In recent news that has caught the attention of adventurers and geographers alike, Nepal and China have officially announced a new measurement for Mount Everest. The celebrated peak now stands at 8,848.86 metres high, adding 86 cm to its previously recorded height.
Mount Everest’s New Height: Key Points
This newly stated height of 8,848.86 meters supplants the long-established height of 8,848 metres. The previous measurement was taken by the Survey of India in 1954. This joint declaration signals the end of a protracted disagreement between China and Nepal about the true height of the mountain. China had claimed a height of 8,844 m, while Nepal asserted a height of 8,847 m.
The primary cause behind this difference was the methods each country used to calculate the height. This three-meter discrepancy can be chalked up to China using the “rock height”–which excludes the snowcap–while Nepal calculated the “snow height”–which comprises the snowcap. Correcting this disparity was one of the main objectives of their collaborative project.
The Names of Mount Everest
In addition to being known as Mount Everest, the mountain is also referred to as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Mount Qomolangma in China. The highest peak in the world straddles the border between Nepal and Tibet, with both countries providing routes to the summit.
The Origin of the Name ‘Everest’
Mount Everest derives its English name from Sir George Everest, a geographer from the colonial era who held the position of Surveyor General of India in the mid-19th century. In a historic mountaineering achievement, Indian-Nepalese Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary were the first to reach the summit in 1953.
The First Survey of Everest
The first attempt to measure the height of Mount Everest was made in 1847 by a team led by Andrew Waugh, then serving as the Surveyor General of India. This measurement was based on trigonometric calculations and formed part of the comprehensive Great Trigonometric Survey of India.
Waugh’s team discovered that Peak 15, as it was known then, was indeed the tallest mountain. This finding contradicted the pre-existing belief that Mount Kanchenjunga, measuring 8,582 m–making it the third highest peak today–was the highest summit in the world. The second highest peak in the world is Mount K2, reaching an altitude of 8,611 metres above sea level.