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Description
Kenya - April 2007
Amboseli National Park

His Majesty the Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro, formerly Kaiser-Wilhelm-Spitze, is an inactive stratovolcano in north-eastern Tanzania. Kilimanjaro is the tallest free-standing mountain rise in the world, rising 4600 metres (15,000 ft) from its base, and includes the highest peak in Africa at 5,895 metres (19,340 ft), providing a dramatic view from the surrounding plains.

It is unknown where the name Kilimanjaro comes from, but a number of theories exist. Many of these theories assume that Kilimanjaro breaks up into Kilima (Swahili for "hill, little mountain") and Njaro, whose supposed origin varies according to the theory—for some it's an ancient Swahili word for white or for shining, while for others it has non-Swahili origin, e.g. Kichagga jaro meaning caravan. The problem with all these theories is that they can't explain why the diminutive kilima is used instead of the proper word for mountain, mlima. A different approach is to assume that it comes from Kichagga kilemanjaare or kilemajyaro meaning "which defeats the bird/leopard/caravan". However this theory can't explain the fact that the name Kilimanjaro was not used in Kichagga until recently.

Description
Kenya - April 2007
Amboseli National Park

His Majesty the Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro, formerly Kaiser-Wilhelm-Spitze, is an inactive stratovolcano in north-eastern Tanzania. Kilimanjaro is the tallest free-standing mountain rise in the world, rising 4600 metres (15,000 ft) from its base, and includes the highest peak in Africa at 5,895 metres (19,340 ft), providing a dramatic view from the surrounding plains.

It is unknown where the name Kilimanjaro comes from, but a number of theories exist. Many of these theories assume that Kilimanjaro breaks up into Kilima (Swahili for "hill, little mountain") and Njaro, whose supposed origin varies according to the theory—for some it's an ancient Swahili word for white or for shining, while for others it has non-Swahili origin, e.g. Kichagga jaro meaning caravan. The problem with all these theories is that they can't explain why the diminutive kilima is used instead of the proper word for mountain, mlima. A different approach is to assume that it comes from Kichagga kilemanjaare or kilemajyaro meaning "which defeats the bird/leopard/caravan". However this theory can't explain the fact that the name Kilimanjaro was not used in Kichagga until recently.