Mt Everest is the tallest but not the biggest
The biggest mountain in the world is not what you think it is. Most people would say Mount Everest, but they would be wrong.
Everest is merely the world’s highest mountain, rising to 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) above sea-level. A combination of extreme cold and a lack of oxygen at high altitude means are no plants live above 5,750 metres (18,690 feet).
If you are looking for the biggest mountain in the world, then go to the island of Hawaii.
Mauna Kea is 10,200 meters (33,465 feet) in height, more than a kilometre taller than Everest. However, most of the mountain sits below the surface of the ocean. It only rises 13,796 feet above sea level. Still, that’s not bad for a dormant volcano, estimated to be a million-years-old, that started life on the sea bed.
Did you know? Fossils dating back 400 million years can be found on the peak of Everest. The peak is made up of rock that was once beneath the Tethys Sea, which was located between the Indian subcontinent and Asia.
