Rwenzori Mountains

The Rwenzori Mountains are a high mountain range on the Uganda–Democratic Republic of the Congo border. Their isolated equatorial peaks, glaciers, and distinctive alpine zones support unusual biodiversity.

Albertine Rift: The western branch of the East African Rift System, extending along the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s eastern margin. The Rwenzori rise within this rift region, though they are not simply a volcanic rift chain.
Rwenzori glaciers: Small glaciers on the highest Rwenzori peaks, remnants of a much larger former ice cover. They persist at the range’s summits despite its position near the equator.
Mount Stanley: The highest mountain in the Rwenzori range, with Margherita Peak as its highest summit. Its summit is the range’s most prominent mountaineering objective.
Mount Speke: A high peak in the Rwenzori range, named after the British explorer John Hanning Speke. It is one of the range’s major summits, alongside Mount Stanley and Mount Baker.
Mount Kilimanjaro: A volcanic mountain in Tanzania and Africa’s highest mountain. Unlike the Rwenzori, Kilimanjaro is a volcanic massif standing apart from the Albertine Rift escarpment.
Nile–Congo watershed: The drainage divide separating rivers flowing toward the Nile from those flowing toward the Congo River. The range’s high terrain forms part of the divide between the two great river basins.
Glacial retreat: The long-term reduction in the area or volume of glaciers as ice melts faster than it accumulates. Retreat has sharply reduced the Rwenzori’s summit ice during recent decades.
Margherita Peak: The highest summit of Mount Stanley and the third-highest peak in Africa. Its glaciers and technical route make it the best-known summit in the range.
Mount Baker: A prominent peak in the Rwenzori range, named after the British explorer Samuel Baker. Its position in the central massif illustrates the range’s cluster of high summits.
Mount Kenya: An extinct volcanic mountain in central Kenya and Africa’s second-highest mountain. Both ranges have equatorial glaciers, but Mount Kenya is volcanic while the Rwenzori are uplifted crystalline blocks.

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UgandaBroader topic: The range gives Uganda a high-altitude landscape distinct from its lakes and plateaus.