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Everest, Mount
Mount Everest, the world\'s highest mountain, rises in the eastern
HIMALAYAS between Nepal and Tibet, about 160 km (100 mi)
northeast of Katmandu. A young, limestone mountain not yet worn
by erosion, it has two peaks, one of which reaches 8,872 m
(29,108 ft). Everest is covered with snow except for its bare,
gale-swept summits. Many glaciers, including spectacular
Rongbuk, feed rivers that rise near Everest\'s base. The mountain
supports little life, although spiders and insects have been
found as high as 6,100 m (20,000 ft). The mountain\'s name, given
in 1865, honors Sir George Everest, the British surveyor general
of India who established the location and approximate altitude of
the mountain. The Tibetan name Chomolungma means \"goddess mother
of the world.\"
Climbing attempts began in the early 1920s, and several
expeditions came within 300 m (1,000 ft) of the top. Success
came after the development of special equipment to cope with the
low oxygen supply, high winds, and extreme cold. On May 29,
1953, Edmund HILLARY of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a
Nepalese Sherpa tribesman, members of an expedition led by
British Col. John Hunt, reached the top. Since then Everest has
been conquered many times, with the first successful U.S. attempt
in 1963.
Bibliography: Ahluwalia, H. P., Faces of Everest (1978);
Hillary, Edmund, High Adventure (1955); West, J. B., Everest:
The Testing Place (1985).
Picture Caption[s]
Mount Everest, the world\'s highest mountain, rises in the eastern
Himalayas between Nepal and Tibet. It has two peaks, one of
which reaches 8,872 m (29,108 ft). (T. Spencer/Colorific)
K2 (8611 m)
K2 (Godwin Austen)
first climbed by Ardito Desio in 1954
location: Pakistan, Himalayas (west); the peak is 8611m / 28268 ft high.
Copyright - 1992 Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc.
Godwin Austen
Godwin Austen, officially named K2, is the world\'s second highest
peak and is located in northern Kashmir, Pakistan, in the
KARAKORAM RANGE of the Himalayas. It has an elevation of 8,616 m
(28,268 ft). It was the second peak to be measured in the 1856
survey of the Karakoram Range (hence, K2) and was originally
named for its first surveyor, Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen
(1834-1923). Numerous attempts to reach its snow- and
glacier-covered summit failed until an Italian team, led by the
geologist Ardito Desio, succeeded in 1954.
To the north the land rises to elevations between
300 and 600 m (1,000 and 2,000 ft) in the Himalayan foothills and
elevations of more than 6,000 m (20,000 ft) in the rugged
mountains of the HINDU KUSH and Kashmir\'s KARAKORAM RANGE, where
GODWIN AUSTEN (K2), the world\'s second highest peak, rises to
8,611 m (28,250 ft).
Mc Kinley (6195 m)
Mount McKinley (Denali): location: North America, Alaska;
two peaks: South Peak (6190 m/20320 ft) first climbed by Hudson STUCK in 1913.
North Peak (5934 m/19470 ft) first climbed by the Sourdough party in 1909.
Copyright - 1992 Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc.
McKinley, Mount
Mount McKinley (or Denali), in south central Alaska, is the
highest mountain in North America. Located in the Alaska Range
about 240 km (150 mi) south of Fairbanks, Mount McKinley is a
twin-peaked mountain; the higher South Peak (6,190 m/20,320 ft)
was first climbed by the Hudson STUCK expedition in 1913, and the
North Peak (5,934 m/19,470 ft) was first climbed by the Sourdough
party in 1909. The mountain was named for future President
William McKinley in 1896 by W. A. Dickey, a prospector; the peak
was previously called Densmore\'s Peak. The mountain has severe
weather, and the upper two-thirds is permanently snow-covered,
with winds to 160 km/h (100 mph) near the summit. Earthquakes
sheared off much of the south face in 1912. Wildlife includes
Dall sheep and caribou. The peak is included in Denali National
Park which was established in 1917 as McKinley National Park.
Picture Caption[s]
Mount McKinley (or Denali), in south central Alaska, is the
highest mountain in North America. Named for future President
William McKinley in 1896, its South Peak (6,190 m/20,320 ft) was
first climbed by the Hudson Stuck expedition in 1913. (ZEFA)
Kilimanjaro (5894 m)
Kilimanjaro location: Africa, Tanzania
first climbed by Johannes Rebmann and Ludwig Krapf in 1848.
two peaks: Kibo 5895 m / 19340 ft high
Mawenzi 5149 m / 17564 ft
Kilimanjaro
{kil-ih-muhn-jah\'-roh} Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in
Africa, is a snow-covered inactive volcano on the plains of
northeastern Tanzania close to the border with Kenya. It has two
peaks: the taller, Kibo, is 5,895 m (19,340 ft) high, and the
lower, Mawenzi, is 5,149 m (17,564 ft). Kibo and Mawenzi are
connected by a ridge. The crater of Kibo, 2 km (1.2 mi) wide and
up to 300 m (984 ft) deep, is covered by a thick, slowly
decreasing ice cap. Members of the Masai tribe inhabit the lower
parts of the mountain, where there are also coffee plantations.
The first Europeans to discover Kilimanjaro, the legendary burial
place of King Solomon, were two German missionaries, Johannes
Rebmann and Ludwig Krapf, in 1848. Their tales of a snow-covered
peak near the equator, however, were not initially believed.
Later two other Germans were the first to reach (1889) the Kibo
summit.
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