The current 11 small glaciers in Mount Kenya are shrinking rapidly and are expected to disappear by 2025.
Mary Teresa: The Vatican
Located in the central part of Kenya, 320 kilometers south of the Earth’s equator, Mount Kenya, the highest mountain in the country, is the second highest mountain on the African continent. Mount Kenya is said to be volcanic and formed about thirty million years ago. The mountain is also known as Kirinyaga (Kere-Nyaga) which means “white mountain” in Swahili. Batian (Batian 5,199 m.), Nelion (5,188 m.) and Lenana (4,985 m.) are the three highest peaks of this mountain. Mount Kenya, at 5,199 meters, had an altitude of seven thousand meters before the snow began to freeze. Covered by snow for thousands of years, the mountain’s 11 small ice rivers are shrinking rapidly and are said to disappear by 2025. Forests on these mountain slopes are an important source of Kenya’s water resources. Various types of vegetables are cultivated from the base to the top of this hill. A national park has been established around the central part of this mountain with an area of approximately 715 square kilometers. The hill was also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. More than 16 thousand tourists from all over the world come to this park every year. Around Mount Kenya, the Kikuyu, Ameru, Embu, and Maasai have lived for hundreds of years. These people also consider this mountain as an important aspect of their culture. These people worshiped the mountain as the abode of the all-powerful god Ngai. Here is a prayer from the Maasai tribe of Mount Kenya.. May God bless our children. May they be like the Morintat olive tree. The Ngong Hills, Mount Kenya, Mount Kilimanjaro, etc. will multiply in number. Francis Sakuda recorded this prayer from the Oloshoibor Peace Museum. Mount Kenya was first seen by a European named Johann Ludwig Krapf in 1849. In 1899 British geologist Halford John Mackinder along with Swiss César Ollier and Joseph Brocherel were the first to climb this mountain.
Back note
The Mount Kenya volcano formed after the East African Rift (EAR) began to form. The East African mountain range began to rise between 2020 and 250 million years ago. The mountain range is considered to be part of the great mountain range valley that once extended north to Asia Minor. (Thanks: Wikipedia)