Everest, Mount

Mount Everest, in the Himalayas, seen from the north where it rises above the Plateau of Tibet. At 8,848 m/29,028 ft, it is the world's highest mountain. Everest is revered by local people and its name in Tibetan, Qomolungma, means ‘goddess mother of the world’.

World's highest mountain above sea level, in the Himalayas range, on the China-Nepal frontier; height 8,848 m/29,028 ft. It was first climbed by New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953. More than 700 climbers have reached the summit; over 100 have died attempting the ascent, 55 of those in the period 1990-98.

The English name comes from George Everest (1790-1866), surveyor-general of India. In 1987 a US expedition obtained measurements of K2 that disputed Everest's ‘highest mountain’ status, but satellite measurements have established Mount Everest as the highest.

More climbers reached the summit in the first six months of 1992 than in the first 25 years after the pioneering 1953 ascent, and the number has continued to grow. this has meant that litter, including discarded oxygen cylinders and other climbing equipment, has become a serious problem. In response high fees are charged to those wishing to access the climb from the Nepalese side.

The height of 8,848 m/29,028 ft is generally accepted, although some measurements in the late 1980s using global positioning equipment gave a height of 8850 m/29,035 ft.