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Mountains are an elevated portion of the crust of the earth that rises abruptly from the surrounding level and attains a high altitude. 26.5% of mountains occupy the global land surface, and it supports more than 50% of the population of the world. Whenever we come across the word highest mountain in the world, people already know that it is Mount Everest in Nepal suiting at 8,848m but how many of you know that most of the highest mountains are actually situated on the edges of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates in the countries like India, Nepal, China and Pakistan. They are also the part of Mountain ranges of Himalaya and Karakoram. 1/3rd of the terrestrial biodiversity and most of the freshwater of the earth are stored in the mountain glaciers. The Top 10 Highest Mountains in the World are:
1. Mount Everest – 8,848.86m
It is the highest and the famous mountain in the world that rises to an elevation of 8,848.86m. Mount Everest is situated in the Mahalangur Himal subrange of the Himalayas on the boundary between Tibet, the Autonomous Region of China and Nepal. The native people of Tibet refer to this mountain as Chomolungma, and the Chinese people refer to it as Zhumulangma Feng. The Government of Nepal and its local people refer to this mountain as Sagarmatha. There are many glaciers located on the slopes of this mountain, like the Khumbu Glacier, the Kangshung Glacier, the Rongbuk Glacier and the Pumori Glacier. There are also many rivers that originate from Mount Everest, including the Rong River, Lobujya River, and Kama River.
Being the highest mountain peak in the world, it attracts numerous climbers and tourists from across the globe, and more than 5000 people try to summit the mountain every year. It was first climbed by Tenzing Norgay (local Nepali Sherpa) and Sir Edmund Hilary (the New Zealand mountaineer) on 29 May 1953. The world’s most famous multi-day trek is the route from Everest Base camp to the summit. Since 1953 about 7600 people have reached the summit of this mountain, and about 300 people have lost their lives in this attempt.
2. Mount K2 – 8,611m
Mount Godwin-Austen or Chhogori is most popularly known as Mount K2, which rises to an elevation of 8,611m, and it is the second-highest mountain in the world. The name of the mountain was taken from the notation used by the Great Trigonometrical Survey of British India. Mount K2 also has the nickname ‘Savage Mountain’ and the mountaineers regard it as the world’s most dangerous mountain for climbing. It is situated in the Tashkurgan Tajik, an autonomous country in western Xinjiang, China and partly in the Baltistan region of Gilgit Baltistan in Pakistan administered Kashmir.
It forms the part of the Karakoram Mountain Range. The Italian mountaineers Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli were the first men to have successfully ascend the summit of Mount K2 on July 31, 1954. This mountain has the second-highest fatality rate per summit, with about 300 successful summits and 77 deaths.
3. Mount Kanchenjunga – 8,598m
Mount Kangchenjunga is the highest mountain in India which rises to an elevation of 8,598m, and it is also the third highest mountain in the world. It is situated in the Himal section of the Himalayan Mountain Range along the boundary of Nepal and India state of Sikkim. There are five principal peaks of Kangchenjunga, out of which three of the peaks are located on the border of the eastern part of Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim, and the remaining two peaks of the mountain are located in Nepal’s district of Taplejung.
Until 1852 this mountain was thought to be the highest mountain in the world; this was because people wrongly calculated the heights of all the known mountains at that time. Since ancient times Mount Kangchenjunga has been considered “Sacred” by the people of Darjeeling (district of West Bengal) and Sikkim. To preserve and protect the unique ecosystem of Kangchenjunga, many protected areas have been established like Neora Valley National Park- Darjeeling, Khangchendzonga National Park – Sikkim and Kangchenjunga Conservation Area in Nepal. George Band and Joe Brown were two English mountaineers who became the first successful climbers of this mountain on May 25, 1955.
4. Mount Lhotse – 8,516m
The fourth highest mountain of the world rises upto the elevation of 8,516m. It is located along the boundary of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and the Khumbu region of Nepal in the Mahalangur Himal section of the Himalayan Mountain Range. Mount Lhotse is connected to Mount Everest via sharp-edged South Col and also forms the part of Everest. It also comprises the smaller peak of Lhotse Sar and Lhotse Middle, which rises upto 8,383m and 8,414m, respectively. Though Mount Lhotse is visually more attractive, it is significantly less busy. Fritz Luchsinger and Ernst Reiss, the two Swiss mountaineers, became the first successful climber on May 18, 1956.
5. Mount Makalu – 8,485m
It is the fifth highest mountain range and third of the four 8000m high mountains in the Everest Massif. Mount Makalu is located along the boundary of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and Nepal in the Mahalangur Himal section of the Himalayan Mountain Range. This mountain is quite famous for its pyramid-shaped peak. This mountain also has two subsidiary peaks, Makalu II or Kangchungtse and Chomo Lonzo that stand at the heights of 7,678m and 7,804m respectively. The two French mountaineers, Jean Couzy and Lionel Terray, successfully climbed this mountain on May 15, 1955.
6. Mount Cho Oyu – 8,188m
The sixth highest mountain rises to an elevation of 8,188m. It forms the westernmost major peak of the Khumbu sub-section of the Mahalangur Himal section of the Himalayan Mountain Range. It is situated near the China Nepal boundary. Mount Cho Oyu is 20 Km west of Mount Everest. It is also considered the easiest peak to be climbed in the 8000m range as it has a gentle slope of the ascent. Mount Cho Oyu is just a few kilometres away from a major trading route (Nangpa La pass) between Khumbu and Tibetan Sherpas. The two Austrian climbers, Joseph Jöchler and Herbert Tichy and the local Sherpa Pasang Dawa Lama, were the first successful climbers in October 1954.
7. Mount Dhaulagiri I – 8,167m
Mount Dhaulagiri is the seventh highest mountain in the world, which rises to an elevation of 8,167m and is located in Nepal. It is an aesthetically stunning mountain. The massif of Dhaulagiri is bounded by the river Myagdi Khola in the southeast, and in the southwest, it is bounded by the tributaries of the Bheri River. The Annapurna Mountain separates the Dhaulagiri Mountain in the east by one of the deepest gorges of the world, i.e. Kali Gandaki Gorge of the Kali Gandak River. Mount Dhaulagiri I was first climbed by a team of Austrian and Swiss mountaineers that include Alvin Schelbert, Kurt Diemberger, Ernst Forrer, Peter Diener, and two Sherpas Nyima Dorje and Nawang Dorje. All of them successfully climbed it on May 13, 1960.
8. Mount Manaslu – 8,163m
Mount Manaslu is the eighth highest mountain in the world which rises to an elevation of 8,163m. It is located in the Mansiri Himal subrange of Nepal’s Himalayas in the district of Gorkha. The name of the mountain Manaslu comes from the Sanskrit word Manasa which means soul or intellect. It refers to the mountain of spirit. The locals of the area prevented a team from reaching the top, believing that all the previous attempts had displeased the god that caused the avalanche and 18 people died while a monastery was destroyed. A Japanese expedition team on May 9, 1956, became the first successful climber to climb this mountain. Gyalzen Norbu and Toshio Imanishi led the team.
9. Mount Nanga Parbat – 8,126m
Mount Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest mountain in the world which rises to an elevation of 8,126 m and is located in the district of Diamer of the Gilgit- Baltistan region in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Locally this mountain is referred to as Diamer (the Tibetan name), meaning huge mountain. The name Nanga Parbat was derived from Sanskrit, which means naked mountain. This mountain is to the south of the River Indus, and it also forms the westernmost peak of the Himalayan Mountain Range. Low lying valleys surround the mountain in every direction, and the stunning Rupal Face on the mountain rises to 4,600m and is often called the highest mountain face around the globe. Hermann Buhl, an Austrian mountaineer, was the first person to climb Mount Nanga Parbat on July 3, 1953.
10.Mount Annapurna I – 8,091m
It is the tenth highest mountain in the world which rises to an elevation of 8,091 m, and is located in Nepal. A part of the Himalayan Mountain Range is formed by the Annapurna massif situated in Nepal’s north-central segment. Annapurna I is the highest and main peak among the several high peaks of Annapurna massif. It is one of the most popular mountains on the list due to its world-renowned trekking in Annapurna. This mountain may stand in tenth place in the list, but it has the highest fatality rate of any of the mountains in the list above. It is exceptionally difficult to climb this mountain: 32% of the attempts result in fatality. On June 3, 1950, Louis Lachenal and Maurice Herzog, the duo of French mountaineers, became the first successful climber of the mountain.
So these are the top ten highest mountain in the world that also forms part of the Karakoram and Himalayan Mountain Range. These mountains are immensely beautiful and are blessed with unique biodiversity that attracts tourists from around the globe. However, the natural beauty of these mountains is greatly affected due to climate change, higher temperatures and global warming.
