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Mount Everest

geography Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth above sea level.

The World’s Tallest Mountain (15473492788)
The World’s Tallest Mountain (15473492788)

It sits in the Mahalangur Himal part of the Himalayas. The very top of the mountain marks the border between China and Nepal.

CH-NP 79-80 Bdy Map50
CH-NP 79-80 Bdy Map50

People call it by different names depending on where they live. In Nepal, it is known as Sagarmāthā, which means "the head in the great blue sky."

Everest Peace Project - Everest summit
Everest Peace Project - Everest summit

In Tibet, the name is Qomolangma, meaning "holy mother." This mountain is a huge part of the world's landscape.

Climbing the mountain is a very big job for experts.

Inside Khumbu-Icefall
Inside Khumbu-Icefall

There are two main paths to reach the summit. One path goes up from the southeast in Nepal. This is often called the standard route. The other path starts from the north in Tibet.

Everest North Face toward Base Camp Tibet Luca Galuzzi 2006
Everest North Face toward Base Camp Tibet Luca Galuzzi 2006

Most climbers start from base camps high up the mountain. On the Tibetan side, people can drive to the North Base Camp. On the Nepal side, people fly to Lukla and trek to the South Base Camp.

Reaching the top is very dangerous due to the weather.

Avalanche on Everest
Avalanche on Everest

Climbers must face strong winds and cold temperatures. They also have to worry about altitude sickness. This happens when the air is very thin. There are other hazards like avalanches and the Khumbu Icefall.

Everest3d qbd 2014116
Everest3d qbd 2014116

Sadly, many people have died while trying to climb. As of May 2024, 340 people have died on the mountain. Over 200 bodies still remain on the mountain because the conditions are too dangerous to move them.

People have been trying to climb Everest for a long time.

1963 reunion of the 1953 Everest-climbing expedition
1963 reunion of the 1953 Everest-climbing expedition

British climbers made the first recorded attempts from the Tibetan side. In 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine tried to reach the top. They never returned, and people still wonder if they made it. In 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made the first documented climb.

Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay

Later, a Chinese team reached the summit from the north in 1960. They were Wang Fuzhou, Gonpo, and Qu Yinhua.

Scientists have worked hard to find the exact height.

MountEverestRelief
MountEverestRelief

In 1856, Andrew Waugh announced the mountain was the highest. He named it after Sir George Everest. In 2020, authorities from China and Nepal measured it again. They found the height is 8,848.86 meters.

Andreas Breitfuss Mt Everest Summit
Andreas Breitfuss Mt Everest Summit

This measurement includes the snow and ice on top. The mountain is so tall that it sits very far above the Bay of Bengal. If you started at that sea, you would have to climb a very long way to reach the peak.

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🖼️ Images & Media (39)
File:Everest North Face toward Base Camp Tibet Luca Galuzzi 2006.jpg
Everest North Face toward Base Camp Tibet...
File:Mount Everest morning.jpg
Mount Everest morning.jpg
File:"Papers relating to the Himalaya and Mount Everest" in Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. I (1857), p. 346.jpg
"Papers relating to the Himalaya and...
File:Gaurisankar 1890.jpg
Gaurisankar 1890.jpg
File:MountEverestRelief.png
MountEverestRelief.png
File:Tibetan Plateau and Mount Everest.png
Tibetan Plateau and Mount Everest.png
File:CH-NP 79-80 Bdy Map50.jpg
CH-NP 79-80 Bdy Map50.jpg
File:ISS004E8852 everest.jpg
ISS004E8852 everest.jpg
File:Yak at third lake in Gokyo.jpg
Yak at third lake in Gokyo.jpg
Everest is melting. What does it tell us...
File:Climbing through the Yellow Band, Mt. Everest, -May 2007 a.jpg
Climbing through the Yellow Band, Mt....
File:1963 reunion of the 1953 Everest-climbing expedition.jpg
1963 reunion of the 1953 Everest-climbing...

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