Mount Everest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Everest |
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Mount Everest as viewed from Kalapatthar
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | Ranked 1st |
| Prominence | Ranked 1st (Notice special definition for Everest) |
| Listing | Seven Summits Eight-thousander Country high point Ultra |
| Geography | |
 Mount Everest
Location in Province No. 1
Mount Everest
Location in Nepal
Mount Everest
Location in Tibet
Mount Everest
Location in China
Mount Everest
Location in Asia
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| Location | Solukhumbu District, Province No. 1, Nepal; Tingri County, Xigazê, Tibet Autonomous Region, China |
| Countries | Nepal and China |
| Parent range | Mahalangur Himal, Himalayas |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 29 May 1953 Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay (First winter ascent 17 February 1980 Krzysztof Wielicki, Leszek Cichy) |
| Normal route | southeast ridge (Nepal) |
Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth. Mount Everest is in the Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the world. It is about 8,848.00 metres (29,028.87 ft) high.
Its peak is on the border of Nepal and China. It is above the Death Zone where the air is too thin for a human being to live, so usually compressed gas tanks with different gas mixes for different altitudes are used when climbing. The Death Zone refers to the parts of Mount Everest that are above 7,600 metres (24,900 ft) above sea level.
Two other mountains also can be named as the "highest" mountains - the Hawaiian volcano Mauna Loa on Hawaii island is the highest mountain measured from the base underwater to the summit (more than 11 kilometres), and the summit of Mount Chimborazo is the fixed point on Earth which is the greatest distance from the center. This is because of the shape of the Earth: the circumference around the Equator is greater than around the poles.
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Everest Base Camp
"Everest Base Camp" is used to mean the two base camps on opposite sides of Mount Everest. South Base Camp is in Nepal at an altitude of 5,364 metres (17,598 ft). North Base Camp is in Tibet at 5,150.00 meters (16,896.33 ft). These camps are simple campsite shelters at the bottom (or base) of the mountain. They are used by mountain climbers during their journey up or down the mountain. Supplies are provided there and climbers rest, heal and make trip preparations.
South Base Camp is used when climbing up the southeast ridge. North Base Camp is used when climbing up the northeast ridge.
Supplies are shipped to the South Base Camp by Sherpas or porters, and with the help of animals, usually yaks. The North Base Camp has vehicle access (at least in the summer months). Climbers usually rest at base camp for several days for their bodies to get used to the thin air of high altitudes.
This reduces the risks and severity of altitude sickness.
History
A survey of India in 1856 recorded Everest. It was called Peak XV. This first published height was 8,840 m (29,000 ft). Everest was given its official English name in 1865 by the Royal Geographical Society.
British people began exploring the area around Mount Everest in 1921. The first expedition to try to climb to the top of Everest was in 1922. On June 8th, 1924, George Leigh Mallory and climbing partner Andrew Irvine tried to climb to the summit of Mount Everest. They disappeared into the fog and were not seen again until Mallory's dead body was found by Conrad Anker in 1999.
The top of Mount Everest was first reached in May 1953 by the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and the New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary.
In March 2020, Nepal closed the mountain to climbing. This was part of the effort to stop the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.
Sherpas
Sherpas are the local people who live near the foot of Mount Everest. For the Sherpas, Mount Everest is a sacred mountain and before they climb Mount Everest they always do a sacrificial offering.
Flora and fauna
There is very little native flora or fauna on Everest. A moss grows at 6,480 metres (21,260 ft) on Mount Everest. It may be the highest altitude plant species. An alpine cushion plant called Arenaria is known to grow below 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) in the region.
Jumping spider has been found at elevations as high as 6,700 metres (22,000 ft), possibly making it the highest confirmed non-microscopic permanent resident on Earth. It lurks in crevices and may feed on frozen insects that have been blown there by the wind. There is a high likelihood of microscopic life at even higher altitudes.
Birds, such as the bar-headed goose, have been seen flying at the higher altitudes of the mountain, while others, such as the chough, have been spotted as high as the South Col at 7,920 metres (25,980 ft). Yellow-billed choughs have been seen as high as 7,900 metres (26,000 ft) and bar-headed geese migrate over the Himalayas. In 1953, George Lowe (part of the expedition of Tenzing and Hillary) said that he saw bar-headed geese flying over Everest's summit.
Yaks are often used to haul gear for Mount Everest climbs. They can haul 100 kg (220 pounds), have thick fur and large lungs. One common piece of advice for those in the Everest region is to be on the higher ground when around yaks and other animals, as they can knock people off the mountain if standing on the downhill edge of a trail. Other animals in the region include the Himalayan tahr which is sometimes eaten by the snow leopard. The Himalayan black bear can be found up to about 4,300 metres (14,000 ft) and the red panda is also present in the region. One expedition found a surprising range of species in the region including a pika and ten new species of ants.
Selected climbing records
By the end of the 2010 climbing season, there had been 5,104 ascents to the summit by about 3,142 individuals. Some notable "firsts" by climbers include:
- 1922: First climb to 8,000 metres (26,247 ft), by George Finch and Captain Geoffrey Bruce
- 1952: First climb to South Col by 1952 Swiss Mount Everest expedition
- 1953: First ascent, by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary on 1953 British Mount Everest expedition
- 1960: First reported ascent from the North Ridge by Wang Fuzhou, Gonpo and Qu Yinhua of China.
- 1975: First female ascent, by Junko Tabei (16 May).
- 1975: First female ascent from the North Ridge, by Phanthog, deputy head of the second Chinese Everest expedition that sent nine climbers to the summit (27 May).
- 1978: First ascent without supplemental oxygen by Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler
- 1978: First solo ascent, by Franz Oppurg
- 1980: First winter ascent, by Polish National Expedition Winter 1979/1980 (Leszek Cichy and Krzysztof Wielicki)
- 1980: Second solo ascent, and the first without supplemental oxygen, by Reinhold Messner
- 1981: Third solo ascent, by Peter Hackett
- 1988: First "cross-over" climb by Chinese, Japanese and Nepali teams which ascended the peak simultaneously from both the North and South sides of the mountain and descended down the other side. The cross-over climb was also the first to be recorded on live broadcast television.
- 1988: First descent by paraglider, by Jean-Marc Boivin
- 1988: First female ascent without supplemental oxygen by Lydia Bradey
- 1998: Fastest to reach the summit via the southeast ridge (South Col), without supplemental oxygen, by Kazi Sherpa, in 20 hours and 24 minutes.
- 2000: First descent by ski by Davo Karničar
- 2001: First ascent by a blind climber, Erik Weihenmayer
- 2001: Lhakpa Sherpa becomes first Nepali woman to summit Everest and survive.
- 2004: Fastest to reach the summit via the southeast ridge (South Col), with supplemental oxygen, by Pemba Dorje, in 8 hours and 10 minutes.
- 2006: Lhakpa Sherpa summits for the 6th time, breaking her own record for most successful female Everest climber.
- 2007: Fastest to reach the summit via the northeast ridge, without supplemental oxygen, by Christian Stangl, in 16 hours, 42 minutes.
- 2010: Youngest male to reach the summit, by Jordan Romero (13 years and 10 months old)
- 2011: Most times to reach the summit, Apa Sherpa (21 times; 10 May 1990 – 11 May 2011)
- 2013: Apa Sherpa tied for most times to reach the summit by Phurba Tashi (21 times; 1999–2013)
- 2013: Melissa Arnot, American, summits for the fifth time, breaking her own record for most successful summits by any non-Sherpa woman.
- 2014: Youngest female to reach the summit, by Malavath Purna (13 years and 11 months old)
- 2017: Kami Rita Sherpa of Alpine Ascents reaches 21 ascents to the summit.
- 2019: Kami Rita Sherpa reaches 24 ascents to the summit.
- 2021: Kami Rita Sherpa reaches 25 ascents to the summit.
- 2022: Kami Rita Sherpa reaches 26 ascents to the summit, and Pasang Dawa Sherpa reaches 25 ascents to the summit.
Climate
Mount Everest has a very cold and snowy climate. Winds can speed up to 177 mph (285 km/h). The coldest month is January with a high of −74 °F (−59 °C) and the warmest month in mount everest is July with a high of −10 °F (−23 °C). Because of climate change, the glaciers around Mount Everest may disappear over the next few decades.
| Climate data for Mount Everest | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −36 (−33) |
−35 (−31) |
−32 (−26) |
−31 (−24) |
−25 (−13) |
−20 (−4) |
−18 (0) |
−18 (0) |
−21 (−6) |
−27 (−17) |
−30 (−22) |
−34 (−29) |
−27 (−17) |
Images for kids
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Everest and Lhotse from the south. In the foreground are Thamserku, Kangtega, and Ama Dablam
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Mount Everest from 12,007 m
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The name "Mount Everest" was first proposed in this 1856 speech, later published in 1857, in which the mountain was first confirmed as the world's highest
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1890 graphic with the Himalayas, including Gaurisankar (Mount Everest) in the distance
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Mount Everest relief map
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Published by the Survey of Nepal, this is Map 50 of the 57 map set at 1:50,000 scale "attached to the main text on the First Joint Inspection Survey, 1979–80, Nepal-China border." At the top centre, a boundary line, identified as separating "China" and "Nepal", passes through the summit contour. The boundary here and for much of the China–Nepal border follows the main Himalayan watershed divide.
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Kangshung Face (the east face) as seen from orbit
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Mount Everest with snow melted, showing upper geologic layers in bands.
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Climbers below the Geneva Spur
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Reunion of the 1953 British team
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1952 documentary
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Confirmation of the summit obtained by Nepal's Ministry of Tourism
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Small avalanche on Everest, 2006
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The sun rising on Everest in 2011
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Selfie on the summit, 2012
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Mount Everest, 2014
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The location of the fatal ice avalanche on the 2014 route, and the revised 2015 route through the Khumbu.
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Everest, April 2015
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Mount Everest in the upper left (March 2018)
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Looking up along the southern ridgeline, the face of the Hillary Step is visible. The top of the South-West face is on the left in shadow, and in the light to the right is the top of the East/Kangshung face. In 2016 and 2017 there were serious reports that the Hillary Step was changed, which triggered a big discussion in the climbing community. (2010 photo)
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Overview South Col route and North Col/Ridge route
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Mount Everest north face from Rongbuk in Tibet
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A view from the summit of Mount Everest in May 2013
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The summit of Mount Everest from the North side
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From Kala Patthar, Nepal
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Climber at the summit wearing an oxygen mask
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Available oxygen at Everest
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Everest in September 2006
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The Western Cwm ("Coom"), with Everest on the left and Lhotse to the right
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Photo of a Eurocopter AS350 B3 "Squirrel"
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Top down view showing the location of the summit, and its three main faces/sides
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Everest base camp
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Gorak Shep is about a three-hour walk to South EBC (Everest Base Camp).
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A paraglider at Neustift, Tirol, Austria
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The Rongphu Monastery, with Mount Everest in the background
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See also
In Spanish: Monte Everest para niños
