Mount Kilimanjaro rises about 5,895 m above sea level from the Tanzanian savanna, the highest point in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain on Earth. Orbit its three volcanic cones, toggle the shrinking summit glacier between its 1912 extent and today, and switch the vegetation zone bands on or off.
Published figures: Uhuru Peak on the Kibo cone stands about 5,895 m; the ice fields have shrunk by about 85% since the 1912 survey; UNESCO listed Kilimanjaro National Park as a World Heritage natural site in 1987.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Everything renders on your device with WebGL.
Mount Kilimanjaro 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows Mount Kilimanjaro as a schematic freestanding massif: three volcanic cones of different age and shape rising from a savanna plain, a vegetation-zone color band running from the base to the summit, and two ice-patch groups standing in for the historical and present glacier extent.
Kilimanjaro sits in northeastern Tanzania, near the Kenya border, about 330 km south of the equator. It is built from three distinct volcanic cones: Shira, the oldest, which collapsed long ago into a broad, low plateau at about 3,962 m; Mawenzi, a jagged and heavily eroded second peak reaching about 5,149 m; and Kibo, the youngest and tallest cone, whose Uhuru Peak at about 5,895 m is both the highest point in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world - it belongs to no mountain range. Kibo still carries a shallow summit crater and a remnant ice cap that has shrunk by about 85% since detailed surveys began in 1912, a widely cited example of tropical glacier retreat. UNESCO listed Kilimanjaro National Park as a World Heritage natural site in 1987.
- Toggle the glacier between its 1912 extent and today's much smaller remnant patches
- Toggle the vegetation zone color bands on or off to see the raw elevation shading
- Read summit, cone, and ice-loss figures in the panel
- See Kibo's shallow summit crater and the jagged Mawenzi ridge line
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Published value |
|---|---|
| Summit elevation | about 5,895 m (Uhuru Peak, Kibo cone) |
| Structure | Highest free-standing mountain in the world - not part of a range |
| Three cones | Kibo (about 5,895 m, dormant), Mawenzi (about 5,149 m, jagged), Shira (about 3,962 m, oldest, collapsed plateau) |
| Location | Tanzania, near the Kenya border, about 330 km south of the equator |
| Ice loss | About 85% shrinkage since the 1912 survey (commonly cited studies) |
| Heritage status | UNESCO World Heritage natural site since 1987 |
| First ascent | 1889, Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller |
For the highest point on Earth, open the Mount Everest 3D Explorer, or for another solitary stratovolcano see the Mount Fuji 3D Explorer.
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached.
This is an educational approximation - the cone shapes, zone bands, and ice-patch counts are schematic teaching cues, not survey terrain.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is Mount Kilimanjaro?
About 5,895 m above sea level at Uhuru Peak on the Kibo cone - the highest point in Africa.
What are Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira?
The three volcanic cones that make up the Kilimanjaro massif: Kibo is the tallest and youngest, Mawenzi is a jagged, heavily eroded second peak, and Shira is the oldest, now a broad collapsed plateau.
Why is Kilimanjaro called free-standing?
Because it rises alone from the surrounding plain rather than belonging to a mountain range, making it the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.
Is Kilimanjaro's glacier disappearing?
Yes. Commonly cited studies estimate the ice fields have shrunk by about 85% since the first detailed survey in 1912.
Where is Mount Kilimanjaro located?
In northeastern Tanzania, near the Kenya border, about 330 km south of the equator.
Is this a terrain simulation?
No. It is an educational explorer using published figures - the cone shapes, vegetation zone bands, and ice-patch counts are schematic teaching cues, not survey terrain.