Mt. Everest

World’s highest peak at 8,850 m high Located in Himalayas in southern Asia Located in Himalayas in southern Asia Nestled along China, Nepal border Nestled along China, Nepal border View of 3 countries from peak View of 3 countries from peak

What’s in a name?  Named for Sir George Everest, surveyor general of India  Locally referred to as Sagarmatha, “Forehead in the sky”  Also known as Chomolungma in Tibetan, meaning “Goddess Mother of the World”

Geological Formation  During the Precambrian era, the mountain lay on the bottom of the Tethys sea  Collision of Eurasian continental plate and the Indian sub continental plate forced the land upward  Mountain is also covered in glaciers

Climbing is not for amateurs 4,000 attempts have been made4,000 attempts have been made 660 climbers successfully reached summit660 climbers successfully reached summit 140 have died climbing140 have died climbing

Climbing routes

Camps provide stopping points  Camps are located in safe areas avoiding known avalanche paths  Route from Base Camp to Camp 1 takes the longest due to the number of trips necessary to carry supplies to the camp, taking up to 3 weeks  Path from Camp 1 to Camp 2 can be made in under 6 hours  The next path can take up to 8 hours

Environmentally Aware  Increased number of climbers and deforestation of land surrounding the mountain has raised concern for the environmental effects of tourism at Mt. Everest  In order to preserve the forest and land at the foot of the mountain, the Sagarmatha National Park was established in 1976

Fun Facts Water boils at 70° C on top of Mt. Everest, rather than 100° C at sea level It is estimated that more than 50 tons of plastic, glass, and metal were dumped between 1953 and the mid-1990s in what has been called “the world’s highest junkyard.” Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encyclopedia 2005 © Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. May 29, 1953 Edmund Hillary of New Zealand, and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal were to the first to successfully reach the peak of Mt. Everest The temperature never rises above freezing A white pennant-shaped cloud is permanently hovering over the mountain. The cloud can help predict weather changes by pointing downward when the wind is stronger, and upward when it is weak. The mountain grows every year due to geological forces

CLIMB MT. EVEREST AND SEE THE WORLD