Africa

Africa’s mountains are among the oldest on Earth, shaped by tectonic uplift and volcanic activity spanning hundreds of millions of years. The Atlas Mountains of the north, the Ethiopian Highlands, and the Drakensberg in the south are prominent continental systems. The East African Rift remains one of the most geologically active regions on the planet, home to Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m), Mount Kenya (5,199 m), and the Rwenzori Mountains.

Africa contains over 1.5 million named elevations, from high volcanoes to isolated inselbergs. The Ethiopian Highlands, covering more than 600,000 km², are often called the Roof of Africa. The Atlas Mountains rise to Mount Toubkal (4,167 m) — North Africa’s highest point — while volcanic peaks like Mount Cameroon and Nyiragongo remain active today.

Many of Africa’s mountain glaciers have almost disappeared; over 80% of ice on Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya has melted within the past century. Despite this, Africa’s highlands remain ecological lifelines, supplying water to vast river systems and supporting unique alpine ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth.