Mountains of the World

At 463 meters high, Kirkjufell on the north coast of Iceland's Snæfellsnes peninsula is not anywhere near in the same class as monsters like the Matterhorn and Everest, but it is one of Iceland’s most beloved landmarks. 

Kirkjufell means “Church Mountain,” and Kirkjufell rises to a narrow spire of a peak. At its base, waterfalls drop down sheer cliffs into the sea. When the Northern Lights are present in the night sky above the mountain, the scene is otherworldly.

The Snæfellsnes peninsula reaches into the North Atlantic Ocean on Iceland’s west coast and forms the southern boundary of Breiðafjörður Bay. It was formed through volcanic action, and at its west end stands Snæfellsjökull, one of the largest volcanoes in Iceland.

Breiðafjörður Bay is a large shallow bay separating the West Fjord peninsula to the north and the Snæfellsnes peninsula to the south. It provides important habitats for fish and aquatic mammals, including porpoises, white-beaked dolphins, killer whales, and minke whales.

Often referred to as “Iceland’s most photographed mountain,” Kirkjufell is an important tourist destination. It is surrounded by beaches and easy walking trails. The climb to the top presents some technical challenges and requires rope ascents at 2 spots.

The town of Grundarfjörður just west of Kirkjufell was established in the 1700s and once supported a community of French merchants. Today, it is home to a thriving fishing industry, which has made it as wealthy as it is isolated.

The Matterhorn straddles the border between Italy and Switzerland 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of the village of Zermatt, Switzerland.

At 4,478 meters (14,692 feet) high, it is one of the highest summits in the Pennine Alps and one of the highest mountains in Europe. Recognizable by its 4 steep faces rising from glacier fields to form a nearly symmetrical pyramid, the Matterhorn has become a symbol of the Alps.

In July of 1865, a 7-member team of climbers made the first full ascent of the Matterhorn, but as they made their descent, one of the climbers slipped and pulled 3 others down with him. All 4 fell to their deaths. 

The Matterhorn is the butt end of a vast ridge. The 1,000-meter long Hörnli Ridge provides the easiest ascent, and each year from mid-June to mid-August, dozens of climbers take this route, led by expert guides.

The Matterhorn was shaped by the grinding action of multiple glaciers diverging from the peak. The mountain’s sides are steep, and the glaciers on all sides are fed by frequent avalanches of snow from above.

The Italian town of Breuil-Cervinia lies at 2,006 meters (6,581 feet) above sea level at the base of the southern face of the Matterhorn. This ski resort offers access to Europe’s highest lifts and year-round skiing on high-altitude cruise runs. 

Rising to an elevation of 5,895 meters (19,341 feet), Kilimanjaro is Africa’s tallest mountain. A stratovolcano, Kilimanjaro has 3 distinct cones: Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. Kibo, the tallest and largest cone, is dormant—it could erupt again—while Mawenzi and Shira are extinct. 

Kibo was first summited in 1889 by German geologist Hans Meyer and Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller. The mountain continues to draw climbers, and the surrounding national park lands are crossed by popular trekking routes. 

In Nepal, it’s known as Sagarmāthā. The Tibetans call it Chomolungma. In any language, at 8,848 meters (29,028 feet) high, Mount Everest is the highest peak on Earth. The combined extremes of height, thin air, wind, crevasses, avalanches, and cold make this peak nearly impossible to climb.

But despite the obstacles, and despite the fact that the mountain has claimed some 200 lives, more than 4,000 people have climbed Mount Everest since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first reached the summit in 1953.

Mount Fuji sits close to the Pacific coast of central Honshu, Japan’s big island. For people all around the world, this mountain, with its snow-covered slopes and symmetrical conical shape, is a symbol of Japan. 

One of Japan’s “holy mountains,” Fuji has special significance in both the Shinto and Japanese Buddhist traditions. The mountain has also been the subject of innumerable works by Japanese artists, including Hokusai (1760–1849), who depicted the mountain as seen from 36 different viewpoints. 

The ascent of Mount Fuji is divided into 10 Stations. Although it is possible to hike from the 1st Station on the northern slope, most climbers take a bus to the 5th Station and continue on foot from there. 

At 3,776.24 m (12,389 feet) high, Mount Fuji is Japan’s tallest mountain. The summit has been considered a sacred place since ancient times. Many Japanese make the ascent at night in order to witness sunrise from the summit.

Fuji is an active volcano which last erupted in 1707–1708. That eruption formed a new crater and a second peak—a flank volcano—on Fuji’s southeastern side. Scientists consider the current danger of eruption to be very low.

There are several structures on the summit of Mount Fuji, including a post office and a lodging house. Okumiya is a Shinto shrine devoted to Princess Konohanasakuya, the goddess of the mountain.