2002 Year of Mountains

These se-tenant strips of four are intended to increase awareness of the global importance of mountain ecosystems.  Mountains are a source of water for the lowlands and a home to diverse species.  The International Year of Mountains is part of the long-term process begun at the 1992 Earth Summit to manage fragile ecosystems.

Kilimanjaro, in northeastern Tanzania, is the highest mountain on the African continent.  It is an extinct volcano 19,340 feet high.

Mount Fuji, at 12,389 feet, is the highest mountain in Japan.  It is said that a Buddhist monk first climbed Mt. Fuji in the seventh century.  Three temples have been built on the summit.

Sagarmatha, in Nepal, is also known as Mount Everest and is the highest mountain in the world, measuring 29,035 feet.  “Sagarmatha” means “mother of the universe” in the language of Nepal.