AFRICA ULTRA-PROMINENCES

84 Mountains with prominence of 1,500m (4,921 ft.) or greater

Welcome to the first-ever listing of Africa's major mountains based on prominence.

Intensive map and computer data analysis has revealed 84 summits on the continent and neighboring islands. This page attempts names, best-available elevation data, and prominence information for the set of summits.

These is a corresponding map of the African ultras.

List compiled 2004 by Aaron Maizlish, based on a computer generated Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) listing by Jonathan de Ferranti.

The following listing has been sorted by country for ease of reference. Click here to see the same listing organized by prominence value.

The total ultra-prominence count for the continent is:

Rank: The ranking in the left column represents the overall prominence rank among the 84 summits on the list and map.
Peak names: Names are believed to be accurate based on government topographic surveys. The name of the individual peak generally precedes the name of a massif, range or island, although the larger geographical name may be in more common usage. The authors have been thus far unable to ascertain peak names for several summits [given in brackets] in Ethiopia and Congo. Assistance would be appreciated.
Elevation: Is taken from a variety of sources as noted in the footnotes. There are dozens of examples of widely different elevations ascribed to the same peak. For the most part the authors have used their best judgment when comparing 1. modern topographic surveys, 2. Soviet mapping, 3. shuttle (SRTM) elevation data, and 4. other elevations found on commercial mapping and internet sources. Anyone able to provide access to more recent survey data, or who seeks clarification are welcome to contact the authors.
Saddle: Saddles are derived exclusively from analysis of SRTM. Few printed map resources (1:50,000 or smaller) prove to be of greater accuracy. SRTM saddles should be considered accurate to ±30m. in areas of high relief, and very accurate in areas of low relief. There needs to be a slight adjustment to the older datum, but this is dwarfed by the standard deviation in the error range.
Lat and Long: Are taken from SRTM anaylsis and should be considered accurate to ± 15 seconds.

Other footnotes and links follow this list.

minor revisions: December 3, 2011


[Congo] For this first draft, the authors were unable to ascertain accurate toponymy (names) and survey elevations for the three mountain summits in Eastern Congo. The names Kabobo and Wuhevi have been tentatively assigned to the massifs, pending further clarification. Elevations for these two summits are estimated from SRTM data, and are likely more accurate than any pre-existing survey. Two additional summits, "Marungu" and the better-known Volcan Nyiragongo, barely miss the 1,500 meter cutoff and may be included on future lists.

[Eritrea and Ethiopia] Great discrepancies were found between survey elevations and SRTM data. An attempt has been made here to reconcile them, but this should be considered provisional. Peaks footnoted with a [TS] employ elevations from topographic surveys. We used the Soviet 1:100,000 and 1:200,000 maps. We strongly suspect that these spot elevations are from 1930s era surveys, and are obsolete. Where the topographic survey and the SRTM data were in agreement within the normal error bound, we chose the topographic survey elevation. Where there is wide disagreement we chose the SRTM data, marked with [SR]. The high point of Ethiopia, Ras Dashen is in wide disagreement (see below). Several mountains are not named on the Soviet maps, in GNIS, or on commercial map publications. We have given them provisional names, denoted in [brackets]. Assistance would be appreciated.

[Somalia] The HP of Somalia, Shimbiris, appears to narrowly miss the cutoff of 1500m but may be on future listings. 2,416m is a widely quoted elevation, however SRTM suggests the high point is closer to 2,460m. The SRTM value would give Shimbiris a prominence of ±1,495m.

[Sudan] Spot elevations still in use today are from 1920s ground surveys. In spite of that, SRTM largely concurs.

[Tanzania] On this first draft, elevations were mostly taken from Soviet mapping, as the Tanzania 1:50,000 topographic series mostly neglects spot elevations. Exceptions are Kilimanjaro, Loolmalassin, and Karenga. SRTM and the Tanzania/Soviet mapping generally concur very well. Sungwi is taken from the SRTM analysis, as it diverges significantly from the Tanzania Survey (2271m-2286m).

[1] Kilimanjaro: As the highpoint of Africa, Kilimanjaro's key saddle is the low point that separates Africa from Eurasia. The elevation of the Suez Canal cut is functionally zero. A low point of 10m immediately to the west of the canal is assumed to have been the original KS.

[2] Ras Dejen, Ethiopia: There is a high-divergence of published elevations for Ras Dejen (also spelled Ras Deshen or Ras Dashen). An Italian military survey measured it at 4620m, a height that is still often quoted. A new elevation of 4,533m emerged from a 1970s triangulation survey. a subsequent Franco-Italian survey established a height of 4,550m.

[3] Mont Cameroon: The true elevation of Mont Cameroon remains a minor mystery. The most frequently cited elevation is 4095.1m, which appears on all of the more recent I.G.N topographic maps. Other cited values are 4100m and 4070m. SRTM suggests the elevation is much lower; the highest 3" cell is 4024m. Communication with earth-scientists suggests that a new survey is needed, especially given the frequent volcanic activity. We have tentatively adopted 4070m as the most plausible published elevation.

[11] Emi Koussi, Chad: The official elevation that appears on the IGN series is 3,415 meters. SRTM suggests that the peak is slightly higher, with a highest cell of 3,435m indicating an elevation of approximately 3,445m.

[14] Tullu Deemtu, Ethiopia: This is usually quoted as 4,377m, but SRTM data shows it to be slightly higher. It is higher than a nearby peak known as "Batu". .

[18] Jebel Katarina (or Katharina), Egypt: This peak also appears on the Middle East list with footnotes.

[28] Amba Farit, Ethiopia: Wide divergence between Soviet mapping (4,330m) and Shuttle data (4,270m.)

[46] Jebel Sha'ib al Banat, Egypt: Elevation unconfirmed.

[64] Bada or K'ech'a Terara, Ethiopia: Printed maps (Soviet, Ethiopian, and US Tactical Pilotage Charts) all show K'ech'a as higher (likely from the same survey.) SRTM suggests Bada may be higher. Soviet maps give Bada 4,170m and K'ech'a 4,245m. The highest SRTM cells were 4,195m and 4,182m respectively, making it too close to call without further investigation.

[69] Pic Toussidé, Chad: 3315m elevation is from more recent IGN map. Earlier IGN maps have survey elevation of 3265m, which is still widely used today on commercial maps, and should probably be disregarded. SRTM concurs with newer elevation.

[73] Dubbai, Ethiopia: Huge divergence between printed maps (3,950m) and SRTM (4,041m), suggesting that original survey may have missed the high point.



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