Mount Kilimanjaro (Kilima Njaro or “shining mountain” in Swahili), the highest point in Africa, reaches 5,895 meters (19,340 feet) above sea level, tall enough to maintain a permanent snow cap despite being just 330 kilometers (210 miles) south of the equator. It is the tallest free-standing mountain on the Earth’s land surface, rising about 4,600 meters (15,000 feet) above the surrounding plain. Kilimanjaro is a triple volcano (has three peaks) that last erupted perhaps more than 100,000 years ago but still exudes volcanic gases. It is accompanied by about 20 other nearby volcanoes, some of which are seen to the west (left) in the large image, prominently including Mount Meru, which last erupted only about a century ago. The volcanic mountain slopes are commonly fertile and support thick forests, while the much drier grasslands of the plains are home to elephants, lions, and other savanna wildlife.
This 3-D perspective view was generated using topographic data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), a Landsat 7 satellite image, and a false sky. Topographic expression is vertically exaggerated two times.
Size (large image): View width 124 kilometers (77 miles), View distance 166 kilometers (103
miles)
Location: 3 degrees South latitude, 37 degrees East longitude
Orientation: View North, 2 degrees below horizontal, 2 times vertical
exaggeration
Image Data: Landsat Bands 3, 2+4, 1 as red, green, blue, respectively.
Original Data Resolution: SRTM 1 arc-second (30 meters or 98 feet), Thematic
Mapper 30 meters (98 feet)
Date Acquired: February 2000 (SRTM); February 21, 2000 (Landsat 7)
Image Courtesy SRTM Team NASA/JPL/NIMA
