Major Glaciers of Africa

Africa features glaciers on its highest summits, including Mount Kanya, Mount Rwenzor, and Mount Kilimanjaro, despite the continent's equatorial climate. On your trekking safaris in Africa, these glaciers offer breath-taking experiences. The peak, where the glaciers are located, is where these safaris take you. However, these mountains offer more than just glaciers as a draw. Numerous bird species, primates, and elephants reside in the greenery that covers the mountainside.

Sadly, the glaciers in Africa are melting at a horrible rate, and it is predicted that they will vanish over the next few decades.

Features of Major Glaciers of Africa

Here are the features of major glaciers of Africa −

Kilimanjaro Glacier

Kilimanjaro Mountain is the tallest mountain in Africa with a total height of 5,895 m. Mount Kilimajaro is 4,900 meters (16,100 feet) above the plateau it rests on and rises to a height of 5,895 meters (19,341 feet) above sea level. It is the highest volcano in both the Eastern Hemisphere and Africa. Tanzania's glaciers are all located on Mount Kilimanjaro. The mountain had 16 identified glaciers and three icefields by the middle of the 20th century, but by the 1990s, four of the glaciers were gone and the others had receded.

In contrast to other national parks in Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro National Park draws tourists more for the chance to climb to the top of it and see its snow-capped mountain than for its wildlife. It's a good idea to hike Mount Kilimanjaro at any time of year, but the best time is from late June to October, when the country is at its driest. Kilimanjaro Mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was formed more than a million years ago by volcanic plate movement along the Rift Valley. Three volcanic cones, Shira, Kibo, and Mawenzi, were formed about 750,000 years ago. The highest point is Uhuru Peak on Kibo Mount, one of the Seven Summits of the world.

The mountain upsurges from a pastoral area at its bottom to a tropical rain forest, an alpine meadow, and eventually a lunular landscape at its summit. The mountain slopes are home to a variety of animals, including buffalo, leopards, monkeys, giraffes, and other species. The alpine region is home to a wide variety of raptors for bird enthusiasts. The mountain and its six nearby forest corridors were designated as the Kilimanjaro National Park in 1973 in order to protect its unique environment.

Kilimanjaro Glacier has the following list of glaciers −

• Speke Glacier

• Elena

• Stanley

• Baker

Rwenzori Glacier

The Rwenzori Mountain ranges are higher than the Alps and include glaciers that feed the River Nile, the world's longest river, which is one of its origins. Together with its twin peak, Mount Stanley, which is located within the park, Margherita Peak, the highest peak on the ranges, ranks as Africa's third-highest mountain. The Park also contains Mount Speke and Mount Baker, the fourth and fifth highest peaks in the world. The mountain ranges were originally made known to the world by Alexandrian geographer and photographer Pletomy in the year 150 CE when he wrote about a gorgeous mountain that he named "mountain of the moon."

When Henry Morton Stanley, an English explorer, first saw the mountains later in 1899, he was almost as spellbound as Pletomy. He gave them the name "Cloud Mountains."One of the mountains in Uganda, the Rwenzori Mountain National Park spans over 1000 square kilometres and cuts across the districts of Kabarole, Kasese, and Bundibudyo.

The Rwenzori Mountain national park, which serves as the mountain's protection area, is one of Uganda's mountains and spans over 1000 square kilometres, cutting across the districts of Kabarole, Kasese, and Bundibudyo. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It encompasses the majority of the mountain's centre and eastern half and is renowned for its stunning plant life, which is complemented by waterfalls, glaciers, and a variety of other unusual highland plants. You must not miss this on your Uganda safari trips because the park contains glaciers, snowfields, and waterfalls and has been described as one of the world's most attractive Alpine landscapes.

This is the list of glaciers found in Rwenzori Glacier −

• Arrow Glacier (a remnant of the formerly named Little Barranco Glacier)

• Balletto Glacier

• Barranco Glacier

• Credner Glacier

• Decken Glacier

• Gold Glacier

• Drygalski Glacier (vanished)

• Eastern Ice Field (Mount Kilimanjaro)

• Furtwängler Glacier

• Great Barranco Glacier (now known as Barranco Glacier)

• Great Penck Glacier (vanished)

• Heim Glacier

• Kersten Glacier

• Little Barranco Glacier (vanished, small remnant later named Arrow Glacier)

• Little Penck Glacier

• Northern Ice Field (Mount Kilimanjaro)

• Ratzel Glacier

• Rebmann Glacier

• Southern Ice Field (Mount Kilimanjaro)

• Uhlig Glacier (vanished)

Glaciers on Kenya

After Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya is the second-highest stratovolcano in Africa and is located in Kenya. Batian (5,199 meters, or 17,057 feet), Nelion (5,188 meters, or 17,021 feet), and Point Lenana (4,985 meters, or 16,355 feet) are the mountain's highest summits. The peak of Mount Kenya is now the intersection of the counties of Meru, Embu, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, and Tharaka Nithi. It is situated in the old Eastern and Central provinces of Kenya, some 16.5 kilometres (10.3 miles) south of the equator and roughly 150 kilometres (90 miles) north-northeast of the country's capital Nairobi.The name of the Republic of Kenya derives from Mount Kenya.

About 3 million years after the East African Rift opened, the volcanic Mount Kenya was formed. It was 7,000 m (23,000 ft) high before glacial. For countless years, an ice cap covered it. Very degraded slopes and multiple valleys spreading from the peak are the result of this.[8][9] There are currently 11 minor glaciers, but they are quickly thinning and could vanish by 2050. For much of Kenya, the forested hillsides constitute a significant supply of water.

This is the list of glaciers found in Mount Kenya −

• Northey Glacier

• Lewis Glacier

• Gregory Glacier

• Diamond Glacier

• Josef Glacier

• Darwin Glacier (Kenya)

• Heim Glacier

• Forel Glacier

• Mr. Ali Cesar Glacier

• Tyndall Glacier

• Kraph Glacier

List of Major Glaciers of Africa

Here's a table showcasing three glaciers in Africa and their locations −

Glacier	Location
Kilimanjaro Glacier	Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Rwenzori Glacier	Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda/Congo
Mount Kenya	Kenya

Conclusion

Glaciers can be found on a number of mountains in Africa, including as Mount Kenya in Kenya, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and the Rwenzori Mountains on the boundary between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Despite the equatorial temperature of Africa, these glaciers provide stunning experiences for hiking safaris. Sadly, these glaciers are melting quickly as a result of climate change and rising temperatures, and it is anticipated that they may vanish entirely in the ensuing decades. In addition to having an adverse effect on the mountains' inherent beauty, the melting of these glaciers presents serious ecological difficulties.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which are the major glaciers in Africa?

The major glaciers in Africa are found on Mount Kilimanjaro, the Rwenzori Mountains, and Mount Kenya.

How many glaciers are there on Mount Kilimanjaro?

Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania had 16 named glaciers and three icefields in the mid-20th century. However, by the 1990s, four glaciers had vanished and the rest had receded.

What is the highest mountain in Africa with glaciers?

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa with glaciers.

Where are the Rwenzori Mountains located?

The Rwenzori Mountains are located on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Are the glaciers in Africa melting?

Yes, the glaciers in Africa are melting at an alarming rate due to climate change and rising temperatures.