The process of formation of mountains on Earth lasts millions of years. They arise from collisions of huge tectonic plates that make up the earth's crust.
Today we will get acquainted with the highest mountains on 6 continents and see how they look against the backdrop of the highest mountain peaks in the world - the “eight thousand meters”, whose height above sea level exceeds 8,000 meters.
How many continents are there on Earth? It is sometimes believed that Europe and Asia are 2 different continents, although they are one continent:
Before we start talking about the tallest mountains on the 6 continents, let's take a look at the overall chart of the tallest peaks on Earth.
"Eight-thousanders" is the common name for the 14 highest mountain peaks in the world, whose height above sea level exceeds 8,000 meters. They are all in Asia. Conquering all 14 “eight-thousanders” on the planet - conquering the “Crown of the Earth” - is a great achievement in high-altitude mountaineering. As of July 2012, only 30 climbers managed to do this. (Clickable, 2010×810 px):
North America - Mount McKinley, 6,194 m
This highest double-headed mountain North America, named after the 25th President of the United States. Located in Alaska.
Indigenous peoples called this peak “Denali,” which means “great,” and during the period of Russian colonization of Alaska it was simply called Big Mountain.
Mount McKinley, view from national park Denali:
The first ascent of the main summit of McKinley took place on June 7, 1913. There are 5 large glaciers on the slopes of the mountain.
South America - Mount Aconcagua, 6,962 m
This is the highest point of the American continent, South America, as well as the western and southern hemispheres. They belong to the longest mountain range in the world - the Andes.
The mountain is located in Argentina and means "Stone Guardian" in the Quechua language. Aconcagua is the largest extinct volcano on our planet.
In mountaineering, Aconcagua is considered a technically easy mountain if climbed along the northern slope.
The first recorded ascent of the mountain was in 1897.
Europe – Mount Elbrus, 5,642 m
This stratovolcano in the Caucasus is the highest peak in Russia. Considering that the border between Europe and Asia is ambiguous, Elbrus is often also called the highest European mountain peak. (Clickable, 2500×663 px):
Elbrus is a two-headed volcano with a saddle. The Western peak has a height of 5,642 m, the Eastern - 5,621 m. The last eruption dates back to 50 AD...
In those days, the eruptions of Elbrus were probably similar to the eruptions of modern Vesuvius, but were more powerful. From the craters of the volcano at the beginning of the eruption, powerful clouds of vapors and gases, saturated with black ash, rose many kilometers upward, covering the entire sky, turning day into night. The earth shook from powerful tremors.
Nowadays, both peaks of Elbrus are covered with eternal snow and ice. On the slopes of Elbrus, 23 glaciers diverge in different directions. Average speed glacier movement is about 0.5 meters per day.
The first successful ascent to one of the peaks of Elbrus was made in 1829. The average annual death toll during climbing on Elbrus is 15-30 people. (Clickable, 1650×630 px):
Everest (Chomolungma) is the top of our world! The first highest eight-thousander and the highest mountain on Earth.
The mountain is located in the Himalayas in the Mahalangur Himal range, with the Southern peak (8760 m) lying on the border of Nepal, and the Northern (main) peak (8848 m) located in China.
Everest has the shape of a triangular pyramid. At the top of Chomolungma there are strong winds blowing at speeds of up to 200 km/h, and the air temperature at night drops to -60 Celsius.
The first ascent to the top of Everest took place in 1953. From the first ascent to the summit until 2011, more than 200 people died on the slopes of Everest. Now the climb to the top takes about 2 months - with acclimatization and setting up camps.
View from space:
Climbing Everest is not only extremely dangerous, but also expensive: the cost of climbing in specialized groups is up to 65 thousand US dollars, and the climbing permit alone, issued by the Nepalese government, costs 10 thousand dollars
Australia and Oceania - Mount Puncak Jaya, 4884 m
The highest peak of Australia and Oceania, which is located on the island of New Guinea. It is located on the Australian Plate and is the most high mountain in the world, located on an island.
The mountain was discovered in 1623 by Dutch explorer Jan Carstens, who saw a glacier on the top from afar. Therefore, the mountain is sometimes called the Carstens Pyramid.
The first ascent of Puncak Jaya took place only in 1962. The name of the mountain roughly translates from Indonesian as “Victory Peak.”
These are the most high mountains Antarctica. About existence mountain range became known only in 1957. Since the mountains were discovered by American aircraft, they were subsequently named Vinson Massif, in honor of the famous American politician Carl Vinson.
View of Vinson Massif from space:
It is the highest point in Africa, a huge dormant volcano with two well-defined peaks in northeastern Tanzania. The mountain has no documented eruptions, but local legends speak of volcanic activity 150-200 years ago.
The higher one is the peak of Kibo, an almost regular cone with powerful glaciation.
The name comes from the Swahili language and supposedly means "mountain that sparkles."
The snow cap that has covered the mountaintop for 11,000 years since the last Ice Age is rapidly melting. Over the past 100 years, the volume of snow and ice has decreased by more than 80%. It is believed that this is not caused by a change in temperature, but by a reduction in snowfall.
The highest peak in Africa was first conquered by German explorer Hans Meyer in 1889.
Wherever this question is asked, the answer will always be “Mount Everest.” However, few people think about the meaning of this question. Most people on the planet won't try to think twice and will immediately answer it the same way. Everest. Therefore, it is not in vain that when we compare the highest mountains on other planets in our solar system (for example, Mount Olympus on Mars), we always compare Everest. The truth is that Everest is not the highest point on planet Earth.
The peculiarity of our planet is such that instead of an ideal sphere, the Earth is an oblate spheroid. Therefore, those places that are located near the equator, as a rule, are much further from the center of the planet than those that are at its poles. If we take this fact into account, then Everest, like all the Himalayas, can hardly be called the highest point on the planet.
Earth as a sphere
The understanding that the Earth is a spherical body came to people back in the 6th century BC. The ancient Greeks were the first to know about this. Although this theory is attributed to Pythagoras, it is equally likely that it may have arisen spontaneously as a result of travel between Greek settlements. The fact is that sailors began to notice changes in the position and visibility of stars depending on the chosen geographical latitude.
Planet Earth. View of the Western Hemisphere from space
By the 3rd century BC, the theory of a spherical Earth began to become quite scientific significance. By measuring the angle of falling shadows in various geographic locations, Eratosthenes (276 BC - 194 BC), a Greek astronomer from Cyrene (in modern-day Libya), was able to calculate the circumference of the Earth with an error of 5-15 percent. . With the rise of the Roman Empire and the adoption of Hellenistic astronomy, the theory of a spherical Earth spread throughout Mediterranean Sea and Europe.
Knowledge about this was preserved thanks to its transmission from generation to generation by monks, as well as thanks to the scholasticism of the Middle Ages. By the era of the Renaissance and revolution in science (mid-16th to late 18th centuries), geological and heliocentric views had become established in science. With the advent of modern astronomy, more accurate measurement methods and the ability to look at the Earth from space, humanity was finally able to see the true shape and size of our planet.
Modern models of the Earth
Let's clarify the situation a little: The Earth is not a perfect sphere, but it is not flat either. In the first case, I want to apologize to Galileo, in the second - to the flat Earth society. As mentioned above, the Earth has the shape of an oblate spheroid, which, in turn, is a consequence of the peculiarity of its rotation. At the poles it seems to be flattened, and in the equatorial part it is elongated. Many space objects in the solar system have the same shape (take Saturn, for example). Even rapidly rotating stars, such as one of the brightest, Altair, have the same shape.
Data from the 2014 Global Earth Model, where brighter colors indicate points farthest from the Earth's center
Based on some recent measurements, it has been found that the polar radius of the Earth (that is, the distance from the center of the planet to one or another pole) is 6356.8 kilometers, while the equatorial radius (from the center to the equator) is 6378.1 kilometers. In other words, objects located along the equator are 22 kilometers farther from the center of the Earth (geocenter) than objects located at the poles.
Naturally, it is worth taking into account some topographic changes in certain areas, where some objects located near the equator are closer to the center, and others are further from the center of the Earth, compared to other objects in a particular region. The most notable exceptions are Mariana Trench(most deep place on Earth, depth 10,911 meters) and Mount Everest, whose height above sea level is 8848 meters. However, these two geological features represent very little difference when considering the overall shape of the Earth. The difference in this case is only 0.17 percent and 0.14 percent, respectively.
Highest point on Earth
In fairness, we note that Everest is indeed one of the highest points on our planet. The height at its peak is 8848 meters above sea level. However, due to its location in the Himalayan range (27 degrees 59 minutes north of the equator), it is actually lower than the mountains located in Ecuador.
Mount Chimborazo
It is here, where the Andes mountain range is located, that the highest point on planet Earth is located. The height of Mount Chimborazo is 6263.47 meters above sea level. However, due to its location (1 degree 28 minutes south of the equator) in the highest protruding part of the planet, its total height from the geocenter is about 21 kilometers.
View of Mount Everest from the top of Kala Patthar
If we consider the issue in terms of distance to the geocenter, Everest is located at a distance of 6382 kilometers from the center of the Earth, while Chimborazo is located 6384 kilometers. The rounded difference is only about 3.2 kilometers, which at first glance may seem quite insignificant. However, when it comes to the titles of “the very best”, you need to be precise.
Of course, even after such explanations, there will be people who will confidently say that Mount Everest is still the highest point on the planet, if we consider its height from the foot (base) to the peak. Unfortunately, they are wrong here too. Because in this case, the title of tallest mountain goes to Mauna Kea, a shield volcano located on the island of Hawaii. The height of the mountain from the base to the very top at Mauna Kea is 10,206 meters. This is the highest mountain on our planet. However most The mountain goes several thousand meters deep into the ocean, and therefore we can only see its peak at a height of 4207 meters.
However, those who consider Everest the highest mountain according to its height above sea level will be right. If we consider its height as height above sea level, then Everest is truly the tallest mountain in the world.
The formation of the largest mountain ranges on our planet lasts for millions of years. They are the result of the collision of tectonic plates. These processes do not stop now. world exceeds eight thousand meters above sea level. There are fourteen such peaks on Earth. It should be noted that the ten highest peaks of the planet are located in the Himalayas, which are located in Eurasia and stretch for several thousand kilometers. Their ranking in ascending order is described in more detail below. In addition, the article presents the highest points of each continent.
Annapurna
This peak closes the list of “The highest and the world”. Translated from Sanskrit, its name means “goddess of fertility.” Its height is 8091 meters. The summit was first conquered in 1950 by French climbers Louis Lachenal and Maurice Herzog. The peak is considered one of the most dangerous on Earth in terms of ascent, a clear indication of which is the statistics. To date, there have been 150 successful ascents of it, while the fatality rate is 40%. The most common cause of death is avalanches.
Nangaparbat
In ninth place in the ranking of “The highest mountains on the planet” is Nanga Parbat, or “mountain of the gods,” with a height of 8126 meters. The first attempt to climb it was made in 1859, but it ended in failure. Climbers subsequently failed to conquer the peak for almost a hundred years. It was not until 1953 that Hermann Buhl from Austria independently made the historic ascent.
Manaslu
The height of this mountain is 8163 meters. The first person to reach its peak was a Japanese climber named Toshio Imanishi, and this happened in 1956. Interesting feature The worst thing is that due to its close proximity to Tibet, for a long period of time it, along with its surroundings, was a zone closed to visits by foreigners.
Dhaulagiri
The highest point of Dhaulagiri is located at a mark that is only four meters higher than that of the previous representative of the “Highest Mountains on Earth” rating. In 1960, a group of Europeans climbed the peak, which is one of the most difficult to climb. It should be noted that no one has yet conquered it along the southern route.
Cho Oyu
This mountain has a height of 8188 meters. It is located on the border of Nepal and China. The first people who managed to conquer it were the Austrians Joseph Jächler and Herbert Tichy. They made their ascent in 1954.
Makalu
Lhotse
Essentially, Lhotse consists of three separate peaks. The largest of them has a height of 8516 meters. It was first climbed in 1956 by two Swiss - Fritz Luchsinger and Ernst Reiss. It should be noted that only three routes to the summit are currently known.
Kanchenjunga
Mount Kanchenjunga rises 8586 meters above sea level. It is located on the Nepal-India border and was first conquered in 1955 by a group of British climbers led by Charles Evans. For a long time, in disputes regarding which mountain is the highest on the planet, the prevailing opinion was that it was Kanchenjunga. However, after lengthy research, it moved to third position in the ranking.
Chogori
On the border between China and Nepal there is a mountain with a height of 8611 meters. It ranks second in the list of the highest peaks in the world and is called Chogori. In 1954, Italians Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli became the first people to climb it. The peak is very difficult to climb. The mortality rate among climbers who dare to climb is about 25%.
Everest
Every high school student knows the answer to the question of which mountain is the highest in the world. high school. This is Everest, also known as Chomolungma. This 8848 meter high peak is located between Nepal and China. On average, 500 climbers attempt to conquer it every year. The first person to do this was from New Zealand in 1953, accompanied by a Sherpa named Tenzing Norgay.
The highest mountains of the continents
The highest point in North America is Mount McKinley at 6,194 meters. It is named after one of the American presidents and is located in Alaska. The first ascent to the summit dates back to June 7, 1913.
The highest and longest mountain range in the world is the Andes. It is in this ridge on the territory of Argentina that the highest point of the continent and both American continents is located - Aconcagua (6962 m). It should be noted that this peak is the largest extinct volcano on the planet. It is considered a technically easy mountaineering object in terms of climbing. The first of them was documented in 1897.
At 5895 meters high, Kilimanjaro is the most... big mountain Africa, which is located in the northeastern part of Tanzania. The first ascent of it was made in 1889 by a traveler from Germany, Hans Meyer. It should be noted that Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano. According to some data, its last activity was observed about 200 years ago.
Elbrus is the highest mountain not only in Russia, but throughout Europe. Externally, it is a two-headed dormant volcano that last erupted in 50 BC. Height eastern peak is 5621 meters, and the western one is 5642 meters. The first successful human ascent to one of them dates back to 1829.
The highest mountains in Eurasia and the whole world are concentrated in the Himalayas. They were discussed in more detail earlier.
The highest point in Australia and Oceania is known as Mount Puncak Jaya. It is located on the island of New Guinea and has an altitude of 4884 meters. Literally translated from Indonesian, the name means “peak of victory.” Dutch traveler Jan Carstens discovered it in 1623, and the first ascent dates back to 1962.
The highest mountains of Antarctica are its existence. Its existence became known only in 1957. Due to the fact that American pilots managed to discover them, they were named after one of the most famous politicians of this country - Carl Vinson. The highest point of the massif is at 4892 meters above sea level.
Mountains are magnificent creations of living nature. Sometimes they are so beautiful that it is impossible to take your eyes off them. Mountain ranges and peaks covered snow caps, make up beautiful landscapes. Many tourists strive to visit mountainous areas, as these places give unforgettable experience. Extreme sports enthusiasts all over the world annually conquer one peak after another, trying to climb to the most unattainable heights. There are a huge number of mountains on the globe, varying greatly in size. A mountain is an elevation on land that is more than 500 meters high. There are low, medium and high mountains. The latter include all elevations more than 2000 meters long from base to top. In this case, their relative height- size from base to top. Absolute altitude is measured from sea level; as a rule, this is a larger parameter. Scientists have compiled a table of all the largest mountains on the planet. The list of the highest peaks in the world includes 117 hills. They have a magnitude of more than 7200 meters above sea level. All of them are located in Central and South Asia. The top 10 highest mountains in the world include peaks that mainly belong to the Himalayas (except for one). The Himalayas are the highest mountain system on the planet. It is located between the Tibetan Plateau and the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
Top 10 highest mountains in the world
- Chomolungma: 8848 m.
- Chogori: 8611 m.
- Kanchenjunga: 8586.
- Lhotse: 8516 m.
- Makalu: 8485 m.
- Cho Oyu: 8188 m.
- Dhaulagiri: 8167 m.
- Manaslu: 8163 m.
- Nanga Parbat: 8126 m.
- Annapurna 1: 8091 m.
Chomolungma is the highest mountain on the planet
Chomolungma tops the list of the highest mountains, formed in descending order. She is the highest peak globe. It is located on the Mahalangur Himal mountain range. The southern tip of the mountain is located near the border with Nepal, its northern point (the highest) belongs to China. Other names for the highest peak on the planet:
- Everest;
- Sagarmatha;
- Shengmufeng.
Chomolungma has the shape of an irregular tetrahedron, in which two edges are flatter than the third. It comes into contact with other mountain peaks, which are also ranked as the highest. These are the South Col (7906 meters), Lhotse (8516 meters), North Col (7020 meters), Changtse (7553 meters). At the top of Everest there are accumulations of ice from which water flows along all sides of the tetrahedron. The hill attracts a lot of extreme sports enthusiasts who want to add it to the list of peaks they have conquered. With the development of tourism, this has become much easier. Travelers are required to undergo the necessary training, be equipped according to all rules, and pay fees for transport services, communications, and security.
The fee for climbing and traveling along the route is several tens of thousands of dollars. In this case, you need to obtain permission for the expedition, which is paid separately. The entire route can be completed in 3 to 4 weeks. The expedition includes accommodation in camps and acclimatization. The difficulties lie not only in mastering the steepness itself, which requires enormous physical resources, but also in the fact that at the top high point the world is abnormally low temperature conditions. They reach -60 degrees, which can pose a threat to human life. Plus, there are strong winds and solar radiation affects it. The last section, leading straight to the top, is called the longest mile, as it is the most dangerous. This is a very steep path that is not easy to overcome.
Chogori - the second largest mountain in the world
Chogori is in 2nd place in the top 10 most large mountains planets. Also, this peak is the northernmost of the list of all eight-thousanders in the world. This is the only peak from the top 10 that does not belong to the Himalayas, but to the Karakoram mountain system. It is located within the Baltoro-Muztagh mountain range, which runs from Kashmir to China. It is also known under the names K2, Dapsang, Godwin-Austen.
In the late 1980s its height was disputed as the highest in the world. A team of US scientists said satellite measurements show a magnitude of about 8,900 meters, placing Chogori at the top of the world's top 10 highest mountains. However, Chinese researchers soon refuted this opinion, establishing the height of the mountain as 8611 meters. Conquering Chogori is even more difficult than the object described above. The passage of the path is fraught with even greater difficulties. Figures showing the number of fatal accidents are 23-26%. For comparison: by the end of the 2000s, more than 3,500 travelers had visited Chomolungma, and only 284 had visited Chogori, and for 66 people the ascent ended in death. Chogori is the second most dangerous mountain in the world after Annapurna. IN winter time Not a single extreme sports enthusiast has yet managed to visit the top of Chogori.
Kanchenjunga - the third eight-thousander in the world
Kanchenjunga is located in the Himalayas, like the other 8 mountains on their list of the highest. It closes the top 3 highest peaks on the planet. Its height is 8586 meters. Kanchenjunga separates India and Nepal, running along their border. The mountain includes five peaks, 4 of which are above 8000 meters. Its name is translated into Russian as “five treasures of the great snows.”
Until the mid-19th century, this mountain was considered the highest of all the peaks in the world, but then calculations made dropped it to third position in the top 10. Kanchenjunga, like Chogori, has a fairly high mortality rate when climbing it. The number of deaths is determined as 22%. This figure is not decreasing, even despite more high level technical equipment. The Nepalese say that the culprit is the spirit of the mountain, which has taken the form of a woman, so it takes the lives of girls trying to climb it. For 10 years, the only woman to climb Kanchenjunga was Briton Ginette Harrison. Then three female climbers visited the summit: from Austria, Spain, and Poland.
Lhotse - the most difficult routes
Lhotse is a mountain in the Mahalangur Himal mountain system in the Himalayas. It is 3 km away from Everest; the mountains are separated by the South Col pass. Lhotse with absolute height 8516 meters ranks 4th in the top 10 highest mountains in the world. From the outside, Lhotse looks like a tetrahedron with 3 vertices. In addition to the main one, climbers climb the Srednyaya Peak and Shar, which are 8414 and 8383 meters long, respectively.
These two peaks represent more difficult routes for climbing. The middle peak remained inaccessible until 2001. The route along the South Face to Lhotse Shar is recognized as one of the most difficult in the world. According to the Italian extreme climber Messner, who was the first in the world to visit all 14 of the highest mountains on the list of eight-thousanders, there is no route equal in difficulty to the South Wall. There are also very high mortality statistics here.
Makalu is the fifth mountain from the top 10
Makalu is in 5th position on the list of the highest peaks in the world. Its name translates as “Black Giant”. It is separated from Everst by 22 km. Makalu consists of two peaks: Main and South-East. This mountain has long been known to world-famous climbers, but the first ascents to it began only after the 50s of the 20th century.
This fact can be explained by the fact that first people strive to conquer the highest mountains in the world, and only then pay attention to the remaining peaks. Unlike Lhotse, which has only a few routes, Makalu has many more tourist routes. There are 17 routes along which you can climb to the peak. The French group was the first to ascend Makalu. In the late 90s, Russian climbers reached the peak by climbing the mountain along the Western Face. Technical is one of the most difficult paths. The climb was recognized as the best of the year, and the participants received the prestigious Golden Ice Ax award.
Cho Oyu - the easiest way
Cho-Oyu, or Chovouyag, is the sixth highest eight-thousander of the top 10. Its height above sea level is 8,201 meters. Chovouyag belongs to the same system mountain ranges, as higher mountains from the list of the highest peaks in the world. This is the Everest mountain range. Unlike previous mountains, famous for their most difficult trails, Chovouyag is considered the easiest to climb.
The path to the top runs through the Nangpa-La pass. It is located between Nepal and China, 30 km from Everest. This is the main trade route between the Tibetans and the Sherpa people of Nepal. Climbers also climb it. Despite the easier route, not all climbers manage to successfully reach Chovouyaga Peak. There were cases of travelers dying from exhaustion or as a result of an avalanche. In 2014, an American teenager, who was 16 years old, was able to conquer this mountain. He became the first climber of his age in the world to climb Cho Oyu.
Dhaulagiri - a large number of peaks
Dhaulagiri completes the list of the seven highest mountains in the world. Another name for the peak is White Mountain. This massif is located in the center of Nepal, in the south of the Main Himalayan Range. Its peculiarity is that it has as many as 11 peaks.
The height of the main one is 8167 meters, the rest have a height from 7193 to 7751 meters. Like other eight-thousanders in the world, which are smaller in size than Everest, Dhaulagiri was conquered only in the middle of the last century. Although the mountain was previously known as rivaling Everest in height. Swiss climbers making the ascent in 1960 were the first to use a light aircraft to transport equipment. The team paved a path to the top that is now considered a classic.
Manaslu - Mountain of Spirits
Manaslu is part of mountain range Manmiri Himal, located in central Nepal. Its name translates as Mountain of Spirits.
It is located on the territory of the national park of the same name. There is a walking route inside the park tourist route which takes two weeks. Its highest point is the Larkya-La pass with an altitude of 5200 meters.
Nanga Parbat - difficult climb
Nanga Parbat is in 9th place in the list of eight-thousanders in the world. This mountain is located in the northwestern part of the Himalayan mountain system. It represents their ending. Nanga Parbat is located in Pakistan. The name translates as Naked Mountain, and also as Mountain of the Gods.
The climbing routes to the top of the Mountain of the Gods are among the most difficult. Nanga Parbat is one of the 3 most difficult peaks to climb. The array consists of 4 vertices. The height of the main one is 8125 meters, the rest have dimensions from 6820 to 7070 m.
Annapurna - the most dangerous mountain in the world
Annapurna closes the list of eight-thousanders included in the top 10. But she is famous not only for this. The hike to its summit is the most difficult, which is why it is at the top of the list in terms of mortality rates.
This figure reaches 32%. With the development of technology and improved equipment for climbers, it decreased somewhat, but still remained the highest compared to other mountains. Another feature of the mountain is that it has the largest number of peaks - 13.
The relief of our planet is bizarre, deep depressions replaced by high mountains. There are 14 peaks on Earth that have “overcome” the 8000 m mark. But the highest of the “eight thousand meters”, which at first glance are inaccessible, are especially attractive to climbers.
Conquer the most high peak on the planet - the dream of all climbers. What are the highest mountains in the world?
Fifth place - Makalu (8485 meters, Himalayas)
Opens the ranking of the five highest mountains on Earth Makalu. Located almost in the center of the Himalayas, on the border of China and Nepal, the peak is part of the Mahalangur-Hemal mountain range. Extremely steep slopes and year-round glaciation make the mountain incredibly difficult to climb; less than a third of all expeditions are successful. The first successful attempt to conquer the peak was recorded in 1955. 26 climbers died during the ascents.
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The mountain range consists of two peaks, its shape resembles a four-sided pyramid. The local population treats Makal with respect and some fear, respectfully calling her the “Black Giant”. The height of the peak of Makalu is 8485 meters.
Fourth place – Lhotse (8516 meters, Himalayas)
The closest “neighbor” of Everest is only 3 km away, Lhotse is located on the border of China and Nepal and is part of the Nepalese Sagarmatha National Park. Known for quite a long time, the mountain was conquered only in 1956. Of all the eight-thousanders, the summit has the smallest number of routes, and successful ascents account for only 25%.
The mountain has an unusual shape of a triangular pyramid; it has three peaks, each above 8000 meters. Translated from Tibetan, the name Lhotse sounds like “southern peak”. The height of this mountain is 8516 meters.
Third place - Kanchenjunga (Himalayas)
Kanchenjunga is the third highest mountain peak in the world, its height is 8586 meters. Until the middle of the last century, until Chogori and Everest were discovered, it was considered the highest in the world.. The first successful ascent of the mountain happened in 1954. 40 climbers died while conquering the peak. Moreover, contrary to the trend characteristic of other “eight-thousanders”, the mortality rate does not decrease over time, but rather increases. According to Nepalese legend, Kanchenjunga is a female mountain who, out of jealousy, kills women trying to conquer the peak.
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Roerich's painting “Kanchenjunga” Located on the border of India and Nepal, the peak is extremely picturesque; translated its name sounds like “5 treasures of the great snows.” The extraordinary beauty of Kanchenjunga captivated the Russian philosopher and educator Nicholas Roerich. On canvas he captured the unique natural charm of a mountain peak.
Second place Chogori (Himalayas)
Chogori is the northernmost of the “eight-thousand-meter” peaks and is part of the Karakoram mountain range, located in two countries - China and Pakistan. Its height is 8611 meters. Discovered in 1856, the mountain received the “technical” name K2 - the second peak of the Karakorum. They began to call her Chogori after a while. Climbing to the top has been attempted since the beginning of the last century, but it was only possible to conquer it in 1954. It cost 60 climbers their lives to reach the summit.
Besides official name at the top there are others that are quite common - Dapsung, Godwin-Austen and Karakorum 2. mountain peak distinguished by severe weather conditions, climbing it is fraught with great difficulties. No one has yet managed to conquer Chogori in winter.
