Not everyone can travel around the world in search of the highest mountain in the world, but it is quite possible to take a virtual trip.

The highest mountains in the world

How far will a person have to travel to reach the highest point on our planet? Which mountains are recognized as the highest on Earth? Who conquered them first and what difficulties await them on the way to the top? You might also be interested in learning about the longest mountains in the world.

Makalu

Height: 8485 m.
A country: China/Nepal
Mountain system: Himalayas

Our rating opens with the Tibetan “Black Giant” Makalu - one of the five highest “eight-thousanders”. Europeans learned about this snowy beauty back in the middle of the 19th century, but the first expedition to its peak was launched only a hundred years later. This is because in those years the hearts of brave climbers were captivated by its closest neighbor, Everest, and the peak of Makalu remained “in the shadow” of this giant and was “defeated” only in 1955. The legendary ascent was made by the French under the leadership of Jean Franco.

Lhotse

Height: 8516 m.
A country: China/Nepal
Mountain system: Himalayas

There are not so many points on the map of our planet that have surpassed the 8-kilometer mark in height. Mount Lhotse is one of them. Its last peak (Lhotse Middle) was conquered by climbers only in 2001. The first to set foot on this pointed rocky peak were members of a Russian expedition led by V. Kozlov and N. Cherny. The main peak was conquered in 1956 by a group of Swiss climbers while climbing neighboring Everest. But the eastern wall of Lhotse remains unconquered to this day.

Kanchenjunga

Height: 8568 m.
A country: India/Nepal
Mountain system: Himalayas

The third highest point on our planet is located on the Kanchenjunga mountain range, which, in turn, belongs to the Himalaya system. Kanchenjunga has five peaks, hence the name, which translated from Tibetan means “Five Treasures of the Great Snows.” The highest is Main Kanchenjunga (8568 m). However, three more of them rightfully bear the proud title of eight-thousander: Yalong-Kang (8505), South (8491) and Central (8478).

The first attempt to conquer the wayward peak was made in 1905, but was unsuccessful. Having gone three quarters of the way, the group led by Aleister Crowley turned back. Only in 1955 the Englishmen Joe Brown and George Bend were able to reach the main peak.

There is a legend among the local population that Mount Kanchenjunga is a woman, and therefore hates in advance all girls who set foot on its slope. Only one woman has been to its summit, Englishwoman Ginette Harrison, who climbed in 1998.

Chogori

Height: 8611 m.
A country: China/Pakistan
Mountain system: Karakoram

The second highest mountain in the world after Everest also belongs to the Himalaya mountain range. Chogori, known among mountaineers as K-2, lies on the border between Pakistan and China. The letter “K” means “Karakorum”, and “2” is the serial number of the peak, which was assigned to it by the traveler Colonel Montgomery in 1856.

According to statistics, every fourth person who dares to conquer the top of Chogori is doomed to death. That’s why this peak has another name – killer mountain. The legendary Russian climber Pyotr Kuznetsov found his final refuge on its slopes.

The highest mountain is Everest

Height: 8848 m.
A country: Nepal/PRC
Mountain system: Himalayas

The tallest Mountain peak in the world - this is Chomolungma, better known to us as Everest. It is located in perhaps the most “philosophical” part of the earth - in Tibet. This majestic snow-capped pyramid has amazed many generations of travelers, and even now, when the summit of Everest has been conquered several times, it inspires thousands of brave climbers to pack their things and set off on a long journey to the top full of deadly dangers.

Everest, one of the most beautiful places in the world, is part of mountain system Himalayas. The mountain is located between Nepal and China, but its peak is still located in China, in the Tibet Autonomous Region. According to various sources, the height of Everest ranges from 8844 to 8852 meters.

This data is constantly changing. In the spring of 2010, Chinese residents officially recorded the highest mountain at 8848 meters. And in 2016, scientists “proved” that the summit of Everest is actually 4 meters lower than the stated height. By the way, it has already been proven that Chomolungma grows annually by about five millimeters due to the movement of lithospheric plates, at the junction of which Everest is located.

The tallest mountain on the planet has quite a few names. The people of Tibet call Everest the “Mother of the gods of the earth” (“Divine (qomo) mother (ma) of life (lung)” - Chomolungma). But the Nepalese call it Sagarmatha. It means "Forehead of Heaven" or "Mother of the Gods." Well, the name “Everest” was given to the mountain by the British in honor of George Everest, who headed the geodetic survey of British India in 1830-1843. A few years after the scientist’s death, in 1856, his successor Andrew Waugh proposed giving the mountain the name Everest. By the way, it was he who presented data from a study of the heights of “Peak XV” and confirmed that this is probably the highest peak in the whole world.

History of climbing Everest

The first time a person climbed the highest mountain was on May 29, 1953. The pioneers of Everest were New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpas (Sherpas are one of the peoples of Nepal) Tenzing Norgay. They passed through the South Col along the route that the Swiss had explored shortly before. The conquerors took oxygen equipment with them on their hike. The team itself consisted of 30 people. In May 1982, 11 climbers from the Soviet Union climbed this “roof of the world.” They climbed the southwestern slope, which had previously been considered impassable. The Ukrainians Mikhail Turkevich and Sergei Bershov especially distinguished themselves during the expedition - they were the first in history to climb Everest at night.

Well, in 2001, an amazing feat was accomplished - a blind American named Eric Weihenmayer climbed the mountain. Before this ascent, he had already visited all the highest peaks of all seven continents, and he had also visited the highest mountains of Russia. In this way, the man wanted to prove that all the tasks that seem unattainable to people are actually achievable. Another Everest record was set on May 14, 2005. Test pilot Didier Delsalle of Eurocopter became the first in the world to successfully land a helicopter on a mountain peak.

Three years later, the oldest man climbed to the top of Chomolungma. He became 76-year-old Nepalese Bahadur Sherkhan.

Two years later, the youngest person appeared on the peak of Everest, 13-year-old American citizen Jordan Romero, who conquered the peak with his father. Previously, this record was assigned to a 15-year-old boy.

Another unusual ascent was made by a group of Nepalese. 20 people went on a risky expedition to collect waste that climbers leave on the slopes. They collected approximately 1,800 kilograms of garbage.

The dangers of Everest

Every year about 500 people try to reach the top of Everest. They are not afraid that at night the air temperature there can drop to -600 C, and the wind literally knocks them off their feet - its gust speed reaches 200 meters per second. However, according to some estimates, about 5 thousand climbers have already climbed the highest mountain. Each rise takes approximately 2 months. At this time, the period of acclimatization and installation of camps begins. By the way, during such a hike, travelers lose weight by an average of 10-15 kilograms.

And one more difficulty, although insignificant compared to the previous ones. States on whose territory the approaches to the mountain are located request a large sum of money for the right to climb to the top of Everest. The authorities also establish the order of departures for mountaineering companies. You will have to pay the least amount for climbing Chomolungma from Tibet. Well, try to conquer the peak better in spring and in the fall, since the monsoons are not so active at this time.

Travel companies quote different prices for a trip to the mountain from Nepal: on average from 20 to 60 thousand dollars. On the Chinese side, this can be done cheaper: you will have to spend about 4.6 thousand dollars per person. It is worth adding that these funds are used to purchase an ascent attempt, but do not at all guarantee a successful result.

How much does it cost to conquer Everest?

Experts say that the success of the expedition depends on the weather and the team’s equipment. Before climbing Everest, you must undergo acclimatization. The most difficult thing, experienced people say, is the last three hundred meters of the way to the top. Climbers call them the “dead zone” or “the longest mile on Earth.” In this area you need to go through a very smooth and steep rocky slope, which is covered with snow. But the main obstacle is not the slippery surface, but the rarefied air, which literally overshadows the climber’s consciousness.

Pay for a dream

Thousands of climbers have tried to climb Everest. Some paid for this with their lives. From the time the peak was discovered until today, more than two hundred people have died during expeditions. According to some reports, this most often happened due to lack of oxygen. Sometimes people died in avalanches, on descents or ascents, due to heart failure or frostbite.

The dead climbers who are found are buried by the people of Nepal. They sincerely follow age-old traditions and do everything so that the souls of steeplejacks find peace. According to beliefs, if a special solemn ceremony is not held to “save the souls of the dead,” then the dead climbers will not find peace and will wander on the “roof of the world.” And local climbers set off to the top of the highest mountain only with talismans and rituals, so as not to meet the spirits of Chomolungma.

The Dark Side of Everest

According to Nepalese Buddhist and professional guide Pemba Dorja, in May 2004, on his journey to the top of Everest, he took with him a medallion with the image of the Dalai Lama and an amulet from a Buddhist monastery. The man climbed to the peak in a record 8 hours and 10 minutes. And in the “dead zone”, which is located at an altitude of 8 kilometers above sea level, he met the shadows of people who extended their hands and asked for food. The Nepalese is sure that if he had not had the amulets, he would not have returned alive.

Alternative record holders

In 2016, scientists stunned the public with the message that Everest was no longer the most high point planets. The earth, according to them, has the shape of a geoid - a figure flattened at the poles and convex at the equator. This means that if you measure the height of a mountain from the center of the earth, then the mountain ranges located along the equator will have an a priori advantage in height. Of course, such messages only caused the surveyors to laugh loudly. But – for the sake of interest – we present below data on the “new record holders”.

Chimborazo

Height: 6384 m.
A country: Ecuador
Mountain system: Andes

Having measured the height of Everest from the center of the Earth and compared the data obtained with the height of the extinct volcano Chimborazo, scientists found that the latter “bypasses” the Tibetan giant by 4 meters. However, the fact that the top of Chimborazo is the most distant point from the center of the Earth was discovered back in 1998.

Mauna Kea

Height: 4205 / 10203 m.
A country: USA
Mountain system: –

Mauna Kea volcano juts above the surface Pacific Ocean by 4.2 kilometers – an impressive figure. But this, as they say, is only a small part of the iceberg. Most of its base is hidden under water, and the total height of the mountain is 10,203 meters. Therefore, if we take into account solely the distance from the foot to the top, and not the height of the mountain above sea level, then Mauna Kea can safely be considered the most high mountain in the world.
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People have studied almost every corner of our planet, measured the most high 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 high 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. On this moment the site 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 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 entire reserve fresh water on the planet.

Our planet is unique and beautiful. Its relief took millions of years to form, and the result is impressive!

The tallest mountains in the world are some of the most majestic and beautiful things that you can be blessed enough to witness in your life. All of them are located in Asia, and each will reach an altitude of more than 8,000 meters above sea level.

Here is a list of the top 10 highest mountains in the world.

The highest peak of mother earth is Everest. Its peak rose above the sea line to a height of 8.848 km. This mountain belongs to the Himalayan range and is in contact with China, Nepal, Tibet and Sagarmatha.

The top of the mountain has long been chosen by climbers, and they even laid out completely safe climbing paths that are accessible even to novice mountain climbers.

2nd place

Pakistani Karakoram K2 , from the peak of which you can see Tajikistan, Pakistan, China, is far from safe for climbing; not everyone managed to conquer its 8,611-kilometer peak; many generally remained there forever.

3rd place

The peak of the five treasures of God, consisting of precious stones, gold, silver, sacred books and grains, is called the third highest peak Kanchenjunga . Part of the great Himalayas, the five peaks of the mountain are visible from India and Nepal.

4th place

Lhotse , The southern peak of the Tibetan mountains on the Everest side rises above the sea line at an altitude of 8.516 km - the main peak, and two nearby ones rise at altitudes of 8.414 km and 8.383 km, respectively. This majestic mountain range located between Nepal and Tibet.

5th place

Makalu , fifth most high peaks, 8,481 meters (27,825 ft) and is located southeast of Everest Peak on the border between two countries, China and Nepal. One of the eight-thousanders, Makalu is an isolated peak, its shape is a four-sided pyramid.

6th place

Cho Oyu , an 8201 meter peak above the sea line, is named “Turquoise Goddess” in Tibetan. The mountain is the main western peak of the Khumbu subsection of the Himalayas, located east of Mount Everest, between Tibet and Nepal.

Dhaulagiri is the seventh highest mountain in the world, reaching 8,167 m at its peak. It is located north of central Nepal. Its name means "White Mountain." This mountain, along with Annapurna, is more dramatic than most other mountains in terms of injury and loss of life. It is an amazing sight to see several peaks visually coming together, and one of the main reasons why, for thirty years, Dhaulagiri was believed to be the tallest mountain in the world.

8th place

Manaslu is the eighth highest mountain in the world, and is located in the Mansiri Himalayas, in west-central Nepal. “Mountain of the Spirit”, the name comes from the word Manasa, meaning “intelligence” or “soul”, they call it local residents. This peak was officially conquered in May 1956 by the Japanese Toshio Imanishi and Galzen Norbu.

9th place

Nanga Parbat , whose peak is at an altitude of 8126 m, is translated as “Naked Mountain”, better known as “Killer Mountain”. This title was given to the summit due to the difficulty and danger of the climb. This mountain has a majestic peak that towers over the surrounding areas of Pakistan.

A majestic series of Himalayan peaks in north-central Nepal called Annapurna, the highest of which is called Annapurna I, is the tenth highest mountain in the world. It is located in the central part of Nepal and rises to a height of 8091 meters. Its peaks are among the most dangerous even for professional climbers. The mortality rate here is about 40%.

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 most deep 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 big island Hawaii is more than twice as tall as Everest, measured from the base of the mountain on the seabed 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, almost 11 kilometers below the ocean's surface, is the deepest point in the already deep Mariana Trench. In fact, Everest would sit comfortably here below the surface.

20. The most high waterfall- Angel (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 South Africa, and from 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 climbing destination.

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 locality- 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, located between Antarctica and Tristan da Cunha (a place that, as you may remember, 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.

We invite you to look at the world from the lowest points of the Earth - and there are such places on every continent, they are located much below sea level. In this collection I will tell you about seven such places.

There are many places on the planet where you are standing on dry land, while the level of the world's oceans suggests that you are actually submerged under water. Let's start with the Dead Sea in Asia. It is also called the Salt Sea and is located between Palestine, Israel and Jordan. Its shores and surface are located at 422 meters below sea level. This is the lowest landmass on Earth

Next comes Lake Assal in Africa, it is located in Djibouti, Ethiopia. The lake lies 155 meters below sea level in the Afar Lowland. This is the lowest landmass in Africa and the second on Earth after the Dead Sea. The water here is one of the saltiest in the world - 34.8% salt concentration, which is higher than the concentration in the Dead Sea and ten times the salinity level in the ocean

There is a place in Antarctica called the Vestfold Hills, which is located 50 meters below sea level. For your information, the deepest place on Earth not covered by liquid water is the Bentley Deep in Antarctica with a depth of 2555 meters below sea level. The depression is covered with a huge layer of ice. The deepest place on Earth covered with liquid water is the Mariana Trench.


There are similar places in North America. Death Valley is a desert located in the southwestern United States. Located within the Mojave Desert, the intermontane trench is the lowest, driest, and hottest place in the Americas. The site called Badwater in Death Valley is the lowest place in the United States, 86 meters below sea level. Surprisingly, this point is only 76 miles east of Mount Whitney, the highest point at 4,422 meters. Death Valley is also considered to be home to some of the hottest temperatures on Earth, with Furnace Creek reaching 56.7°C on July 13, 1913. Only higher is the world record of 58°, recorded in Libya on September 13, 1922

IN South America Laguna Del Carbon is located with a depth of 105 meters below sea level. Laguna del Carbon (Coal Lagoon) is salt lake and is located in Argentina. It is the lowest point in the Western and Southern Hemispheres and the seventh lowest point on Earth. Pay attention to the quality of the road surface in the Argentine desert...

The lowest point in Europe is the Caspian Sea. Its basin area is 371,000 km2, which is about 10 percent of the world's closed water basin area. The ancient inhabitants considered the Caspian Sea an ocean, probably due to its salinity and apparent immensity. The sea is a closed lake, and the water in it is salty, with an average salinity of 1.2%. This is the lowest place in Europe with a depth of 28 meters below the level

We visited each of the continents, only Australia remained. There is such a place here too - Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia at a depth of 15 meters below sea level in the very center of the huge Eyre Basin, Australia's largest lake


It is difficult to determine from photographs, but almost everywhere the ocean was at least 20 meters higher than the point where the photographer stood... Isn’t it amazing that such places exist on Earth?