#Facts #Mount #Everest #Highest #Mountain #Continues #Rise
Jakarta –
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Many climbers consider this to be their dream mountain. Interestingly, this mountain continues to rise until now.
As the highest mountain, it causes many victims to fall on the climb to the top of Everest.
The highest peak in the world was first reached by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953. In the past, climbing Everest was not easy. However, with advances in technology and infrastructure, climbers have been helped a lot. Even so, climbing the Top of the World is still difficult.
Below detikTravel summarizes several unique facts related to Everest.
1. On the Nepal-Tibet border
Mount Everest is at an altitude of 8,848 meters above sea level and is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet in South Asia. The mountain is also part of the Himalayan Mountains.
2. Have another name
The world community knows the name Mount Everest. But Tibetans call it Chomolungma which means “Holy Mother”. Meanwhile, Nepalese people also have another name, namely Sagarmatha, which means “Goddess of the Sky”.
Meanwhile, the official English name was determined in 1865 by the Royal Geographical Society based on the recommendation of the British Surveyor General of India, Andrew Waugh. Waugh himself took the name of his predecessor Sir George Everest.
3. It is the Seven Summits
As the highest mountain in the world, of course Mount Everest is one of the Seven Summits or the highest peaks on the seven continents.
Meanwhile, the other six mountains are Mount Carstenz Pyramid in Papua, Mount Elbrus in Russia, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, Mount Vinson in Antarctica, and Mount Denali in Alaska.
4. Continue to rise
Interestingly, Mount Everest is thought to continue to rise to this day. That’s because Everest was formed thanks to the upward forces generated when the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates collided. The collision continued to push rocks and form the highest mountain on Earth.
Scientists estimate that Everest is around 50-60 million years old. It is said to be quite young by geological standards. And the force of the impulse still pushes Everest to rise a quarter of an inch every year.
5. Has 17 climbing routes
As the highest and located in the Himalayan Mountains, Everest has 17 climbing routes to reach the peak. However, the most popular and often chosen routes are the Southeast Ridge route from Nepal and the North Ridge route from Tibet.
6. Climbing season
Mid-May is a popular time for climbers heading to the summit of Everest. However, the preparation process usually begins months in advance. The expedition team usually gathers in Kathmandu, Nepal, in March to begin acclimatization or adaptation.
Then in April, climbers usually start to gradually climb to acclimate. By the second week of May, the team should be heading towards the top. If there are no obstacles, in early June climbers will start their journey home.
7. Oxygen is very thin
Because the peak is very high, climbing Everest is not easy. Especially regarding the air pressure at the top which is only a third of the air pressure in areas that are not too high above sea level.
That makes oxygen rare at that altitude. Climbers sometimes have to rely on oxygen cylinders to reach the top.
8. Full of threats
The threat to the summit of Everest is not just about low oxygen. Travelers can also be faced with bad weather, wind, avalanches, the Khumbu glacier and altitude sickness.
9. Queue to the top
Since the 1990s, Everest has become so popular that the mountain has become increasingly visited and has caused queues to reach the top. Even in the spring of 2019, 11 climbers died while queuing to reach the summit.
To date, more than 5,000 people have succeeded in reaching the summit of Everest.
10. Many failed and even died
Even though there have been many people who have succeeded in reaching the top, there are also quite a few who have failed and ended up dying.
In 2023, according to records kept by The Himalayan Database since 1922, at least 322 people died on Mount Everest. On average there are around 4.4 deaths each year.
Many of the bodies of the climbers who died were left behind and buried under the ice. When the ice on Everest melts, only then can the bodies be seen.
11. Can hire Sherpas
In order to reach the summit of Everest, climbers can ask for help from professional guides in Nepal. Usually, the guides are Sherpas or Sharwa, namely ethnic groups living in the mountains of Nepal.
They usually prepare trekking routes, supply camps with food and essentials, and guide climbers. For expeditions that last 3-4 months, guides usually earn an income of USD 2,500-5,000 or around IDR 39.9 million – IDR 79.8 million.
12. Become a business field for Nepal
Mount Everest, apart from being an icon of Nepal, is also a source of profit for the country. In 2018, Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism said that they managed to earn USD 5.2 million (Rp. 73 billion in the exchange rate at that time) from the climbing permits they issued to climbers.
Watch the video “The moment a Sherpa saved a Malaysian climber who almost died on Everest”
(wkn/wkn)
