Which are the highest mountains in the world?
The world’s highest mountains are in the Himalaya-Karakoram range to the north of India. The Andes Mountains in South America cover a larger area but are not so high. The Himalayas contain 79 peaks that are over 7,500 m high. The highest of these is Mount Everest, which is 8,863 m high. At these altitudes, mountains are always covered in snow and ice, and there is little oxygen to breathe. Although Mount Everest is the tallest mountain when measured from sea level, Mauna Kea in Hawaii is actually the tallest if measured from its base. It reaches 5,818 m below the surface of the Pacific Ocean. From its base to its peak, Mauna Kea is 10,023 m high.
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On top of the world
After many years Mount Everest was finally conquered on May 29, 1953, when a Nepalese guide, Tenzing Norgay, and a New Zealander, Edmund Hillary, reached the highest point on the Earth’s surface. Since then, many people have climbed Everest, and all the world’s major peaks have been conquered. It is now possible to map mountains from the air so that mountaineering routes can be carefully worked out in advance. Also, equipment has improved so that sheer rock faces can be readily climbed. Altitude sickness and avalanches of ice and snow are now the main hazards faced by climbers.
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