Mount Everest | Height, Location, Map, Facts, Climbers, & Deaths

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• Introduction & Top Questions
• Physical features
  • Geology and relief
  • Drainage and climate
  • The height of Everest
  • Human factors
    • Habitation
    • Environmental issues
• History of exploration
  • Mountaineering on Everest
    • The human challenge
    • Routes and techniques
  • Early expeditions
    • Reconnaissance of 1921
    • Attempt of 1922
    • Attempt of 1924
    • Attempt of 1933
    • Reconnaissance of 1935
    • Attempts of 1936 and 1938
  • Golden age of Everest climbs
    • Reconnaissance of 1951
    • Spring attempt of 1952
    • Autumn attempt of 1952
    • The historic ascent of 1953
    • Everest-Lhotse, 1956
    • Attempts of 1960
    • The U.S. ascent of 1963
    • The Indian ascent of 1965
  • Developments since 1965
    • The 1970s
      • The Southwest Face
      • The first ascent by a woman
      • The West Ridge direct ascent
      • Climbing without supplemental oxygen
      • The north approach
    • The 1980s
      • First solo climb
      • Further exploration from Tibet
      • Developments in Nepal
      • The end of an era
    • Since 1990
      • Commercialism and tragedy
        • Surge in traffic and overcrowding
        • Avalanches in 2014 and 2015
      • Extraordinary feats
      • Finding Mallory and commemorating historic ascents

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• What are other names for Mount Everest?

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External Websites

• PBS - NOVA Online - George Leigh Mallory
• LiveScience - Mount Everest: World's Highest Mountain
• University of Montana - Mount Everest Discovery and the First Ascent 64 Years Ago
• National Public Radio - How tall is Mount Everest? Hint: It's changing
• Cell Press - One Earth - An Overview of Physical Risks in the Mt. Everest Region
• BBC News - How tall will Mount Everest get before it stops growing?

Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

• Mount Everest - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• Mount Everest - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Quick Summary Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: Chomolungma, Chu-mu-lang-ma Feng, Peak XV, Qomolangma Feng, Sagarmatha, Zhumulangma Feng(Show More) Written by Stephen Venables Mountain climber and the first Briton to climb Everest without supplementary oxygen.photograph: © Stephen Venables Stephen VenablesAll Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated Jan. 1, 2026 •History Table of Contents Table of Contents Quick Summary Ask the Chatbot a Question Quick Facts

• Height: 29,032 feet (8,849 meters)
• Location: Himalayas, on the Nepal-China (Tibet Autonomous Region) border
• Significance: Highest mountain in the world
• First confirmed ascent: 1953 (Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary)
• Named after: George Everest
• Local names:
  • Nepali: Sagarmatha (सगरमाथा, “Peak of Heaven”)
  • Tibetan: Chomolungma (ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ, “Goddess Mother of the World” or “Goddess of the Valley”)
  • Chinese: Zhumulangma Feng (珠穆朗玛峰, Chinese rendering of Tibetan name)

Top Questions

What is the height of Mount Everest?

There is disagreement over the exact elevation of Mount Everest because of variations in snow level, gravity deviation, and light refraction, among other factors. However, in 2020 China and Nepal jointly declared Mount Everest’s elevation to be 29,031.69 feet (8,848.86 metres), which was subsequently widely accepted.

Who made the first solo ascent of Mount Everest?

Reinhold Messner completed the first solo ascent of Mount Everest in 1980.

Where is Mount Everest located?

Mount Everest is on the crest of the Great Himalayas of southern Asia. It lies on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

Who was the first woman who climbed Mount Everest?

The first woman to summit Everest was the Japanese climber Tabei Junko, who reached the top from the South Col in 1975. She was climbing with the first all-women expedition to Everest (although male Sherpas supported the climb).

What are other names for Mount Everest?

Mount Everest has long been revered by local peoples. Its most common Tibetan name, Chomolungma, means “Goddess Mother of the World” or “Goddess of the Valley.” The Sanskrit name Sagarmatha means literally “Peak of Heaven.” Mount Everest was also previously referred to as Peak XV; it was renamed for Sir George Everest in 1865.

News •

Nepal to scrap 'failed' Mount Everest waste deposit scheme • Dec. 30, 2025, 12:36 AM ET (BBC) ...(Show more) Nepal’s plan to tackle uphill task on Mount Everest: clean up waste • Dec. 22, 2025, 5:20 PM ET (South China Morning Post) Show less

Mount Everest, mountain on the crest of the Great Himalayas of southern Asia that lies on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, at 27°59′ N 86°56′ E. Reaching an elevation of 29,032 feet (8,849 meters), Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.

Like other high peaks in the region, Mount Everest has long been revered by local peoples. Its most common Tibetan name, Chomolungma, means “Goddess Mother of the World” or “Goddess of the Valley.” The Sanskrit name Sagarmatha means literally “Peak of Heaven.” Its identity as the highest point on the Earth’s surface was not recognized, however, until 1852, when the governmental Survey of India established that fact. In 1865 the mountain—previously referred to as Peak XV—was renamed for Sir George Everest, British surveyor general of India from 1830 to 1843. According to etymological sources, the mountain’s Western name is often mispronounced “Ever-est” or “Ev-rest,” despite the pronunciation of Sir George Everest’s surname being “EVE-rest.”

Physical features

Geology and relief

The Himalayan ranges were thrust upward by tectonic action as the Indian-Australian Plate moved northward from the south and was subducted (forced downward) under the Eurasian Plate following the collision of the two plates between about 40 and 50 million years ago. The Himalayas themselves started rising about 25 to 30 million years ago, and the Great Himalayas began to take their present form during the Pleistocene Epoch (about 2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago). Everest and its surrounding peaks are part of a large mountain massif that forms a focal point, or knot, of this tectonic action in the Great Himalayas. Information from global positioning instruments in place on Everest since the late 1990s indicates that the mountain continues to move a few inches to the northeast and rise a fraction of an inch each year.

According to etymological sources, the mountain’s Western name is often mispronounced “Ever-est” or “Ev-rest,” despite the pronunciation of Sir George Everest’s surname being “EVE-rest.”

Everest is composed of multiple layers of rock folded back on themselves (nappes). Rock on the lower elevations of the mountain consists of metamorphic schists and gneisses, topped by igneous granites. Higher up are found sedimentary rocks of marine origin (remnants of the ancient floor of the Tethys Sea that closed after the collision of the two plates). Notable is the Yellow Band, a limestone formation that is prominently visible just below the summit pyramid.

The barren Southeast, Northeast, and West ridges culminate in the Everest summit; a short distance away is the South Summit, a minor bump on the Southeast Ridge with an elevation of 28,700 feet (8,748 meters). The mountain can be seen directly from its northeastern side, where it rises about 12,000 feet (3,600 meters) above the Plateau of Tibet. The peak of Changtse (24,803 feet [7,560 meters]) rises to the north. Khumbutse (21,867 feet [6,665 meters]), Nuptse (25,791 feet [7,861 meters]), and Lhotse (27,940 feet [8,516 meters]) surround Everest’s base to the west and south.

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Everest is shaped like a three-sided pyramid. The three generally flat planes constituting the sides are called faces, and the line by which two faces join is known as a ridge. The North Face rises above Tibet and is bounded by the North Ridge (which meets the Northeast Ridge) and the West Ridge; key features of this side of the mountain include the Great and Hornbein couloirs (steep gullies) and the North Col at the start of the North Ridge. The Southwest Face rises above Nepal and is bounded by the West Ridge and the Southeast Ridge; notable features on this side include the South Col (at the start of the Southeast Ridge) and the Khumbu Icefall, the latter a jumble of large blocks of ice that has long been a daunting challenge for climbers. The East Face—or Kangshung (Kangxung) Face—also rises above Tibet and is bounded by the Southeast Ridge and the Northeast Ridge.

The summit of Everest itself is covered by rock-hard snow surmounted by a layer of softer snow that fluctuates annually by some 5–20 feet (1.5–6 meters); the snow level is highest in September, after the monsoon, and lowest in May after having been depleted by the strong northwesterly winter winds. The summit and upper slopes sit so high in the Earth’s atmosphere that the amount of breathable oxygen there is one-third what it is at sea level. Lack of oxygen, powerful winds, and extremely cold temperatures preclude the development of any plant or animal life there.

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Drainage and climate

Glaciers cover the slopes of Everest to its base. Individual glaciers flanking the mountain are the Kangshung Glacier to the east; the East, Central, and West Rongbuk (Rongpu) glaciers to the north and northwest; the Pumori Glacier to the northwest; and the Khumbu Glacier to the west and south, which is fed by the glacier bed of the Western Cwm, an enclosed valley of ice between Everest and the Lhotse-Nuptse Ridge to the south. Glacial action has been the primary force behind the heavy and continuous erosion of Everest and the other high Himalayan peaks.

The mountain’s drainage pattern radiates to the southwest, north, and east. The Khumbu Glacier melts into the Lobujya (Lobuche) River of Nepal, which flows southward as the Imja River to its confluence with the Dudh Kosi River. In Tibet the Rong River originates from the Pumori and Rongbuk glaciers and the Kama River from the Kangshung Glacier: both flow into the Arun River, which cuts through the Himalayas into Nepal. The Rong, Dudh Kosi, and Kama river valleys form, respectively, the northern, southern, and eastern access routes to the summit.

Sanskrit and Nepali: Sagarmatha (Show more) Tibetan: Chomolungma (Show more) Chinese (Pinyin): Zhumulangma Feng or (Wade-Giles romanization): Chu-mu-lang-ma Feng (Show more) Also spelled: Qomolangma Feng (Show more) On the Web: Cell Press - One Earth - An Overview of Physical Risks in the Mt. Everest Region (Dec. 10, 2025) (Show more) See all related content

The climate of Everest is always hostile to living things. The warmest average daytime temperature (in July) is only about −2 °F (−19 °C) on the summit; in January, the coldest month, summit temperatures average −33 °F (−36 °C) and can drop as low as −76 °F (−60 °C). Storms can come up suddenly, and temperatures can plummet unexpectedly. The peak of Everest is so high that it reaches the lower limit of the jet stream, and it can be buffeted by sustained winds of more than 100 miles (160 km) per hour. Precipitation falls as snow during the summer monsoon (late May to mid-September). The risk of frostbite to climbers on Everest is extremely high.