Mount Everest, Height, Location, History, First Ascent

Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth with an officially declared height of 8,848.86 meters (29,031.7 feet). It is located in the Himalayas on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The peak was named after George Everest during the 19th century survey of India. It was first successfully climbed in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary.

About Mount Everest

• The new height of 8,848.86 meters, declared in 2020, replaced the long-associated 8,848 meters, which was based on a measurement conducted by the Survey of India in 1954.
• Earlier, there was a long-standing difference between China and Nepal regarding the mountain’s height. China claimed 8,844 meters, while Nepal claimed 8,847 meters.
• The three-metre discrepancy arose because China calculated only the “rock height” (excluding the snow cap), whereas Nepal measured the “snow height”, which included the snow layer at the summit.
• A joint scientific survey project was undertaken by both countries to resolve this dispute, leading to the unified declaration of 8,848.86 meters, thereby ending the long-standing disagreement.
• Mount Everest is known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Mount Qomolangma (Chomolungma) in China/Tibet, reflecting its deep cultural and spiritual significance in the Himalayan region.
• The mountain lies on the international border between Nepal and Tibet (China), and the summit can be accessed from both the southern (Nepal) and northern (Tibet) sides.
• The English name “Everest” was given in 1865 in honor of George Everest, who served as the Surveyor General of India during the mid-19th century.
• The first major scientific survey of the peak was initiated in 1847 under the leadership of Andrew Waugh as part of the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India.
• The survey relied on advanced trigonometric calculations and astronomical observations to determine mountain heights across the Indian subcontinent.
• During this survey, the mountain was referred to as “Peak XV” before being officially named Mount Everest.
• The Great Trigonometrical Survey established that Peak XV was the highest mountain in the world, correcting the earlier belief that Mount Kanchenjunga (8,582 meters) was the tallest peak.
• Mount Kanchenjunga is currently recognized as the third highest mountain in the world.
• K2, located in the Karakoram Range, stands at 8,611 meters above sea level and is the second highest mountain globally.
• Mount Everest was first successfully summited in May 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary, marking a historic achievement in mountaineering.
• The mountain is a classic example of a young fold mountain, formed due to the collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate around 50-60 million years ago.
• It continues to rise gradually due to ongoing tectonic activity, making the Himalayas one of the most geologically dynamic mountain systems in the world.

Also Read: Fold Mountains

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