Mount Everest

Everest stands in the central Himalayas, straddling the international boundary between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It is widely known as the highest mountain on Earth when height is measured above sea level. Nepal and China jointly announced an elevation of 8,848.86 metres in December 2020, following surveys using modern positioning and surveying methods. Earlier estimates differed, in part because of differing approaches to measuring the summit and its snow cover.

The mountain belongs to a geologically young range created as the Indian plate moved north and collided with the Eurasian plate. That tectonic convergence pushed the region upward and continues to shape the Himalayas. Everest's rocks include material formed in very different environments: some high on the mountain originated as marine sediments before the ancient ocean between the plates closed. The Himalaya's uplift and erosion have also shaped glaciers and deep valleys around the peak.

The mountain is called Sagarmatha in Nepali and Chomolungma in Tibetan; the latter is commonly translated as “Goddess Mother of the World.” Its English name honours George Everest, a former Surveyor General of India. The valleys around the peak have long been home to Sherpa communities, whose cultural and religious traditions are closely connected to the Himalayan landscape. Sherpa life encompasses much more than mountaineering: farming, trade and other livelihoods are part of the region's history, while climbing and tourism have brought economic opportunities as well as change.

Surveyors working in the nineteenth century established Everest's status as the world's highest peak, after which expeditions sought a route to its summit. The first confirmed ascent was made on 29 May 1953 by Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa climber from Nepal, as part of a British expedition. They climbed from the Nepal side by way of the South Col and Southeast Ridge, a route that later became the most frequently used approach. Climbing remains hazardous: extreme altitude, cold, storms, steep ice and rapidly changing weather pose serious risks.

On the Nepalese side, Everest and surrounding valleys lie within Sagarmatha National Park, established in 1976 and inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1979. The protected landscape includes glaciers, valleys and habitats for species such as the snow leopard and red panda, alongside Sherpa settlements and cultural traditions. Tourism and expeditions support local livelihoods, but heavy visitation also places pressure on fragile habitats and creates waste-management challenges. Conservation depends on protecting both the natural environment and the communities whose lives are tied to it.