Mountain sizes. Artwork comparing the relative elevations of four mountains (elevations in metres given at right). Mount Vesuvius (bottom, 1277 metres) is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, which destroyed Pompeii in 79 AD. The Matterhorn (lower centre, Monte Cervino, 4478 metres) is a mountain in the Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Mount Kilimanjaro (upper centre, 5697 metres) is a stratovolcano in Tanzania, and the highest mountain in Africa. Mount Everest (top, 8848 metres) is in the Himalayas, on the China-Nepal border. It is the world's highest mountain peak as measured from sea level.