Mount Everest, Mountain peak in Himalayas, Nepal and China.
This summit reaches an elevation of 29,032 feet (8,848.86 meters), standing as Earth's highest point, characterized by extensive glacier systems and precipitous rock walls forming its three-sided pyramid shape, with the Khumbu Glacier on the south and Rongbuk Glacier to the north.
The Survey of India identified this peak as the world's highest point in 1852, resulting in its naming after surveyor Sir George Everest in 1865. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first humans to successfully reach the summit in 1953 via the south route.
Local communities regard this summit with profound religious reverence, calling it Chomolungma in Tibetan, meaning "Goddess Mother of the World", and Sagarmatha in Sanskrit, translating to "Peak of Heaven", with both Buddhist and Hindu traditions honoring the mountain as sacred for centuries.
Climbers typically select between two primary routes: the southeast ridge from Nepal or the northeast ridge from Tibet, with most preferring the technically easier southeast path. The climbing season runs from April through May, when weather windows permit ascents.
The summit zone experiences atmospheric pressure at only one-third of sea level, with temperatures dropping to minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 60 degrees Celsius) during January. Geological studies reveal the summit consists of marine limestone layers that once formed part of an ancient seabed.
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