The name of Africa's tallest peak (19,341 feet above sea level) comes from two local languages: Swahili and Chagga. When combined, the words translate to "Shining Mountain" or "White Mountain." Alternate names given to Kilimanjaro throughout history translate to "Mountain Where Birds Cannot Fly" and "Mountain of Silver Moons." The Chagga people believe that a spirit lives atop the peak and will cause sickness to some who climb. Anthropologists think this is likely their method for explaining altitude sickness, caused by attempting to climb Kilimanjaro too quickly.
Orogeny is the primary mechanism by which mountains are formed on continents. An orogeny is an event that takes place at a convergent plate margin when plate motion compresses the margin. This leads to both structural deformation and compositional differentiation of the Earth's lithosphere.
