Mount Everest: Earth's Highest Mountain at 8,848.86 Meters

Mount Everest (Sagarmatha / Chomolungma) stands at **8,848.86 meters (29,031.7 feet)** above sea level—the highest point on Earth's continental crust.

Location and Geography

• Border: Nepal (Khumbu region) / China (Tibet Autonomous Region)
• Coordinates: 27°59′17″N, 86°55′31″E
• Range: Mahalangur Himal, Himalayas
• First summit: Edmund Hillary (NZ) & Tenzing Norgay (Nepal), May 29, 1953

Measurement History

• 1856: Great Trigonometrical Survey — 8,840 m (Peak XV)
• 1954: Survey of India — 8,848 m (long-standing official)
• 1999: US GPS expedition — 8,850 m
• 2005: Chinese survey — 8,844.43 m (rock height)
• 2020: Joint Nepal-China announcement — **8,848.86 m** (snow height)

Climbing Context

• Routes: Southeast Ridge (Nepal, standard), North Ridge (Tibet)
• Season: April-May (pre-monsoon); Sept-Oct (post-monsoon)
• Permits: Nepal $11,000; Tibet variable; 400-800 climbers/year
• Deaths: ~300+ since 1922; death rate ~1-4% depending on era

Key Distinction

**Highest above sea level** = Everest. **Tallest base-to-summit** = Mauna Kea (10,210 m from ocean floor). **Farthest from Earth's center** = Chimborazo (equatorial bulge). Everest holds the standard "highest mountain" title.