Mount Everest is 8,848.86 m high, the tallest mountain above sea level. Its summit is made of limestone with sea fossils, it has two local names, and almost 13,000 summits have been recorded. Here are the facts people ask about most.
Height and place
- Official height: 8,848.86 m, announced by Nepal and China in December 2020 - It stands on the border between Nepal and Tibet (China) - The Nepali name is Sagarmatha, meaning "Skyhead", and the Tibetan name is Chomolungma, "Holy Mother" See how tall Mount Everest is and where it is.
Climbing records
- First ascent: 29 May 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay - Total summits: just under 13,000, by about 7,200 people, as of December 2024 - Oldest summiter: Yuichiro Miura of Japan, aged 80, in 2013 - Deaths: about 340 as of May 2024 See how many people have climbed Everest.
The rock and the air
- The summit is limestone from the Qomolangma Formation, with fossil trilobite and crinoid fragments - Air pressure on top is about one third of sea level - Winds are often around 160 km/h See how Everest formed and the death zone.
Trekking facts
- Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side is at 5,364 m - Sagarmatha National Park was set up in 1976 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Trekkers do not climb the mountain, they walk to its foot See Everest Base Camp altitude and the national park.
Plan it
Trek to the foot of the mountain with our Everest Base Camp trek guides.
