cover image

Mount Everest

Earth's highest mountain / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:

Can you list the top facts and stats about Mount Everest?

Summarize this article for a 10 years old

SHOW ALL QUESTIONS

Mount Everest (Nepali: सगरमाथा, romanized: Sagarmāthā; Tibetan: Chomolungma ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ; Chinese: 珠穆朗玛峰; pinyin: Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point.[2] Its elevation (snow height) of 8,848.86 m (29,031 ft 8+12 in) was most recently established in 2020 by the Chinese and Nepali authorities.[3][4]

Quick facts: Mount Everest, Highest point, Elevation,...
Mount Everest
Mount_Everest_as_seen_from_Drukair2_PLW_edit_Cropped.jpg
Aerial photo from the south, with Mount Everest rising above the ridge connecting Nuptse and Lhotse
Highest point
Elevation8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft) Edit this on Wikidata[note 1]
Ranked 1st
Prominence8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Ranked 1st
(Special definition for Everest)
Isolationn/a
Listing
Coordinates27°59′17″N 86°55′31″E[note 2]
Naming
EtymologyGeorge Everest
Native name
  • सगरमाथा (Nepali) (Sagarmāthā)
  • ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ (Standard Tibetan) (Chomolungma)
  • 珠穆朗玛峰 (Chinese) (Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng)
English translationHoly Mother
Geography
Mount Everest is located in Nepal
Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Location on the border between Koshi Province, Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region, China
Mount Everest is located in Koshi Province
Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (Koshi Province)
Mount Everest is located in China
Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (China)
Mount Everest is located in Tibet
Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (Tibet)
Mount Everest is located in Asia
Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest (Asia)
LocationSolukhumbu District, Koshi Province, Nepal;[1]
Tingri County, Xigazê, Tibet Autonomous Region, China[note 3]
CountriesChina and Nepal
Parent rangeMahalangur Himal, Himalayas
Climbing
First ascent29 May 1953
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay [note 4]
Ranked 1st
Normal routeSoutheast ridge (Nepal)
Close
Everest_North_Face_toward_Base_Camp_Tibet_Luca_Galuzzi_2006.jpg
North Face as seen from the path to North Base Camp
Mount_Everest_morning.jpg
Everest and Lhotse from the south. In the foreground are Thamserku, Kangtega, and Ama Dablam.

Mount Everest attracts many climbers, including highly experienced mountaineers. There are two main climbing routes, one approaching the summit from the southeast in Nepal (known as the "standard route") and the other from the north in Tibet. While not posing substantial technical climbing challenges on the standard route, Everest presents dangers such as altitude sickness, weather, and wind, as well as hazards from avalanches and the Khumbu Icefall. As of November 2022, 310 people have died on Everest. Over 200 bodies remain on the mountain and have not been removed due to the dangerous conditions.[5][6]

The first recorded efforts to reach Everest's summit were made by British mountaineers. As Nepal did not allow foreigners to enter the country at the time, the British made several attempts on the north ridge route from the Tibetan side. After the first reconnaissance expedition by the British in 1921 reached 7,000 m (22,970 ft) on the North Col, the 1922 expedition pushed the north ridge route up to 8,320 m (27,300 ft), marking the first time a human had climbed above 8,000 m (26,247 ft). The 1924 expedition resulted in one of the greatest mysteries on Everest to this day: George Mallory and Andrew Irvine made a final summit attempt on 8 June but never returned, sparking debate as to whether they were the first to reach the top. Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary made the first documented ascent of Everest in 1953, using the southeast ridge route. Norgay had reached 8,595 m (28,199 ft) the previous year as a member of the 1952 Swiss expedition. The Chinese mountaineering team of Wang Fuzhou, Gonpo, and Qu Yinhua made the first reported ascent of the peak from the north ridge on 25 May 1960.[7]