Mount Everest is the highest in the world, true or false?

Mount Everest is known as the highest place in the world (Image: AP).

In the treasure of human knowledge, no one is unaware that Mount Everest - the jewel in the Himalayas of Nepal, is the highest mountain in the world. The truth about this mountain peak is that Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the Moon, or the blue whale is the largest animal on Earth.

However, from another perspective, the peaks outside of Everest can also be considered the highest on Earth. Why is that?

Sea level is just a measure that is not fixed

Researchers have measured the height of Mount Everest several times over the past few decades. But according to the latest assessment published in November 2021, Mount Everest is located at an altitude of 8.85 km above sea level.

That's quite an impressive height, but it begs the question: Why do we use "above sea level" when defining the world's tallest mountain peak?

"To be comparable in measurements, a consistent baseline is required," says Martin Price, professor and founding director of the Center for Mountain Research at the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland. know.

Much of Mauna Kea is hidden below sea level

According to the professor's explanation, historically and even now, altitude is often defined as the distance above sea level. However, this relates to the standard mean sea level, which must be clearly defined.

Meanwhile, sea levels are quite different in different regions and they are changing due to climate change.

As a result, we may have to change the standard metric. For example, what if measurements were simply taken from the base of the mountain to the top of the mountain? Will Everest remain at the top of the charts?

The answer is "No". That honor would go to Mauna Kea, a defunct volcano in Hawaii.

Although its summit is only 4.2 km above sea level - less than half the height of Everest, according to National Geographic. However, much of Mauna Kea is hidden below sea level. If measured from foot to top, Mauna Kea is as high as 10.2 kilometers, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Earth is not round

Will the location of the mountains also affect their height?

Another candidate, Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador, boasts the furthest point from the center of the Earth. In fact, Chimborazo isn't the tallest mountain in the Andes - it's not even in the top 30, but its proximity to the equator is what sets it apart.

As we all know, the Earth is not a perfect sphere, but bulges along the equator. This is a consequence of the force created by the rotation of the Earth. That means there exists a difference from one location on the surface to the center of the Earth in different locations. The biggest difference is at the two poles, compared with the equator.

In this way of comparison, it is not Everest, but Chimborazo that is the highest mountain in the world, when it is located at a distance of approximately 6384 km from the center of the Earth, up to 3 times that of Everest (2072 km).

So, which mountain out of the three candidates will win First Prize? According to Professor Price, "it's all a matter of opinion based on assessment".