The world’s tallest mountains are some of the most majestic and beautiful things that one can be blessed enough to witness in their lifetime. They are all located in Asia and each reach an altitude of over eight thousand meters in height. There are only fourteen mountains in the world that can boast such a height. Below are the ten highest of these fourteen mountains.
Mount Everest. Standing at about 29,029 feet (8,848 meters), Everest boasts the top spot for the tallest mountain in the world. It is located on the border between Sagarmatha Zone, Nepal, and Tibet, China and is part of the Himalayan Mountain Range. Although it is the tallest mountain and attracts many climbers of both advanced and limited climbing skill, it is one of the easier mountains to climb. Don’t be mistaken by what we mean by easier, there is still the danger posed by weather changes, winds, temperature and altitude sickness that can make such a long climb difficult, but the terrain is a lot more simple to take than some of the other tallest mountains like K2 or Nanga Parbat.
K2 (Mount Godwin-Austen) is located on the border between Pakistan and China and is part of the Himalayan Mountain Range. It is the second highest mountain in the world and is a far more treacherous climb than Everest. In fact, one of every four people that attempts to reach the summit at about 28,251 feet (8,611 meters), dos not live to see the bottom again. Of all of the highest mountains, above eight thousand meters, K2 has the third highest mortality rate.
Kangchenjunga, once thought to be the tallest mountain in the world, was stated as the third highest mountain at 28,169 feet (8,586 meters) in 1848. Its name translates to “The Five Treasures of the Snow” and each of these peaks is said to represent the five repositories of God: gold, silver, gems, grain and holy books. This mountain is sacred to Kirant religion and because of this when the first expedition to the summit occurred in 1955; the British exploration team stopped a few feet away from the actual summit out of respect. A tradition which most teams that have successfully reached the summit have honorably followed.
Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain on Earth and is connected to Everest at the South Col. It is located on the boarder between Nepal and China and at it highest peak is about 27,940 feet (8,516 meters) high. This mountain is best known for its close proximity to Everest but is special in own right because it is the home of the steepest face of a mountain that is approximately 1.98×1.4 miles in size. This southern face has been the setting for any failed attempts, some notable fatalities and very few successful summit reaches.
Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world and is located about 14 miles east of Everest. It is located on the boarder of Nepal and China. It is an isolated peak that has the unique shape of a four-sided pyramid. There is another subsidiary peak that doesn’t quite meet up to the “eight-thousander” reputation called Kangchungtse, or Makalu II. It lies northeast of the main summit and is connected to it by a arrow saddle called Chomo Lonzo.
Cho Oyu is the sixth highest mountain in the world and stands at about 26,906 feet (8,201meters) high. Like most of the other Himalayan Mountains, it lies between Nepal and China (Tibet). Its name in Tibetan means “Turquoise Goddess”. It was used as a warm up for climbing Mount Everest when people were first exploring the Himalayan Mountains and today it is considered the easiest of al of the “eight-thousander” mountains to climb.
Dhaulagiri is the seventh highest mountain in the world and is about 26,795 feet (8,167 meters) tall. It is located just north of central Nepal. Its name means “White Mountain”. The South and West faces of Dhaulagiri both feature massive drops; each rises over 4000 meters from its base, and each has been the site of epic climbs. This mountain, along with Annapurna, is home to a more dramatic scene than most of the other mountains, for they face each other while separated by a valley. This is an amazing sight to see, and one of the main reasons why, for thirty years, it was thought to be the highest mountain in the world.
Manaslu, when translated means “Mountain of the Spirit” and is the eighth highest mountain in the world. It is a part of the Nepalese Himalayans and stands at about 26,759 feet (8,156 meters) high. The mountain’s long ridges and valley glaciers offer feasible approaches from all directions, and culminate in a peak that towers steeply above its surrounding landscape. This is the most dominant feature when viewed from far way.
Nanga Parbat is the world’s ninth tallest mountain and stands at about 26,660 feet (8,126 meters) in height. Although the name is Urdu for “Naked Mountain”, for first half of the twentieth century it was known as “Killer Mountain”. It was called this because it used to be an incredibly dangerous climb to the top. Now however, it is less dangerous to climb, but still very difficult. This mountain is an immense and dramatic peak that rises above its surrounding area in Pakistan.
Annapurna is a series of peaks, the highest of which is called Annapurna I, which is the tenth highest mountain in the world. It is located in central Nepal and is approximately 26,545 feet (8,091 meters) tall. Its peaks are some of the world’s most dangerous to climb. In fact, they have a fatality rate of about forty percent.
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