The Himalayas from the ISS. Mt Everest is top left.
The tallest mountain in the world is generally accepted as being Mount Everest at 8,848 m (29,029 ft). Located in the Himalayas, the summit is the spot at which the Earth’s surface reaches the greatest distance above sea level.
But things are not as straightforward as they appear.
Mauna Kea in Hawaii is tallest mountain in the world when measured from its base on the sea floor. Even though it is only 4,205 metres (13,796 ft) above sea level, it is over 10,200 metres high (33,464.6 ft) from its base.
And Everest loses out again if you are looking for the place furtherest away from the Earth’s core. It comes in fifth. The summit of Ecuador’s Chimborazo takes the top position being 2,168 metres (7,113 ft) farther from the Earth’s centre than Everest because the Earth bulges at the Equator.
Everest facts:
- The Mount Everest webcam is the highest webcam in the world at 5,675 metres (18,619 ft)
- Atmospheric pressure on the summit is 33.7 kilopascals (4.89 psi). At sea level, it’s 101.3 kilopascals (14.69 psi)
- Due to low pressure at the summit, the boiling point of water is a mere 71 °C (159.8 °F)
- The mountain is named after George Everest, former Surveyor General of India
- The official Tibetan name for Mount Everest is Qomolangma. The official Chinese name is Zhumulangma. The Nepalis call it Sagarmāthā
- If you were to go straight from sea level to the summit without acclimatisation or oxygen tanks you would likely lose consciousness within two to three minutes
- Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay conquered Everest at 11:30 am local time on 29 May 1953
Short answer: There is only one answer; Mount Everest.
