It is the question of many travelers, trekking lovers in particular. To know the exact location of Mount Everest, one needs to know its home country first. The Mount Everest is located on the Mahalangur range of the great Himalayas of Nepal. Let’s find out the answer to ‘where is Everest’ on the following map.
It stands exactly at the border of Nepal and Tibet in South Asia. As per the measurements of China’s National Surveying and mapping Administration in 2005, the exact location of Mount Everest is (27°59’ North latitude, 86°55’ East longitudes).
The Mahalangur range consists of four of the six highest peaks in the world. The topographical structure and geographical composition make Everest one of the best destination in the world for adventure sports.
People who visit Nepal first time can exact recognize which one is the mount Everest unless others explain to them.
Now you must be wondering how to get to Everest?
As Everest is on the border, it has two sides. On the Nepali side (southeast ridge), it is located in the Sagarmatha national park in Solukhumbu district.
In Nepal, There is the Everest base camp’s south side which is one of the most popular trekking routes in the Himalayas.
Trekkers usually fly from Kathmandu to Lukla as there are no roads from Kathmandu to Lukla. However, there is the alternative of trekking to Lukla.
Similarly, the other side of Everest (the north ridge) is in Tibet, in Tingri County in the Xigaze area, a place that is considered to be an autonomous region and part of the people’s republic in China.
And the base camp located on the Tibet side is known as North Base Camp which requires the permit from the Chinese government.
The other names of Mount Everest are ‘Sagarmatha’ as called by Nepalese people and ‘Chomolungma’ as called by Tibetan people.
The name Mount Everest was derived from the surveyor general of India ‘Sir George Everest’ who was the first to locate the exact location of Everest. It is also known as the third pole.
So how tall is the Mount Everest?
Although the height of Everest is said to be 8848 meters (29029 ft.) according to the measurement by Nepal, there is still debate on what is the exact height of Mount Everest.
According to the measurement of the Chinese government, the height is 8844 meters (29016 ft.).
The weather in Mount Everest
One thing the trekkers should know about the weather in Everest is that it changes fast and may be risky. The weather might change unexpectedly, although you had the fine result from the forecast.
It is very difficult to predict the weather, so you need to be prepared for any disaster.
The oxygen at the base camp is only 53% of the oxygen available at sea level.
Most of the trekkers are said to be ignoring the signs of Acute Mountain Sickness and get perished on the route. Ignoring the signs of AMS such as a headache, dizziness, disorientation is very risky. So be careful in such situations.
How some deaths occur in Everest?
Since 1969, Every year at least a person dies in the attempting to climb Everest. Those deaths are caused by several reasons such as frostbite, snow blindness, suffocation, starvation, and hypothermia.
The region above 7500 meters is called Death Zone as it is the main region where deaths occur due to snow disease. It is also dangerous because the doctors that monitor climbers are only available below 5400 meters.
Mount Everest is a mystery land, which seems to have been explored enough but it’s not. There so many facts about Everest that we don’t know about. Here we have tried to compile some of the most interesting and shocking Mount Everest facts that you don’t know about.
These Mount Everest information might shock you and keep you thinking that how less we know about the Everest.
The mystery of the first climber
Edmund Hillary and Tensing Norgay. Who haven’t heard these names? But do you know about the climber George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, who attempted to climb the Mount Everest back in 1924?
They both were attempting to climb the mountain and were last seen on July 8 steadily progressing.
However, the fact about whether they made it to the summit of Everest or disappeared on the way is still a mystery.
Most Repetitive climbers
Climbing Everet is the biggest achievement for people but for some Sherpas it has become like visiting a market for shopping.
Two men from Sherpa community Apa Sherpa and Phurba Tashi Sherpa have climbed the Everest 21 times each. They have made a record for the most successful summits of Mount Everest.
Eldest and youngest climbers
The eldest climber is Yuichiro Miura from Japan who climbed in 2013 at the age of 80.
He had two heart surgeries in 2006 and 2007 but nothing could stop him from conquering Everest once again.
Miura broke his own record which he created by climbing Mount Everest in 2003, at the age of 70.
The youngest climber is Jorden Romero from the USA who climbed Mount Everest in 2010 when he was 13.
Romero was with his father Paul Romero, his step-mother Karen Lundgren, and three Sherpas, Ang Pasang Sherpa, Lama Karma Sherpa, and Lama Dawa Sherpa.
Disabled Climbers
The first disabled climber to reach the summit of the Mount Everest is Tom Whittaker who is a mountaineer born in 1948 in York.
Whittaker right foot had to be removed in an car accident in 1979 but this young man didn’t lose hope and continued climbing and mounteering.
There are other climbers such as a blind Erik Weihenmayer from America and a double amputee Mark Inglis New Zealand to make it to the top.
4000 Total Attempts
As in April 2016, more than 4000 people have attempted to climb Mount Everest.
Annually around 800 people which include Sherpas, clients, and professional climbers try to climb Mount Everest.
The year 2017 had the second most summits at 648 after 658 in 2013. 61 percent of the climbers who climbed reached to the top of Everest. 446 of the climbers were from south side and 202 from the north side in 2017.
Mount Everest is Growing
You will be amazed to know that Mount Everest grows each year constantly.
The height of Mount Everest is found to be growing 4mm per year. This growth is due to the steady movement of rock (upon which Everest is stands) northwards.
Discoverer of Mount Everest
The Mount Everest was discovered in 1841 by George Everest who was a Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843.
Thus, it is named after him and ‘Everest’ is pronounced as ‘Eve-rest’ not ‘Ever-est.’
Maiden Year
The year 1974 is regarded as a maiden year. The reason is interesting.
It is because in this year no one attempted to climb the Mount Everest.
Sagarmatha
Nepalese call The Mount Everest as Sagarmatha which means ‘forehead in the sky’ and Tibetan call it Chomolungma which means ‘mother of the World’.
Avalanche
The main cause for the death of the climbers on the mountain is Avalanche. Avalanche is the rapid flow of snow, ice, and rocks down on the mountain.
Wedding on Summit
A Nepalese couple got wed on the summit of the Mount Everest in 2005. They were the first to wed on Everest.
The couple stayed on the peak for around 10 minute which was quite enough for basic rituals of the wedding.
They had kept this plan secret as there was no guarantee to reach the top of Everest.
Wind on Mount Everest
The speed of the wind on Mount Everest is 200 mph.
Why only one side, when you can climb from all four sides
Kushang Sherpa, an instructor at Himalayan Mountaineering, is the only individual to climb Mount Everest successfully from all the four sides.
Dispute regarding height
There isn’t still an exact height for Mount Everest. According to the measurement of the Chinese government, the height of Everest is 8844 meters (29016 ft.), and according to Nepal, the height is 8848 meters (29029 ft.).
Spiders
The mountain spiders which are known as Himalayan jumping spiders are the highest permanent residents of the earth, aside from few species of bird.
Euophrys omnisuperstes, the scientific name which means standing above everything, is the spider living at the elevation of up to 6700m (22000 ft) in the Himalayas.
It preys on insects such as springtails and other small invertebrates that the severe wind blow up the mountains.
Moreover, different unnamed grasshopper species were also collected during the British Everest expedition in 1924, and they are now displayed on British Natural History Museum.
Human traffic jam at Mt. Everest
Although it costs thousands of dollars to climb Mount Everest, a growing number of people are into reaching its summit.
A German mountaineer named Ralf Dujmovits got a chance to capture a surprising image of a long queue of hundreds of climbers ascending towards the summit in 2012.
Similarly, the number of permits to foreigners climbers issued by the government was 372 as of may 3, 2017, the most since 1953. Also, the total number rose to 800 after including the Nepali Sherpa mountain guides.
Cause of deaths
Among those who attempt to climb Everest, since 1969 at least one person has died every year.
The main causes of the deaths are found to be frostbite, snow blindness, suffocation, starvation, and hypothermia.
Most of the people died due to snow diseases in the region above 7500 meters thus it is called a Death Zone. And doctors are available only below 5400 meters to monitor climbers.
Dead bodies
There are about 200 dead bodies in the mountain, and the bodies now help other climbers to know they are on the right path or not. Those bodies are left there due to the poor weather and bringing them down is very dangerous. Looking back to the history, 4 percent of the climbers those who have made it to the summit have died.
Internet on the Everest
A hiker, Kenton Cool made the first tweet from the summit of the Mount Everest via The Weak signal. The tweet was “Everest summit no 9! 1st tweet from the top of the world thanks to a weak 3G signal & the awesome Samsung Galaxy S2 handset! @samsunguk”. Two years later the first call was placed from the peak. However, there is high-speed internet on the way to Mount Everest.
Maximum temperature
It is surprising to know that the warmest temperature of Mount Everest is 20 degree so far. Such a temperature makes it hard to stay more than 24 hours on the mountain. Babu Sherpa is the only one to make a record by staying at mount Everest summit for 16 hours.
No Oxygen
The amount of oxygen present near the Mount Everest is one-third of the amount of oxygen present at the sea level. The lesser oxygen is because of, the less air pressure (i.e., 4.89 psi) while the air pressure at sea level is 14.69 psi.
Interesting Records
First twins to reach Mount Everest: Tashi and Nungshi Malik.
First woman to climb Mount Everest: Junko Tabei.
The first ascent to reach Everest without oxygen: Reinhold Messner.
First female amputee to climb Mount Everest: Arumina Sinha.
The Everest base camp is the most prioritized trekking route and has become a practicable goal for the trekkers who want to have a glimpse of Mount Everest (known as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Chomolungma in Tibet), the highest mountain in the world.
The most breathtaking sceneries with natural beauty make EBC one of the most visited regions in the Himalaya.
Similarly, the local culture of Sherpa community, the welcoming hospitality of Nepalese in Solukhumbu add value to the trip of the trekkers.
Here are the 12 Attractions of Everest Base Camp which will create a great urge for you to trek in Everest Base Camp as soon as possible.
Sherpa Culture Museum
Sherpa culture museum which is built which traditional Sherpa design and architecture is situated in Chhorkung in well recognized Namche Bazar.
The museum is open to all the travelers to the Everest region for trekking or any other purpose with a reasonable fee.
This museum is run by a photographer Lhakpa Sonam and contains various cultural objects of Sherpa including photos of all the Sherpa Everest Summiteers.
Mesmerizing views of mountains
Trekkers can view the various Himalayan giants such as Cho Oyu, Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam and pass through beautiful sceneries including fast flowing rivers, green farmland, Buddhist monasteries, rocky mountains.
The trek starts from Lukla, followed by Dudh Koshi to Namche Bazar and finally to the base of the Mount Everest.
Tenzing Hillary Airport
You will be amazed by the beauty of Tensing Hillary airport (which was named after Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary, the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest) and its operation at such a height and landscape.
It makes the first step of the trip (i.e. flight from Kathmandu to Lukla) a memorable one with the marvelous views of Eastern Himalayan Range, although it is not the core part of the trek.
Namche Bazar, the Gateway to Mount Everest has another attraction for the trekkers that is Khumbu International Library which is the part of Sherwi Khangba Centre.
You can find huge the collection of books, magazines relating different aspects of mountains from Nepal as well as other countries.
The available books also include travel guide, biographies historical accounts, expeditions, flora and fauna and other features of the world.
All local people, national as well as international visitors are welcomed by the library.
Teahouses
Out of many Attractions of Everest Base Camp, you can not miss small teahouses located in a different location with the variety of facilities.
Some small villages can be found in the mountains that offer tea houses, a popular form of accommodation for trekkers in the region.
The term teahouses have become complementary with Everest Base Camp. They provide all the basic services to the trekkers for the comfortable stay.
It is the great opportunity to socialize with the local people and meet other trekkers from around the world.
Experiencing Sherpa Culture
The trek to Everest Base Camp provides trekkers with the opportunity to observe, participate and experience the culture of Sherpa who are the tribe of Tibetan origin living in the lap of Himalaya.
They are well known for their skills in mountaineering and thus regarded as expert mountaineers in their local terrain.
You can go to different places such as Dudh Koshi, Lukla, and Namche Bazar during the trek. These places depict the lifestyle of Sherpas and help to make ones trip a memorable one.
Documentation Center
The history of the events and people relating to all the aspects of Khumbu region can be found in the Mt. Everest Documentation center.
It includes the photos of all the climbers of Mount Everest including Sherpas and international climbers.
Namche Bazar
Namche bazaar is popular amongst the trekkers in the Khumbu region, which is gateway to the Everest. Most of the Sherpas who are in tourism business belong to the Namche.
It is also a thriving market that sells different stuffs ranging from trekking and climbing materials to the artefacts from Tibet.
The slope of Namche Bazar enables trekkers to oversee the picture of huge mountains through the valley.
View from Kala Pathhar
Kala patthar, which means ‘black rock’ in English, is the famous viewpoint of Everest Base Camp since it provides a very close up view of Mount Everest.
It also offers a freezing walk to the Everest Base Camp and lies at the base of Khumbu Icefall.
Your visit to the kala Patthar makes the trek fruitful and worthwhile.
Sagarmatha National Park
It is an exceptional area covering 443 square miles (1148 sq. km.) consisting of mountains, glaciers, peaks, valleys and also includes several species such as snow leopard and red panda.
It is the highest National Park in the World consisting approximately 3000 sherpa within the park.
Encountering Monasteries
During the trek, Trekkers will find various monasteries among which Rongbuk monastery is the famous and highest monastery in the world.
The major attraction of this monastery is the scenery all around and the view of Everest’s north face. It is the sacred place for a lot of pilgrims.
There are other monasteries such as the one at Thame, Khumjung, pangboche and Tengboche where trekkesr can oversee the culture of native Sherpa people.
