Mount Everest

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Height of
Mount Everest

Not recognized
until 19th century

No one realized until 1856 that this Chinese and Nepalese wonder was the world's tallest peak.

Official vs real stat

The official height of Mount Everest is 8848 meters or 29,029 feet, which is based on a 1954 ground-based measurement. However, in 1999, a National Geographic Society satellite-based measurement indicated that Mount Everest was about 2 meters (6 feet) taller.

Still growing

Mount Everest is not standing still. Due to massive geological forces, it is rising at the rate of almost 1 centimeter (1/3 inch) per year - and moving northeast at about 6 centimeters (2 inches) per year.

Environmental issues

Overcrowding

In the last decade, Mount Everest has been attracting too many climbers for its own good, say environmentalists. During the April to May window, base camps are unbearably crowded with hopefuls.

Littering

Sadly, mountaineer litter bugs discard plastic packaging and non-biodegradable climbing gear (including empty oxygen tanks) on the formerly pristine slopes.