Mount Everest Facts

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The following are some Mount Everest facts. When a moutain attracts climbers, its facts mingle with those mountaineers forever.

-- Mount Everest is about 60 million years old.

-- Its elevation changes over time, increasing 0.508cm per year. It was 29,002 ft (8,840 m) high in 1856, now about 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) above sea level.

-- It was first named as Peak XV by Sir George Everest, the British surveyor general of India. Then it was named after him as Mt. Everest in 1965 by the British Royal Geographical Society.

-- Its name in Nepal is Sagarmatha, which means "Goddess of the Sky."

-- Its name in Tibet is Chomolungma, Jomolungma or Qomolangma, meaning " Mother Goddess of the Universe," or "Holy Mother."

-- Its summit ridge is the seperation line of Nepal and Tibet.

-- At the root of Qomolangma is Rongbu Temple on China's side. It's the temple with the highest altitude above sea level, which is the best position to view Qomolangma in China. The flying distance between it and Qomolangma is 25 kilometers.

-- The first Everest ascent was made on May 29, 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay via the South Col Route in Nepal.

-- The first solo ascent was by Reinhold Messner via the NE Ridge to North Face on August 20, 1980.

-- The first winter ascent was on Febuary 17, 1980 by L. Cichy and K. Wielicki.

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