The Highest Mountains on Earth
Mount Everest is the highest mountain above sea level at 8,849 metres.
Also known as: Tallest peaks, The eight-thousanders
Mount Everest is the highest point above sea level at 8,849 m, the tallest of the fourteen peaks that exceed 8,000 metres, all in the Himalaya and Karakoram.
What it is
The highest mountain above sea level is Mount Everest (Sagarmatha / Chomolungma), on the Nepal–China border, at 8,849 metres (29,032 ft). This figure comes from a joint Nepal–China survey published in 2020. Everest is one of fourteen mountains that rise above 8,000 m, all in the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges of Asia.
| Rank | Mountain | Range | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everest | Himalaya | 8,849 m |
| 2 | K2 | Karakoram | 8,611 m |
| 3 | Kangchenjunga | Himalaya | 8,586 m |
| 4 | Lhotse | Himalaya | 8,516 m |
| 5 | Makalu | Himalaya | 8,485 m |
Measured from base to peak rather than from sea level, Mauna Kea in Hawaii is taller at over 10,000 m, and measured from the Earth's centre, Ecuador's Chimborazo is the farthest point from the core because of the planet's equatorial bulge.
Worked example
"Highest" depends on the datum: Everest is highest above sea level, Mauna Kea is tallest base-to-summit, and Chimborazo's summit is the point on Earth's surface farthest from the planet's centre.
Related entries
Sources & further reading
- Mount Everest — official height 8,848.86 m — Survey of Nepal / Ministry of Natural Resources of China (article)