Highest mountain

How it was measured

Nepal and China jointly announced the height of 29,032 ft (8,848.86 m) on 8 December 2020. Surveyors measure from the geoid, a surface that approximates sea level, so the figure covers the whole mountain. Earlier work dates to 1802, when the British started the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India to fix the heights of the world's highest mountains. In 1852, Radhanath Sikdar, an Indian mathematician and surveyor, was the first to identify Everest as the highest peak.

About Mount Everest

Mount Everest marks part of the China and Nepal border at its summit and sits in the Mahalangur Himal range of the Himalayas. Nepalis call it Sagarmāthā, and Tibetans call it Jomolangma. Many climbers, including highly experienced mountaineers, are drawn to its slopes, and 340 people had died on the mountain as of May 2024. Its height also helps scientists study elevation changes across the Himalayas and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Earlier figures and comparisons

Earlier figures came in lower. Chinese authorities announced 29,017.16 ft (8,844.43 m) in 2005, based on the highest rock rather than the snow and ice covering it. Both countries agreed on 8,848 m in 2010 before the 2020 joint announcement. Mauna Kea in Hawaii rises more than 33,464.6 ft (10,200 m) from its base on the mid-ocean floor, but it reaches only 13,796 ft (4,205 m) above sea level, so Everest still holds the top spot by that measure.