A mountain is a prominent landform possessing a summit. Mountains were formed millions of years ago through tectonic forces, erosion, and volcanic eruptions.Mountains can be spectacular to view ; their gigantic forms, mind-numbing elevation levels, and just the experience of being near one will definitely give you goosebumps. So, it is no wonder that people all over the world are fascinated by different elevation points on Earth.The mountains with the highest elevation levels are quite unsuitable for vegetation and agriculture, but they are used extensively for resource extraction like mining and logging.The tallest mountain in the world is, of course, Mount Everest, located in the Himalayan range, Asia.The five highest mountain elevations in the world are Mount Everest at 29,198 ft (8,899.55 m), K2 (also known as Karakoram Range) at 28,416 ft (8,661.2 m), Kanchenjunga at 28,333 ft (8,635.90 m), Mount Lhotse at 28,102 ft (8,565.49 m), and Makalu at 28,000 ft (8,534.4 m).America too has its own highest peaks. Some of the highest elevations of North America are Mount McKinley at 20,310 ft (6,190.48 m), Mount Logan at 19,541 ft (5,956.09 m), Pico de Orizaba at 18,491 ft (5,636.05 m), Mount Saint Elias at 18,008 ft (5,488.84 m), and Volcan Popocatepetl at 17,802 ft (5,206.59 m).The other prominent elevations in the USA are Mount Foraker at 17,400 ft (5,303.52 m) and Mount Bona at 16,550 ft (5,044.44 m).Of course, mountains with higher elevations have colder climates. Generally, people who are known for mountain climbing and hiking are advised to carry enough supplies and winter storage for themselves, mainly because of the unpredictability of the weather.After reading about the five highest points on the planet, you can also check out our facts about the tallest mountain in the Continental US and Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil.Fun Facts About The Five Highest ElevationsWe already know that the highest point on Earth is the peak of Mount Everest, but there are so many other fun facts about the highest elevations that you could spend even an entire week reading about them.Here we present to you some extremely interesting facts about the top five highest elevations which will certainly please you!The tallest mountain on the Earth, Mount Everest, grows by about one-third of an inch every year! Mount Everest is 50-60 million years old. Its age almost reaches back to the time when dinosaurs went extinct!Kanchenjunga, the third-highest peak after K2, is known for its breathtaking view, especially when seen from Darjeeling! Did you know that, until 1852, people thought that Kanchenjunga was the highest peak in the world!K2 is surrounded by five of the world’s 17 highest mountains! Kanchenjunga has five peaks that hide five precious stones; the name translates to ‘five treasures of snow’. Mount Kanchenjunga changes its color every day and also has the record for the highest fauna!Mount Lhotse was first climbed on May 18, 1956, by two Switzerland explorers!Mount Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world, roughly resembles the shape of a pyramid.If we look beyond our planet, then the highest mountain in the known solar system is Olympus Mons, located on Mars. It is almost three times the height of Mount Everest at 16 mi (22 km)!Fun Facts About People Who Climbed These MountainsAre you interested in knowing more about the daredevils who have managed to climb mountains? The first attempt to climb to the peak of Mount Everest was made in 1922 by a British expedition from the Tibetan side. The youngest male to summit Mount Everest was Jordan Romero, an American citizen, in 2010! Although Kanchenjunga is known for being tricky, the first ascent was attempted by George Band and Joe Brown! It is third on the list of the highest points on the Earth.Edmund Hillary, who was the first person to climb Mount Everest, received the Padma Vibhushan award from the Government of India! Time magazine made him one of the most influential people of the 20th century.Jordan Romero, after climbing the highest peak in the world, wrote a novel for children called ‘No summit out of sight’. Tabei Junko, the first woman to climb to the summit of Mount Everest, also climbed the highest mountains on the seven continents!Joe Brown, one of the first men to ascend the Kanchenjunga, is also famously known as ‘The Master’ and ‘The Human Fly’. Mount Makalu was first climbed by Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy, who were both curious French explorers!Facts About Mount EverestThe climb to the summit of Mount Everest has been attempted by over 4,000 people! Surprising? Well, then these facts about Mount Everest will certainly interest you!Although it is said that Mount Everest was first discovered in 1841 by George Everest (who was surveyor-general of India), it was actually first recognized by Indian Radhanath Sikdar, who was a surveyor and mathematician!In the language of Tibet, Mount Everest is known as Chomolungma, translating to ‘Goddess Mother of the Mountains’. Although Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world, when it comes to the entire solar system, the highest peak is Olympus Mons located on the planet Mars!There are up to 17 routes to climb Mount Everest! Mount Everest shares its border with both China and Nepal. The Himalayas are known to act as a shield, protecting this part of Asia from the winds bringing monsoon cyclones!Approximately 800 people attempt to climb Mount Everest annually. Mount Everest is not actually pronounced as Ever-est; instead, it is pronounced as Eve-rest. The reason for this is that the man who discovered it and who it was named after was of a Welsh background!Climatic Facts About The Five Highest Peaks!If you are planning to scale any of the tallest peaks on the Earth, then you must be aware of the climatic conditions that you may encounter. Here are some interesting climatic facts for you.Mount Everest is known for its extreme weather. The temperature in winter averages around -32.8 F (-36 C), and summers averages around -2.2 F (-19 C). The dangerous weather conditions are what makes Everest so tricky to climb!The temperature on K2 is -40 F ( -40 C), surpassing the lowest temperatures of Mount Everest!K2 has an unusual and unpredictable weather pattern, severity of temperature, and hurricane-force winds.Did you know? The weather on the Kanchenjunga can be like other summits and is pretty cold. The normal temperature in the winter is around 8.6 F (- 13 C)!Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our facts about the five highest elevations, then why not take a look at our articles about the second tallest mountain in the US or second-highest mountain?
A mountain is a prominent landform possessing a summit. Mountains were formed millions of years ago through tectonic forces, erosion, and volcanic eruptions.
