Mount Everest "Grows" 86 Centimeters
Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, has gotten a bit taller after China and Nepal finally agreed on its real height: 8,848.86 meters. For a long time, both countries had different measurements for this mountain located on their border.
The two Asian countries differed on whether to include the layer of snow that caps the summit. Chinese authorities opted to measure the height of the rock, while Nepalese authorities argued that the snow at the peak should be included.
Moreover, situated in a seismically active area, there have always been concerns that tectonic plate movement could affect the height of the mountain. Thus, many questioned whether the earthquake that shook Nepal in 2015 had reduced its altitude.
In 2019, Nepal sent surveyors to Everest, just as China did in 2020, and both groups finally agreed on the official height and concluded that the mountain is 86 centimeters taller than previously believed.
Nepal's measurement project used GPS technology and other satellite equipment to determine the height of the peak, as well as the depth of the snow. According to the BBC, this country used the Bay of Bengal as the base for Everest, while the Chinese team used the Yellow Sea.
Other Colossal Mountains
At 8,611 meters, K2 is the second highest mountain in the world. It is located between China and Pakistan and due to the great difficulty of its ascent, it is known as "the savage mountain." The third place is held by Kanchenjunga, located between India and Nepal, which rises to 8,586 meters.
Also between China and Nepal and very close to Everest is Lhotse at 8,516 meters. Due to the technical difficulty of its ascent, it remained the highest peak in the world that had not been climbed until 2001.
Mount Makalu, also in the Himalayas, is one of the most inaccessible peaks in the world at 8,463 meters high.
In contrast, at 8,188 meters, the sixth highest mountain in the world, Cho Oyu, located on the border between Nepal and Tibet, is among the easiest to climb among the peaks on this list.