Kanchenjunga is 8,586 m (28,169 ft) high and is the third highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest and K2. It stands in the Kangchenjunga Himal on the border between eastern Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim, and it was first climbed on 25 May 1955.
The key numbers
- Height: 8,586 m, or about 28,169 ft
- World rank: third highest, after Everest (8,848.86 m) and K2 (about 8,611 m)
- Range: the Kangchenjunga Himal, in the eastern Himalaya
- Border: eastern Nepal and Sikkim, India
- First ascent: 25 May 1955, by George Band and Joe Brown of a British expedition
- Five summits: the main summit and four others, listed in the summits guide
Third highest, but not always
For about twenty years in the nineteenth century Kanchenjunga was believed to be the highest mountain in the world. It took the title from Dhaulagiri in 1838, and held it until calculations of Everest, then called Peak XV, showed that Everest was higher. Kanchenjunga then settled into third place, where it has stayed.
Why it looks so large
Kanchenjunga is not a single spire but a huge massif with several summits along a long, high ridge. Glaciers fall from it in every direction, including the Kangchenjunga Glacier to the north and the Yalung Glacier to the south. From the Indian hill town of Darjeeling it fills the northern horizon, and from the Nepal side it dominates the head of the valley.
The spelling problem
The name is written in many ways: Kanchenjunga, Kangchenjunga, Kanchanjunga and others. Nepal and international maps most often use Kangchenjunga, while Indian sources often use Kanchenjunga. They all mean the same mountain. See the name and the five summits for what it means.
Height in feet and why figures vary
Books give 28,169 ft, 28,168 ft or 28,170 ft depending on how a metre figure is rounded. The metric figure of 8,586 m is the one used on most maps. Small differences do not mean a different mountain or a different survey.
How it fits among the 8,000 m peaks
Kanchenjunga is one of eight 8,000 m peaks that lie wholly or partly in Nepal. It is the easternmost of them. For the full set see the list of Nepal's 8,000 m peaks.
Plan it
Is it in India or Nepal? Read the location guide. To see it on foot, start with how to see Kanchenjunga from Nepal and the Kanchenjunga Base Camp trek guides.
