Since Sir Edmund Hillary reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, thousands of climbers have been eager to repeat his feat. Due to the fact that Everest has an impressive title “the highest mountain in the world”, so many people have visited it that every year this Himalayan beauty gradually turns into a literal garbage dump.
Everest - the highest mountain in the world (∼ 8 848 m)
When we say which is the highest mountain in the world, we usually think about the height above sea level. And if you take this parameter, then the height of the mountain (8849 meters above sea level) is beyond competition. Everest extends higher into the atmosphere than any other peak in the world.
However, the farthest point from the center of the Earth, and therefore the highest in terms of distance, is Chimborazo (6384 meters above sea level). This is a stratovolcano in Ecuador, which is part of the Andes mountain range.
The earth is not flat, it sticks out at the equator and smoothes near the poles. This means that mountains near the equator are technically higher than in other areas of the planet. And so it turned out that Chimborazo is closer to the convex center of the Earth than Everest. It turns out that it is closer to the stars than the highest point of Mount Everest.
The heaviest mountain for climbers
According to one report, Everest extends to a distance of 6382 meters from the center of the Earth. At the same time, Chimborazo extends to a distance of 6384 meters. Although the height difference between the two mountains is only 2 km, this is enough to convey the title "highest mountain" to the Ecuadorian stratovolcano.
So why does Mount Everest continue to receive all laurels, while Chimborazo remains relatively unnoticed? It all comes down to the difficulties of climbing.
If you are a climber and want to test yourself by conquering Everest, then the path to the base camp will take 10 days. It will take another six weeks to acclimatize, and then climbing to the top will take nine days. On the other hand, acclimatization on Chimborazo takes about two weeks, and the path to the summit takes about two days. Simply put, after Everest, climbing to Chimboraso will seem like a walk in the park.
Above and below sea level
Mount Everest is the highest point above sea level, but if we are talking about a clear height from the base to the top, then the honor of being called the highest mountain belongs to the White Mountain (Mauna Kea) on the island of Hawaii. Its height above sea level is 4205 meters, but the mountain goes 5,998 meters down to the bottom of the vast Pacific Ocean. More than half of the mountain is submerged in water.
The total height of Mauna Kea is 10 203 meters. This is 1345 meters higher than the height of Everest.
Mauna Kea is actually an extinct volcano on the big island of Hawaii. It arose about a million years ago when a tectonic plate of the Pacific Ocean moved above a train of liquid magma deep inside the Earth. The last time Mauna Kea erupted about 4,600 years ago.
The top of the mountain is a paradise for astronomers: It has low humidity, a clear sky above it, and a large distance from any light pollution. That is, from the top of the volcano, perhaps the best view of celestial objects opens. Now at the peak of Mauna Kea there are 13 telescopes.
It is important to note once again that Everest is the highest of the highest mountains, if measured from sea level. If you use this parameter, then Chimborazo can’t even count on the title “highest peak in the Andes”. This title belongs to Mount Aconcagua, which rises to 6961 meters above sea level.
The highest mountains on every continent
- In Asia - Mount Everest (8,849 meters).
- In South America, Mount Aconcagua (6,961 meters).
- In North America, Mount McKinley (6,190 meters).
- In Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters).
- In Europe - Mount Elbrus (5,642 meters)
- In Antarctica - the Vinson Massif (4,897 meters).
In Australia - Oceania - Mount Punchak Jaya (4,884 meters) in Oceania and Mount Kosciuszko - the highest point on the Australian continent (2,228 meters).
Top 10 highest mountains in the world
The measurement problem is that it is often not clear where the dividing line lies between a mountain with several peaks and a separate mountain. For this reason, it is better to use a measurement called “topographic elevation” (the height of the mountain peak above the bottom of the valley closest to the mountain). Given first of all this criterion, and, secondly, altitude above sea level, we compiled a rating of the highest points of the Earth.
10. Elbrus
Topographic elevation - 4,741 m.
Above sea level rises to 5 642 m.
Mount Elbrus is an extinct volcano located in the western part of the Caucasus Range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, not far from the Russian-Georgian border. This is the highest peak in the Caucasus.
9. Jaya
Exceeding - 4,884 m.
Height - 4,884 m.
This mountain, located on the Australian plate on the island of New Guinea, was originally called the discoverer - the Dutchman Jan Carstens. In 1965, she changed her name in honor of the Indonesian President Sukarno, and in 1969 she was renamed for the third time, to Jaya (in Indonesian means Victory), and so far have stopped.
8. Vinson Array
Exceeding - 4 892 m.
The height of the peak is 4,892 m.
The record holders of Antarctica and part of the Elsuert Mountains, which rise above the Ronne ice shelf.
7. Orizaba
Excess - 4 922 m
Altitude according to GPS - 5 636 m, according to INEGI - 5 611 m.
Stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third largest in North America. Orisaba last erupted in 1687, after which he “fell asleep” and does not wake up to this day.
6. Logan
Topographic elevation - 5,250 m
Altitude - 5,959 m.
The highest mountain in Canada and the second in North America, after McKinley. Due to the active tectonic uplift, Logan is still growing in height. Until 1992, the exact height of the mountain was unknown and was assumed to be in the range from 5,959 to 6,050 meters. In May 1992, the GSC expedition climbed Logan and set a current altitude of 5,959 meters using GPS
5. Cristobal Colon
Topographic elevation - 5,585 m.
Above the sea - 5 776 m
The highest point in Colombia. The Colombian peak of Simon Bolivar is almost equal in height to it. Together they are the two peaks of the country closest to the stars.
4. Kilimanjaro
Topographic elevation - 5,885 m.
Above sea level - 5,895 m.
Kilimanjaro, and its three volcanic cones (Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira) is an inactive volcanic mountain in Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa. There is no documented evidence of the eruption of Kilimanjaro, but local legends say that the volcano was active 150-200 thousand years ago.
3. McKinley
Topographic elevation - 6,144 m
Altitude - 6,190 m
The two-headed Mount McKinley (aka Denali), located in Alaska, is the highest mountain peak in the United States and North America. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was called the Big Mountain and was the highest point of the Russian Empire.
2. Aconcagua
Topographic elevation - 6,962 m.
Above sea level - 6,962 m.
The highest mountain in the Americas. It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza. In 2013, the youngest climber climbed the mountain - nine-year-old American Tyler Armstrong. And last year, Aconcagua was conquered by the youngest climber, twelve-year-old Romanian Dor Jeta Popescu.
1. Mount Everest (Chomolungma)
Topographic elevation - 8 848 m.
Altitude - 8 848 m.
The leader of the mountain charts was named after the English colonel, Sir George Everest, who was India's chief surveyor from 1830 to 1843. Mount Everest is also known under the Tibetan name Jomolungma (Mother Goddess of Life Energy) and the Nepalese name Sagarmatha (Forehead of Heaven).
Where is the highest mountain in the world
Chomolungma is located in the Mahalangur-Himal mountain range in the Himalayas. Part of it lies on the border of Nepal and China, part on the territory of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Many human triumphs and tragedies have been associated with Everest. George Mallory (UK) was the first climber to attempt to storm Everest. In 1924, he died near the top and his remains were found only in 1999, but the body of his partner was not found by the ligament of Andrew Irwin.
Mount Everest was an inspiration for many Guinness World Records: from the simple fact that it is the highest peak in the world to the highest (at the venue) concert in the world.
Despite the title of “highest peak on Earth,” Everest is not the highest mountain on the planet. That is, Everest has no equal in height above sea level. But as for the height from the base to the top, then Mauna Kea holds the palm in Hawaii, USA. Its visible part is 4,205 meters, and everything else is under water. The total height of Mauna Kea reaches 10 203 meters.
