Mt Kilimanjaro

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The exact meaning and origin of the name Kilimanjaro is unknown. It is thought to be a combination of the Swahili word Kilima (meaning "mountain") and the Kichagga word Njaro, loosely translated as "whiteness", giving the name White Mountain. Another Swahili translation for Kilimanjaro is "Shining Mountain" The mountain has three peaks, Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. The names are also Chagga words, Kibo from Kifwo in Chagga which means present, Mawenzi from Kimawenje meaning brocken and Shira meaning war as it was a platform for fighting with the Maasai. The names predate the sighting of the mountain by German explorers. Kibo is sometimes hidden by clouds in the evening but is visible in the morning. Kibo is a landmark for those travelling to and from the coast and when they arrive in Moshi at the foot of the mountain during the evening would not see the peak until morning of the following day. The residents miss to see the peak during the evening but will see it during the morning. Kibo for the travellers translated to the Swahili term kipo with the same meaning it is present. Njau M. A. UDSM Tanzania


Historical map with "Kilima-Ndscharo" in German East Africa, 1888
It is unknown where the name Kilimanjaro originates, but a number of theories exist. European explorers had adopted the name by 1860 and reported that it was its Swahili name,[6] with Kilimanjaro breaking into Kilima (Swahili for "hill, little mountain") and Njaro,[7] whose supposed origin varies according to the theories—according to some it's an ancient Swahili word for white or for shining,[8] or for the non-Swahili origin, a word from the Kichagga language, the word jaro meaning "caravan". The problem with all these is that they can't explain why the diminutive kilima is used instead of the proper word for mountain, mlima. The name might be a local joke, referring to the "little hill of the Njaro" being the biggest mountain on the African continent, since this is a nearby town, and guides recount that it is the Hill of the Njaro people. A different approach is to assume that it comes from the Kichagga kilmanare or kileajao meaning "which defeats the bird/leopard/caravan". However this theory cannot explain the fact that Kilimanjaro was never used in Kichagga before in Europe in the mid-1800s.[6]
In the 1880s, the mountain, at that time spelled Kilima-Ndscharo in German following the Swahili name components, became a part of German East Africa after Karl Peters had persuaded local chiefs to sign treaties (a common story that Queen Victoria gave the mountain to Kaiser Wilhelm II is not true).[9] In 1889 the peak of Kibo was named "Kaiser-Wilhelm-Spitze" ("Kaiser Wilhelm peak") by Hans Meyer, on the first ascent to the summit on 5 October 1889.[6] That name was used until 1918, when after World War I the German colonies were handed over to the British empire. When British-administered Tanganyika gained its independence in 1961, the peak was named "Uhuru peak", meaning "Freedom peak" in Swahili.

leo19 Uploaded by leo19 on Jun 11, 2010. Mt Kilimanjaro - Desktop Nexus Nature Download free wallpapers and background images: Mt Kilimanjaro . Desktop Nexus Nature background ID 382161. The exact meaning and origin of the name Kilimanjaro is unknown. It is thought to be a combination of the Swahili word Kilima (meaning "mountain") and the Kichagga word Njaro, loosely translated as "whiteness", giving the name White Mountain. Another Swahili translation for Kilimanjaro is "Shining Mountain" The mountain has three peaks, Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. The names are also Chagga words, Kibo from Kifwo in Chagga which means present, Mawenzi from Kimawenje meaning brocken and Shira meaning war as it was a platform for fighting with the Maasai. The names predate the sighting of the mountain by German explorers. Kibo is sometimes hidden by clouds in the evening but is visible in the morning. Kibo is a landmark for those travelling to and from the coast and when they arrive in Moshi at the foot of the mountain during the evening would not see the peak until morning of the following day. The residents miss to see the peak during the evening but will see it during the morning. Kibo for the travellers translated to the Swahili term kipo with the same meaning it is present. Njau M. A. UDSM Tanzania


Historical map with "Kilima-Ndscharo" in German East Africa, 1888
It is unknown where the name Kilimanjaro originates, but a number of theories exist. European explorers had adopted the name by 1860 and reported that it was its Swahili name,[6] with Kilimanjaro breaking into Kilima (Swahili for "hill, little mountain") and Njaro,[7] whose supposed origin varies according to the theories—according to some it's an ancient Swahili word for white or for shining,[8] or for the non-Swahili origin, a word from the Kichagga language, the word jaro meaning "caravan". The problem with all these is that they can't explain why the diminutive kilima is used instead of the proper word for mountain, mlima. The name might be a local joke, referring to the "little hill of the Njaro" being the biggest mountain on the African continent, since this is a nearby town, and guides recount that it is the Hill of the Njaro people. A different approach is to assume that it comes from the Kichagga kilmanare or kileajao meaning "which defeats the bird/leopard/caravan". However this theory cannot explain the fact that Kilimanjaro was never used in Kichagga before in Europe in the mid-1800s.[6]
In the 1880s, the mountain, at that time spelled Kilima-Ndscharo in German following the Swahili name components, became a part of German East Africa after Karl Peters had persuaded local chiefs to sign treaties (a common story that Queen Victoria gave the mountain to Kaiser Wilhelm II is not true).[9] In 1889 the peak of Kibo was named "Kaiser-Wilhelm-Spitze" ("Kaiser Wilhelm peak") by Hans Meyer, on the first ascent to the summit on 5 October 1889.[6] That name was used until 1918, when after World War I the German colonies were handed over to the British empire. When British-administered Tanganyika gained its independence in 1961, the peak was named "Uhuru peak", meaning "Freedom peak" in Swahili. Rating: 4.1