A mountain is a significant elevation of the Earth’s surface rising sharply from the surrounding area. For a hill or a mountain to be classified as a high peak, it must have an altitude of 23,622 feet above sea level. Here is a list of the four Highest Mountains in the world in descending order.
1. Mount Everest (29,029 feet)
Mount Everest is the world highest mountain located in the Mahalangur Himal subrange of the Himalayas. The margin between Nepal and China runs across its summit point. Both the Chinese and Nepalian surveys indicate the height of Mount Everest to be 8,848 meters (29,029 Ft.).
The mountain gained its official English name after Andrew Waugh, the British Surveyor General of India, suggested the name of his predecessor (Sir George Everest) as the official name despite George Everest’s objection. British mountaineers made the first effort to reach Everest’s summit in 1921. There are two main climbing routes, one approaching the peak from the southeast in Nepal and one from the north in Tibet.
2. K2 (Mount Godwin Austen) (28,250 feet)
Mount Godwin is the world’s second highest mountain and is hundreds of miles north of Mount Everest. It’s located on the border of Pakistan and China. Mount Godwin is locally known by the name “Chogo RI” -- meaning the great mountain. Mount Godwin is a rocky mountain up to 6000m, and its height is measured to be 28.250 feet.
Mount Godwin was first climbed on the 31st of July in 1954 by Ardito Desio, a geology professor at Milan University. The mountain was named after Haversham Godwin-Austen, who referred to the summit as K-2 in all his reports.
3. Mount Kangchenjunga (28,189 feet)
Mount Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, is the third highest mountain in the world, and is located in India and Nepal (partly).
Its elevation is 28,169 feet. Mount Kangchenjunga lies approximately 125 kilometers east-south-east of Mount Everest and is the highest mountain in India which has been worshipped by the people. Mount Kangchenjunga was assumed to be the highest mountain in the world before 1852, but after calculations were made in 1856, it was later indicated that Mount Everest was the highest in the world.
Kangchenjunga was first climbed on the 25th of May, 1955 by British mountaineers Joe Brown and George Band.
4. Mount Lhotse (27,940 feet)
Mount Lhotse is the world’s fourth highest mountain with an elevation of 27,940 feet, and it's located next to Mount Everest. On its western face there is a section known as Lhotse Couloir, and many climbers have died while climbing Mount Lhotse due to the loosening of rocks.
