13 Amazing Facts About Mount Everest - the World's Highest Mountain

1. Top Height - World's Top 1 Elevation of Mount Everest: 8,848m

As the world’s highest Mountain, Mount Everest is at an elevation of 8,848m (29,029ft). It is 237 meters higher than the second highest mountain - K2 (Mount Qogir) at altitude of 8,611m (28,251ft) in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and 262 meters higher than the third highest mountain - Mount Kanchenjunga on the border of Nepal and India. Part of World’s Top 10 highest mountains are nearby Mount Everest, like Mt. Lhotse (8,516m), Mt. Makalu (8,463m), Mt. Cho Oyu (8,201m).Experts and researchers declare that Mount Everest grows by about 0.3cm (0.12 inches) per year.

2. Coownership of Mount Everest: China and Nepal

Mount Everest doesn't belong to one country alone. China and Nepal share Mount Everest with its North Slope and peak point in Tibet China and South Slope part in Nepal. The Tibet side of Mount Everest is in Tingri County, southwest Shigatse Prefecture in Tibet China. The Nepal side of South Slope is in Solukhumbu County, Sagarmatha District, Nepal.

And there are two different EBCs (Everest Base Camp) on each side of Mount Everest; both located over 5,000 m above sea level.

3. Different Names of Mount Everest

In Tibet China, the local Tibetans call it Mount Qomolangma(珠穆朗玛峰), which stands for Goddess Mother of Mountains in Tibetan, but Nepaleses named it Mount Sagarmatha (萨迦玛塔峰) for they believe it is "A Forehead in the Sky". Westerners usually take this highest mount as Mount Everest, named after the director of India Survey Bureau Sir George Everest who led measurement of Mt. Qomolangma when Nepal was captured by the British in the 19th century.

4. Height Dispute of Mount Everest

The earliest measurement of Mount Everest dates back to the Qing Dynasty. In 1852, the summit was measured at 8,840m by Survey of India, and proclaimed it to be the highest mountain in the world. In 1954, Indian geographers measured the peak point and adjusted it to be 8,848m (29,029ft) above sea level. In 1975, China announced its elevation officially to the world as 8,848m after a series of precise measurement. In 1999, Americans national geographic society claimed the height is 8,850m by using Global GPS Technology.

EBC - one of the highest tents' camp at an altitude of 5,200m,lies in Tingri County of Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet. Basically furnished with tents, store, even a Post Office selling postcards, souvenirs and offering water for climbers, the EBC on Mount Everest is absolutely an unparalleled attraction which is of memory value for one who comes and visits it. The 5,200m stela is a landmark of EBC, 4km from south base camp area.

Rongbuk Monastery – the highest temple located 4,980m above sea level on Mount Everest, is about 1,280 meters higher than Potala Palace elevated 3,700m. It is approximately 8km to Everest Base Camp and 20km to the peak point. The Marnyi Stone before Rongbuk Monastery is often taken as the foreground of Everest Photography.

Trekking - Mount Everest Trekking appeals to many mountaineers each year to explore its authentic feature on such high elevation. Nepal EBC Trekking route on South Slope of Mount Everest is much more developed and commercialized with more permissive licenses of mountaineering due to lower degree of climbing difficulty. Climbers have to face and overcome tougher natural environment on north slope in Tibet China which is more challenging than in Nepal. The EBC in Tibet China is available for access if you don't plan to spend long days on trekking to the summit.

1. The First Significant Successful Ascents

On May 29, 1953, the New Zealand mountaineer and explorer Edmund Hillary and Nepal Sherpa Mountaineer Guide Tenzing Norgay successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest together firstly from south trekking route of Mount Everest.

On May 25, 1960, the first Chinese Mountaineer team of three climbers succeeded in reaching the peak of Mount Everest from North Tibet Side Trekking Route.

The youngest climber arrived Mount Everest on May 25 from the Nepal side is a 13-years old girl from India, 2014, while the oldest mountaineer is Japanese man Miura Yiuchiro, age 80 on May 23, 2013.

2. World Record of Everest Mountaineers

Nepal Sherpa guides Apa Sherpa and Phurba Tashi are experienced mountaineers who keep a record of reaching the peak point of Mount Everest the most - as many as 21 times in total.

3. The Sherpas – World Famous Everest Guide

Sherpas, easterners in Tibetan, is indispensable guide and assistant for Mount Everest Climbers during every peak season. Mainly scattered in Himalayas, this group of 40,000 people often work as guide and heaver offering mountaineering guide and support service for Everest expedition. They are noticed by the world not just for their better physical advantages, but also for their tough, brave characters and outstanding climbing skills. Every one visited summit of Mount Everest successfully is with the great help from mountaineer heroes - Sherpas.

4. Climbing Routes and Huge Costs of Mount Everest

Totally, there are 18 mountaineering routes to climb Mount Everest. Nepal EBC Trekking route on South Slope of Mount Everest is relatively less difficult and more popular when compared to the North one.

To climb to the peak point on Mount Everest, mountaineers have to apply for admission and pay a huge cost bill about 350,000 CNY ($60,000) for permits fee, equipment costs, guide expense and travelling costs, like accommodation, food, transportation, oxygen supply and health care.

5. Number of Mount Everest Climbers in 2017

According to reports from Nepal, there are 455 climbers reached the summit from South Slope in Nepal side in spring of 2017. Among them, some 190 climbers are foreigners, 32 of them are Nepalese and the rest are 233 Sherpa guides. And the Tibet side was visited by over 500 climbers coming from 30 countries in the world, 377 of them are foreigner mountaineers. It is predicted that the number of mountaineers of Mount Everest in 2017 reaches the highest in recent years but most of them are Sherpa guides.

The 8848m-high summit is covered by deep snow all year round, even in the hot summer days. Temperature on the peak often decreases to -35°C~-20°C all year round and even drops to -40°C ~ -73°C in coldest winter seasons while wind speed up to 90m per second. Of course, it’s difficult to boil the water on Mount Everest due to the thin air and low air pressure there. And the boiling point of water on the summit is 71°C.

2. Old Age of Mount Everest

Limestone and sand stone discovered on summit region of Mount Everest is said to be one part of the sedimentary rock on seafloor 450 million years ago. Most people believe that Mount Everest is much older than Himalayas which formed 60 million years ago.

3. Concerned Environmental Problems

During every best time to visit Mount Everest, many mountaineers left lots of wastes there and later add more new rubbish after new visiting, things like abandoned oxygen carriers, mountaineering equipment and human excreta are everywhere on Mount Everest.

To improve the environmental damage situation, Nepal government has introduced a new policy that each climber has to take 8kg (18 pounds) wastes down the mountain, otherwise the deposit of 4,000 dollars will be detained. Moreover, every year local Tibetans also organize many volunteers to clean the waste on Mount Everest. In the latest spring cleanup of 2017, more than 4.5 tons garbage was picked up from EBC areas and disposed after transported to down the hill.