Where is the highest point on our planet? (5 photos). The highest mountains on earth The highest point on the planet earth
When asked what the highest point in the world is, almost every high school student will confidently answer that it is. Other common names for the peak are Chomolungma and Sagarmatha. The peak lies at an altitude of 8848 meters above sea level. This indicator is recorded in numerous scientific papers and textbooks.
Location
The highest point in the world on the map is located on the border of countries such as Nepal and China. The peak belongs to the Greater Himalayas mountain range. At the same time, it should be noted that based on the data that is constantly provided by instruments at the peak, as well as with the help of satellites, researchers have proven that Everest, in the literal sense of the word, does not stand still. The fact is that the mountain changes its shape all the time, moving to the northeast from India towards China. According to scientists, the reason for this lies in the fact that they are constantly moving and crawling onto one another.
Opening
The highest point in the world was discovered in 1832. Then an expedition consisting of employees of the British Geodetic Service was engaged in the study of some peaks that were located on Indian territory in the Himalayas. While carrying out the work, English scientists noted that one of the peaks (which had previously been marked everywhere as “Peak 15”) was higher than the other mountains that make up the ridge. This observation was documented, after which the peak began to be called Everest - in honor of the head of the geodetic service.
Importance to local residents
The fact that the world is Everest was assumed by local residents several centuries before its official discovery by European explorers. They respected the peak very much and named it Chomolungma, which literally translated from the local language means “goddess - mother of the Earth.” As for Nepal, here it is known as Sagarmatha (heavenly peak). Residents of areas located nearby the mountain say that on this peak, death and life are separated by half a step, and people from all directions of the world are equal before God, regardless of their religion. During the Middle Ages, a monastery called Ronkbuk was built at the foot of Everest. The structure has survived to this day and is still inhabited.
Other opinions about height
In 1954, a number of studies and measurements of the peak were carried out using various instruments and aerial photography. Based on their results, it was officially established that the highest point in the world has a height of 8848 meters. It should be noted that, compared to our time, the technology used then was not so accurate. This gave some scientists reason to claim that the real height of Chomolungma differs from the official value.
In particular, at the end of 1999 in Washington, as part of a meeting of the National Geographic Society, a proposal was put forward to consider that Everest lies above sea level at an altitude of 8850 meters, in other words, two meters higher. Members of the organization supported this idea. This event was preceded by the research of several expeditions led by a famous American scientist named Branford Washburn. First, he and his people delivered high-precision electronic equipment to the summit. Subsequently, this allowed the researcher, using a satellite, to record the slightest deviations in the height of the mountain (compared to previous data). Thus, the scientist was able to clearly show the growth dynamics of Chomolungma. Moreover, Washbourne identified the periods of the most significant increase in peak height.
Everest's growth process
The Himalayas are considered one of the most recent geological belts that formed on our planet. In this regard, the process of their development is quite active (compared to others). It's no surprise that the world's highest point continues to rise. As studies show, growth becomes most intense during times of high seismic activity not only on the Eurasian continent itself, but throughout the entire planet. For example, during the first half of 1999 alone, the height of the mountain increased by three centimeters. Several years ago, a geologist from Italy A. Desio, using modern radio equipment, established that the peak of Chomolungma is now at 8872.5 meters above sea level, which is 25 meters higher than the officially recorded value.
The largest mountain on Earth
There is no doubt that the highest point in the world is Everest. At the same time, calling it the largest mountain on the planet would not be entirely correct. The fact is that, judging by such an indicator as the total height, then the largest mountain should be called Mauna Kea, located not far from Hawaii. The peak rises above sea level only 4206 meters. At the same time, its base lies at a depth of more than ten thousand meters under water. Thus, the total size of Mauna Kea is almost twice that of Everest.
Other highest points on the planet
Be that as it may, each of the continents has the most prominent peak. The names of the highest mountains in the world by continent are as follows. The highest peak in South America and the second highest on the planet after Everest is Aconcagua Peak (6959 meters), which is part of the Andes and is located in Argentina. Mount McKinley (6194 meters) is located in the American state of Alaska and closes the top three world leaders in this indicator. In Europe, Elbrus (5642 meters) is considered the highest, and in Africa - Kilimanjaro (5895 meters). Antarctica also has its own record holder. The highest mountain here is Vinson (4892 meters).
From the dark depths of the ocean to some of the highest peaks on Earth, below are twenty-five of the world's vastest, tallest, deepest and tiniest places!
25. The deepest lake is Lake Baikal
This Siberian rift lake is not only the deepest lake on Earth, but it also has the largest volume and contains approximately 20 percent of the fresh water of the entire Earth's surface.
24. The highest mountain is Everest
As you may have suspected, Everest is officially the tallest mountain in the world. But this is only if we start our measurement at sea level...
23. The highest mountain from base to summit is Mauna Kea
Mauna Kea, a volcano on the big island of Hawaii, is more than twice as tall as Everest, measured from the mountain's seabed base to its peak.
22. The point furthest from the center of the Earth is Mount Chimborazo
Due to the Earth's bulge at the equator, the peak of Mount Everest is also not the farthest point from the center of the Earth. That honor belongs to the summit of Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador.
21. The lowest point on Earth - Challenger Deep
This depression, located nearly 11 kilometers below the ocean's surface, is the deepest point of the already deep Mariana Trench. In fact, Everest would sit comfortably here below the surface.
20. The highest waterfall - Angel Falls
This waterfall in Venezuela is so high that the water sometimes evaporates before reaching the ground.
19. The driest place is the Atacama Desert
In the middle of the Chilean Atacama Desert there is a point where rain has never fallen. Scientists call this region an “absolute desert.”
18. The highest human settlement is La Rinconada
This mining town, located in Peru, is in the highest inhabited region of the globe. At an altitude higher than the location of La Rinconada, a person simply will not be able to adapt.
17. Highest temperature - Death Valley
With a recorded temperature of nearly 57 degrees Celsius, Death Valley in California has once again become the hottest place on Earth in recent memory.
16. The most remote inhabited place on Earth - Tristan da Cunha
This small archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, located thousands of kilometers from both South Africa and South America, has a population of 271 people. Mail arrives here only a few times a year.
15. The deepest cave - Krubera-Voronya Cave
This cave, located in Abkhazia, is the only known cave in the world whose depth exceeds 2,000 meters.
14. The biggest difference in height is Mount Thor
Mount Thor, located in Canada, has an altitude of 1250 meters and despite its very remote location in the frozen tundra of the northern provinces of Canada, it is a popular destination for rock climbing.
13. Hottest inhabited place - Dallol, Ethiopia
The hottest permanently inhabited region in the world is in Ethiopia. Although these days Dallol has become even less populated and some even say that it has become a ghost town. However, it is also worth noting that there has not been an official census in this region for a long time, so the research is based on previously obtained data.
12. The northernmost point of land on Earth - Kaffeklubben Island
This island, belonging to Greenland, is officially considered the northernmost point of land on Earth. However, there are several slow-moving gravel bars that lie further north.
11. Lowest temperature - Vostok Station, Antarctica 
-89.2°C - This temperature was recorded in East Antarctica and, apart from some new satellite measurements, is still considered the coldest land temperature in history.
10. The deepest ice - Bentley Subglacial Trench
This place is also located in Antarctica, and the depth of the local ice exceeds 2.5 kilometers. In fact, the land on which it rests is well below sea level and is the lowest point on Earth not covered by an ocean.
9. The deepest point measured from ground level - Kola superdeep well
Although it was artificially created, this Russian scientific project tried to get as deep into the earth's crust as possible. The drill reached a depth of more than 12 kilometers.
8. The deepest point made by man - TauTona Mine
This South African mine is the deepest point under the surface of the Earth that a person could fit into. Its depth is almost 4 kilometers.
7. The coldest settlement is Oymyakon, Russia
Temperatures sometimes drop below zero in mid-September and remain there until May. The average temperature in January is -46 °C. The population of the village is less than 500 people.
6. The highest road is the Aucanquilcha mining road.
This mining road was once used by trucks to climb this Chilean volcano to an altitude of over 6,000 meters.
5. Highest mountain pass - Marsimik La, India 
Although the volcanic mountain road we saw in the previous point is technically the highest road in the world, it is a dead end and is no longer in use. In contrast, the Marsimik La Pass, located at 5,582 meters in northern India, is often considered the highest functional road in the world.
4. The highest lake is Lake Titicaca
This lake is located on the border of Peru and Bolivia in the Andes at an altitude of 3,812 meters. There are several unnamed crater lakes around the world that may be located slightly higher.
3. The most remote island - Bouvet Island
This small uninhabited Norwegian island in the South Atlantic Ocean lies between Antarctica and Tristan da Cunha (which, as you may recall, is itself quite remote).
2. The longest river is the Nile
Despite the difficulties in accurately calculating the sources and directions of various rivers, the Nile is generally considered the longest river in the world. Its length is 6,650 kilometers. In ancient times, when water still flowed from Lake Tanganyika, the Nile was 1,500 kilometers longer.
1. The farthest point from the ocean is Xinjiang, China
This region in China is Asia's pole of inaccessibility. This basically means that it is the farthest point on the continent from any ocean.
People have explored almost every corner of our planet, measuring the highest mountains and the deepest depressions. However, nature creates amazing, unique creations, and everything cannot be measured by one size.
Over millions of years, the Earth's topography changed many times before becoming the way we see it now. Of course, many more millennia will pass, and some records will be replaced by others. But for now we can observe the unique landscape of our planet.
This collection contains the most interesting geological records of our planet!
1 Highest point
Everest, Shenmufeng, Chomolungma, Sagarmatha - all these are the names of the highest peak on the planet. The mountain rises 8848 meters above sea level. Despite its impressive size, it attracts many tourists. Everest is more than 60 million years old, but the first attempts to conquer the summit began only in the 1920s. The history of its discovery is full of failures and victims - about 280 people died only according to official statistics.
2 Tallest mountain from base to peak
@bigislandnow.com
Of course, Everest is recognized as the highest point on Earth - taking into account sea level. However, if we take into account what is hidden under water, Chomolungma is displaced from its pedestal by the Mauna Kea volcano. Most of it is located under water, and only 4205 meters protrudes above sea level. If we consider the entire height of the extinct volcano, it will be about 10 kilometers. Mauna Kea formed in Hawaii about a million years ago during an active eruptive period.
3 The highest settlement in the world
The highest points on the planet are simply unsuitable for human life. But there is still a place on Earth far from sea level where people live. On the border with Bolivia, in the middle of the Andes, is the town of La Rinconada. It is home to about 30 thousand people, although the climate at an altitude of 5100 meters is quite harsh. The population is attracted by the huge reserves of gold ore, for which this city was founded.
4 Farthest point from the center of the Earth
@planet-earth.ru
But there is another peak that claims to be the highest. The Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador was considered the highest point on Earth for several centuries, and this is partly true. Its peak is the most distant from the center of the planet. According to the latest data, this extinct volcano rises to 6384 meters. During the research, it was possible to find out that if compared from the center of the planet, Chimborazo is a couple of kilometers higher than Everest.
5 The deepest depression in the world
The sea hides many secrets, and one of them is the deepest depression in the world, created by nature. The deepest point on the planet, the Challenger Deep, is located in the Mariana Trench. The name was given to this location because of the Challenger II, which first recorded the point in 1951. Later it was established that the depth reaches 11,023 meters. By the way, an interesting fact - director James Cameron was able to visit the Abyss alone in 2012.
6 The deepest man-made well in the world
Not only nature works on the appearance of our planet. Man also actively interferes with the Earth's topography, especially for mining. The Guinness Book of Records includes the ultra-deep Kola well, the depth of which no one has yet been able to exceed. At the moment, this place is mothballed, but the depth is still 12,262 meters. There are wells in the world that are longer, but not deeper.
7 Lowest point on land
Our planet is truly amazing, because there are places on it where you stand in the middle of the sand, and the sea level shows that you are already at sea. This place is the shore of the Dead Sea, located at a level of 417.5 meters. In fact, this point is located at a depth of almost half a kilometer, but still on land. However, the Dead Sea is unique in many other ways. Its water has healing properties, and a person can calmly lie on its surface while reading a newspaper.
8 The deepest cave in the world
@politexpert.net
The caves also have their own record holders. For more than 15 years, until 2017, it was believed that the deepest cave in the world was Krubera Cave. It is located in Abkhazia and is 2199 meters deep. However, in 2017, it was possible to establish that the cave named after Verevkin, which is also located in Abkhazia, moved deeper by 2204 meters.
9 Tallest waterfall in the world
@planetofhotels.com
Separately, waterfalls can be noted on the list of the highest points in the world. These incredibly beautiful creations of nature with a flowing stream of water are even more beautiful. And the tallest of them is Angel, which is located in Venezuela. Its height is 979 meters, but the free fall height is lower, 807 meters.
10 The deepest lake in the world
There are many lakes all over the planet, but the deepest of them is Baikal. According to available data, its maximum depth is 1642 meters. However, the underwater secrets of Baikal have not yet been discovered, and the lake is constantly being studied. Its volumes are amazing - about 19% of the total fresh water on the planet.
Our planet is unique and beautiful. Its relief took millions of years to form, and the result is impressive!
There are many high mountains in the world that climbers have managed to conquer. However highest mountain in the world remained unconquered for a long time.
The highest mountain in the world
The highest mountain in the world is Chomolungma (Everest). Its height is 8,848 m above sea level.
In this case, it is worth paying attention to the clarification “above sea level”, since if you measure the height of the mountain from the core, then the record will belong to the extinct Chimborazo, in Ecuador.
Everyone knows that our planet has the shape of an ellipse. It follows from this that mountains located near the equator are higher than in other areas of the Earth.
Height from the center of the earth In this regard, Chimborazo is located closer to the convex center of the Earth than any other mountains, including Everest.
The most difficult mountain for climbers
Considering all the above facts, the question inevitably arises: why is Everest the most popular mountain in the world, while Ecuadorian Chimborazo (6384 m) remains in the shadows?
This is largely due to the difficulties in climbing Chomolungma.
Let's imagine that we want to conquer both of these peaks.
Climbing Chomolungma
In order to climb Everest, you will first have to reach the base camp.
This part of the journey will take you about 10 days. After this, it will take another month and a half for acclimatization alone!
View of Everest from an airplane Then you will have to climb directly to the top for about 9 more days. And this is the most difficult part of the path.
Climbing Chimborazo
Now let's imagine how long it will take to conquer Chimborazo.
When climbing, acclimatization will take you no more than 2 weeks, and the journey to the top will not exceed 2 days.
Chimborazo From all that has been said, we can conclude that after Everest, climbing the Ecuadorian peak will seem like an evening walk to you.
"Above" and "below" sea level
So, Everest is the highest point on the planet above sea level.
However, speaking of the tallest mountain in the world, and taking into account some other factors, it is appropriate to remember another mountain.
If you measure the absolute height from the base to the top, then the highest mountain will be Mauna Kea, located in the territory.
Mauna Kea It may be difficult for some to understand what we are talking about, so let's sort out this confusion one by one.
Unlike Everest, most of Mauna Kea lies below the surface of the water.
Thus, if we measure the height from the base (underwater) to the top, it will be 10203 m, which is 1355 m higher than Chomolungma.
Everest and Mauna Kea Mauna Kea is an extinct volcano that last erupted approximately 4,600 years ago. An interesting fact is that there are 13 telescopes on the top of this mountain.
This is due to the fact that there is a very low level of humidity and clear skies. Thanks to this, astronomers can monitor celestial objects while studying outer space.
The highest mountains on each continent
- Europe – (5,642 m)
- – Kilimanjaro (5,895 m)
- Asia – Everest (8,848 m)
- – Aconcagua (6,962 m)
- North America – McKinley (6,190 m)
- Antarctica - Vinson Massif (4,892 m)
- – Kosciuszko (2,228 m)
Now let's return again to the highest mountain in the world - Chomolungma, and learn not only its geographical features, but also how man conquered it.
Chomolungma is located on the Mahalangur Himal range in the Himalayas. It occupies such a large area that its base is located on the territory of Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region.
Over the centuries, the mountain has attracted the attention of many people who wanted to be at its peak. As a result, hundreds of climbers who tried to conquer Chomolungma died.
Attempts to conquer Chomolungma
It is officially believed that Briton George Mallory was the first climber to attempt to climb the mountain. However, he and his partner failed to achieve their goal.
They died on one of the slopes of Chomolungma back in 1924. It is interesting that their bodies were discovered only in 1999. According to experts, they were only 200 m short of conquering the mountain peak.
After this expedition, many more daredevils tried to reach the peak of Everest, but they all either died or returned back, not daring to set foot on the most dangerous sections of the path.
As mentioned earlier, climbing Mount Qomolungma is accompanied by many different difficulties:
- High atmospheric rarefaction (lack of oxygen);
- Low temperature (below -50°C);
- Hurricane winds, as a result of which the human body feels frosts down to -120°C;
- Solar ;
- Frequent avalanches, steep slopes, falling into crevices.
First ascent of the highest mountain in the world
When did the first successful ascent of the highest mountain on earth take place?
And this happened a little more than half a century ago.
On May 29, 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary, together with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, were able to conquer Everest, as a result of which they became the first people to reach its summit.
It is worth noting that before setting off on the expedition, they carefully prepared for it.
The climbers took oxygen equipment with them and chose the most convenient route. Having reached an altitude of 8500 m, they set up a tent for the night.
The climbers woke up in the morning to find their boots covered in ice.
It took them about 2 hours to defrost their shoes and make the final push to conquer Everest.
A few hours later they were already at the top, where they spent about 15 minutes. During this time, the climbers took several photographs and planted a flag.
Having descended to earth, they immediately became real heroes. The entire world press wrote about their feat, wanting to know all the details of the expedition.
In subsequent years, Qomolungma was conquered by climbers from different countries. The first woman to reach its peak was Japanese Junko Tabei (1976).
Despite the fact that today hundreds of people continue to die on Everest, this mountain still arouses the greatest interest among extreme sports enthusiasts.
It is curious that Chomolungma was conquered in a variety of ways. They climbed it without oxygen masks, descended from its peak on skis and snowboards, and also competed in the time spent on its ascent.
View of the northern wall of Qomolangma from the path leading to base camp An interesting fact is that the youngest person to visit the highest mountain in the world was a 13-year-old Indian girl, Purna Malavath, and the oldest person was 72-year-old American Bill Berg.
According to official data, more than 260 people died on the slopes of the mountain, and about 8,300 climbers have already conquered the peak of Chomolungma.
Who knows what other records will be set in the future, but it is safe to say that Everest will forever remain the most popular mountain in the world.
Now you know what the highest mountain in the world is. If you liked this article, share it on social networks.
If you like it, subscribe to the site IinterestingFakty.org. It's always interesting with us!
Did you like the post? Press any button.
Data from the 2014 Global Earth Model, where brighter colors indicate points farthest from the Earth's center
Based on some recent measurements, it has been found that the polar radius of the Earth (that is, the distance from the center of the planet to one or another pole) is 6356.8 kilometers, while the equatorial radius (from the center to the equator) is 6378.1 kilometers. In other words, objects located along the equator are 22 kilometers farther from the center of the Earth (geocenter) than objects located at the poles.
Naturally, it is worth taking into account some topographic changes in certain areas, where some objects located near the equator are closer to the center, and others are further from the center of the Earth, compared to other objects in a particular region. The most notable exceptions are the Mariana Trench (the deepest place on Earth, 10,911 meters deep) and Mount Everest, whose altitude is 8,848 meters above sea level. However, these two geological features represent very little difference when considering the overall shape of the Earth. The difference in this case is only 0.17 percent and 0.14 percent, respectively.
Highest point on Earth
In fairness, we note that Everest is indeed one of the highest points on our planet. The height at its peak is 8848 meters above sea level. However, due to its location in the Himalayan range (27 degrees 59 minutes north of the equator), it is actually lower than the mountains located in Ecuador.
Mount Chimborazo
It is here, where the Andes mountain range is located, that the highest point on planet Earth is located. The height of Mount Chimborazo is 6263.47 meters above sea level. However, due to its location (1 degree 28 minutes south of the equator) in the highest protruding part of the planet, its total height from the geocenter is about 21 kilometers.
View of Mount Everest from the top of Kala Patthar
If we consider the issue in terms of distance to the geocenter, Everest is located at a distance of 6382 kilometers from the center of the Earth, while Chimborazo is located 6384 kilometers. The rounded difference is only about 3.2 kilometers, which at first glance may seem quite insignificant. However, when it comes to the titles of “the very best”, you need to be precise.
Of course, even after such explanations, there will be people who will confidently say that Mount Everest is still the highest point on the planet, if we consider its height from the foot (base) to the peak. Unfortunately, they are wrong here too. Because in this case, the title of tallest mountain goes to Mauna Kea, a shield volcano located on the island of Hawaii. The height of the mountain from the base to the very top at Mauna Kea is 10,206 meters. This is the highest mountain on our planet. However, most of the mountain goes several thousand meters deep into the ocean, and therefore we can only see its peak at 4207 meters.
However, those who consider Everest the highest mountain according to its height above sea level will be right. If we consider its height as height above sea level, then Everest is truly the tallest mountain in the world.