Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya. The mountain is named after the Elgonyi tribe, who once lived in huge caves on the south side of the mountain. It was known as "Ol Doinyo Ilgoon" (Breast Mountain) by the Maasai and as "Masawa" on the Ugandan side. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 600 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2401 × 2401 pixel, file size: 1. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height or shoulder drop (in America) or prime factor (in Europe), is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains, also known as peaks. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Mountains can be characterized in several ways. ... A cutaway diagram of a stratovolcano Mount Damavand, a stratovolcano in Māzandarān, Iran Mount St. ... For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Southern and northern Mount Everest climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station. ... Scrambling on Crib Goch, Snowdonia, Wales Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. ... For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... Languages Maa (ɔl Maa) Religions Monotheism Christianity The Maasai are an indigenous African ethnic group of semi-nomadic people located in Kenya and northern Tanzania. ...

Mt. Elgon consists of five major peaks:

• Wagagai (4,321m), being in Uganda.
• Sudek (4,302m or 14,140ft) in Kenya
• Koitobos (4,222m or 13,248 ft), a flat topped basalt column (Kenya)
• Mubiyi (4,211m or 13,816 ft)
• Masaba (4,161m or 13,650 ft)

In 1896, C.W. Hobley became the first European to circumambulate the mountain. Kmunke and Stigler made the first recorded ascent of Wagagai in 1911. F. Jackson, E. Gedge, and J. Martin made the first recorded ascent of Sudek in 1890. The main peak is an easy scramble and does not require any mountaineering equipment. Year 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar). ... C. W. Hobley, C.M.G. (1867-1947) was a pioneering British Colonial administrator in Kenya. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... Mountaineering is an umbrella term that can variously be used to describe the actions of climbing, hillwalking and scrambling. ...

Other interesting features are :

• The caldera — Elgon's is one of the largest intact calderas in the world
• The warm springs by the Suam River
• Endebess Bluff (2563m or 8408 ft)
• Ngwarisha, Makinyen, Chepnyalil and Kitum lava tube caves. Kitum Cave is over 60 metres wide and penetrates 200 metres. It is frequented by wild elephants who lick the salt exposed by gouging the walls with their tusks. It became notorious for its association with the Marburg virus after two people who had visited the cave (one in 1980 and another in 1987), both contracted the disease and died.

The mountain soils are red laterite. The mountain is the catchment area for the several rivers such as the Suam River, Nzoia River and the Turkwel River, some of which flow to Lake Victoria and others in Lake Turkana. The town of Kitale is in the foothills of the mountain. The area around the mountain is protected by two Mount Elgon National Parks — one on each side of the international border. Satellite image of Santorini. ... Kitum Cave is a lava tube cave in Mount Elgon National Park in Kenya. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas antiquus † Elephas beyeri † Elephas celebensis † Elephas cypriotes † Elephas ekorensis † Elephas falconeri † Elephas iolensis † Elephas planifrons † Elephas platycephalus † Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea... The Marburg virus is the causative agent of Marburg hemorrhagic fever. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cutting of laterite brickstones, Angadipuram, India Laterite is a surface formation in tropical areas which is enriched in iron and aluminium and develops by intensive and long lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock. ... The Nzoia River is a 160-mile (257 km) long Kenyan river, rising from Mount Elgon. ... Turkwel River is a river flowing from Mount Elgon in the border of Kenya and Uganda to Lake Turkana. ... Lake Victoria and the Great Rift Valley Lake Victoria height variation The lake as seen from space, looking west, with other members of the African Great Lakes forming an arc in the middle distance. ... View over Lake Turkana Lake Turkana, formerly known as Lake Rudolf, is a lake in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya (although the far northern end of the lake crosses into Ethiopia), which covers a surface area of 6405 km² (2473 mi²), making it the worlds largest permanent desert... Kitale is an agricultural town in western Kenya situated between Mount Elgon and the Cherengani Hills at an elevation of around 7000 feet. ... Mount Elgon National Park is one of several national parks of Kenya. ...

Some rare plants are found on the mountain, including Ardisiandra wettsteinii, Carduus afromontanus, Echinops hoehnelii, Ranunculus keniensis, and Romulea keniensis.

See also

• Elgon languages

Mt. Elgon Caves The Elgon languages are languages of the Southern Nilotic Kalenjin family spoken in the Mount Elgon area in western Kenya and eastern Uganda. ...