration of which is slightly longer than the previous one - 6-7 days. The northern slope of the mountain has only one trail - Rongai. On average, it takes tourists 5-6 days to overcome it. The longest western route lies through the Shira plateau (5-6 days). The Umbwe route is one of the most difficult - it runs through dense jungle, which requires some physical preparation. When conquering Kilimanjaro, many tourists need adaptation to get used to the mountain climate and avoid altitude sickness.

Among the conquerors of Mount Kilimanjaro there are record holders. In 2001, an Italian named Bruno Brunod completed the Marangu route in just five and a half hours. In 2004, Simon Mtui, a native of Tanzania, climbed the difficult Umbwe Trail and descended to the Mweka Pass in just 8 hours and 27 minutes. The Tanzanian did not stop there and two years later walked the Umbwe trail there and back in 9 hours 19 minutes. The first women's record belongs to the Englishwoman Rebekah Rees-Evans, her result of climbing the Kilimanjaro peak is 13 hours 16 minutes. The youngest conqueror of the huge volcano is the American Keats Boyd, who reached the summit at the age of seven.

The majestic volcano Kilimanjaro has been a muse for many creative individuals - books have been written about it, films have been made, songs have been dedicated to it. Some of the most famous literary works that mention the African giant include Ernest Hemingway's story "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" (1936), Ray Bradbury's story "The Car to Kilimanjaro" (1965), and Olga Larionova's novel "The Leopard" from the top of Kilimanjaro" (1965).
Based on the book "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" in 1952, Henry King made a film of the same name. The famous volcano can be seen in the science fiction film “Independence Day” (1996) and in the film “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life” (2003).

To get to Mount Kilimanjaro, you first need to get to the largest city in Tanzania - Dar es Salaam. The next goal is the city of Moshi, located at the very foot of the volcano. The distance from Dar es Salaam to Moshi is 560-600 km, which is best covered by a bus leaving early in the morning to reach the final destination before nightfall. The town has many cozy hotels that convey all the local flavor. You can get to the mountain only with a special permit, which can be obtained by any of the travel agencies that exist in abundance in Moshi. There they also help tourists organize their ascent by finding a suitable route, choosing a guide and time. Moshi can also be reached from the capital of Kenya - Nairobi, the distance from which is 290 km.

And here, nearby, is the most gigantic mountain - the Kilimanjaro volcano (Tanzania). West Africa is distinguished by the isolated volcanoes of the countries of Congo and Cameroon. This is a long-extinct and heavily destroyed volcano. Mount Kenya is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second highest mountain in Africa (after Kilimanjaro).

The most famous of them are Fako (Cameroon) - height 4050 meters and Nyiragongo (Congo) - height 3470 meters. And Rwanda is famous for its national volcanoes park, where there are a large number of dormant volcanoes, the highest of which is Karisimbi. An active volcano is a volcano that has erupted in historical times or exhibits fumarolic or sulphatic activity.

The Aberdare Range (English: Lord Aberdare Range) is a mountain range in Africa, located in the center of Kenya, north of its capital, Nairobi. Cape Mountains, mountains in southern Africa, in South Africa, between Port Elizabeth in the east and the mouth of the river. Olifants to the west. Length about 800 km. Consist of several parallel ridges.

It is called the highest single mountain because it has no other mountain ranges adjacent to it that could distract attention from the main peak. The lowest of them, Shira, arose, according to scientists, after the initial volcanic eruption. Dry months when climbing conditions are most favorable include December–February and August–September.

From a technical point of view, this is the most complex object of the Seven Summits of Africa. The picturesque landscapes that surround you as you climb, and the abundance of wild animals and birds that live here, make the climb one of the most amazing adventures in Africa. Journey into the fantastic world of the Rwenzori mountain range in the least explored part of central Africa.

Ras Dashen is the highest peak of the Abyssinian Highlands and the country of Ethiopia. When, after the straits and Palestine, it would include an Orthodox state in Africa.

Kilimanjaro - This term has other meanings, see Kilimanjaro (meanings). From Port Elizabeth to Worcester they stretch for 600 km from east to west and frame from the north (Svartberg ridge) and south (Langeberg ridge, Outenikvaberge) a longitudinal valley - the Little Karoo (see Karoo).

The highest volcanoes in the world

On the windward slopes in the west there are mainly secondary thickets of evergreen shrubs (fynbos), and in the east there are mixed coniferous-deciduous forests on brown and mountain-forest brown soils. This is partly due to the fact that not so long ago our friend, one might say the famous traveler Nikolai Nosov, successfully completed the task of climbing the seven highest peaks of the “Dark Continent”.

The most dangerous active volcanoes in the world

The iconic mountain is where all collecting usually begins. Climbing Kilimanjaro is a test of physical and mental endurance and an introduction to African specifics.

Kilimanjaro is located in Tanzania, near the Kenyan border. This is a huge isolated volcanic massif with a base 100 km long and 75 km wide. Occupies an area of ​​756 square meters. km, includes the highland zone, the Shira plateau, the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi. However, on the other hand, the significant altitude above sea level determines the altitudinal zonation and above 5500 meters the climate can be called arctic.

Jebel Toubkal or Toubkal (French Toubkal/Jbel Toubkal) is the highest mountain of the Atlas Mountains and Morocco, located in northwest Africa. This is the most popular mountain in the world from the list of the seven peaks of the continents. The extinct volcano Kilimanjaro (5963 m), the highest point of the continent, and other highest mountains are located on the fault-broken East African Plateau.