Ararat is the highest mountain in the world in terms of relative height. The highest mountain peaks in the world (12 peaks of the planet)

Better than mountains can only be mountains. And the higher they are, the better. But is there a limit? Of course, yes - this is the most high mountain in the world.

Everest

We are sure that most of you will absolutely correctly answer the question, what is the highest mountain on Earth. Everest is known throughout the world as the dream of all climbers, the cherished goal.

This is the view from the top of Everest

That's just Everest it was called relatively recently and the British. Indigenous peoples call it more romantically: Chomolungma (from Tibet), Sagarmatha (from Nepal). True, the essence and height of this does not change - 8848 meters to the tip of the peak.

It seems that this mountain has always been a Mecca for climbers, but the first successful ascent was made only in 1953. At that time, the risk was enormous, and many attempts before and after ended extremely unsuccessfully.

Every year about 500 people try their hand. Some give up and go down without seeing the top, others still climb maximum height. But some never come down. Even today, with all possible precautions, an attempt to conquer this mountain peak can end fatally. But it is this risk that attracts extreme lovers.

Chogori

Severe, impregnable peak Chogori

Of course, Everest is the highest mountain in the world, which attracts tourists from all over the world to it. Not surprisingly, enterprising locals turned it into a highly profitable business. Sale of licenses, assistance in lifting, bases, hotels, services - all this costs money. On average, each climber leaves about 10 thousand dollars at the foot of the mountain. But it makes life much easier.

Climbing Chogori is another matter. Despite the fact that it is slightly lower than Everest (8611 meters), climbing it is much more difficult and dangerous. It is only worth noting that the mortality rate is about 25%, and no one has yet succeeded in winter ascent. Yes, and there are an order of magnitude fewer people who want it, compared to the conquest of Everest: more than 4,000 people visited it, while Chogori conquered less than 300 people. More than 60 died without reaching it.

It just so happened geographically that the highest mountains in the world are located in Tibet. These are young, sharp peaks that have not yet been erased from time to time. So out of 14 eight-thousanders, 10 fall just on this mountain system. The remaining four, including the already mentioned Chogori, are located in the Karakoram. This is a kind of "brother" of the Himalayas, because it is located in a similar geographical area- upland (central) Asia.

To avoid confusion: Kanchenjunga is both an array that includes five peaks, and the highest of them. For accuracy, it should be called Kanchenjunga Main, with a height of 8586 meters. Interestingly, four of the five peaks are included in the elite group of eight-thousanders.

Climbing this mountain is a risky business. Mortality is a terrifying 22% and is not going to decline. The danger is especially high for women. The Nepalese have a legend that the spirit of a woman lives in this mountain, who does not tolerate rivals and kills everyone who tries to conquer her. She is more forgiving towards men.

Do not look for this name in the list of eight-thousanders. And in the list of seven-thousanders - too. And even six thousandths. However, she has full right get on our list.

Like a good iceberg, this mountain reveals only the top of its head.

Mauna Kea is an underwater mountain that rises above the surface by only 4200 meters. But its foot is located much lower - at a depth of almost 6000 meters. Thus, its total length from the base to the peak is more than 10,000 meters. Therefore, unofficially, it is Mauna Kea that is considered the highest mountain on Earth.

This miracle of nature is located near Hawaii, where the locals treat it with respect and caution. They are considered sacred place, which can only be climbed by leaders and especially respected people. True, today this is not observed as strictly as before, which made it possible to install as many as 13 observatories on it - the conditions for observing stars are so good on it.

High mountains are not only on Earth. The Moon, Venus, Mercury and other planets can also boast of their peaks. But Mars is ahead of everyone. Its highest peak is Mount Olympus. Its height from the foot to the top is 21.2 kilometers. It's like two and a half Everests stacked on top of each other.

Unusual view, but it's a mountain

But this mountain is famous not only for its height, but also for its size. It is so huge that if you walk from the foot to the top, you will not need any equipment: the ascent will seem easy to you. long walk along a slightly uphill road.

Mount Olympus is also a volcano, like Mauna Kea, but it died out a long time ago. Perhaps, once it really erupted with lava flows, but now all its activity has ceased, and it has remained a monument to itself.

Mountains have always fascinated people and made them want to climb to the very top. Perhaps they want to argue with the mountain: who wins? Maybe test your strength. Perhaps just admire the view that opens from such a height. It doesn't matter what drives a person up, the main thing is whether he reaches the top.

The volcano is unofficially the highest mountain on the planet, if we take the distance from the foot of the mountain to the top as the height. The peak is located in the Hawaiian Islands.

Mauna Kea volcano in Hawaii

Despite the fact that the volcano rises “only” 4,205 meters above sea level, this mountain is the highest on our planet. Most of it is hidden under water, and its foot begins at a depth of about 6 kilometers. General Mauna Kea height- 10210 m. Thus, it is she who holds the record for the highest mountain on Earth.

It is located in the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean and is the highest point in that region. The inhabitants of the islands treat the mountain with great respect, considering its peak a sacred place. Even today, not all Hawaiians can climb the summit, and only high-ranking chiefs are allowed to visit the peak.

The age of the mountain is about 1 million years, but it "lived" its most active period of life about 500 thousand years ago, and at present the volcano is extinct, and scientists believe that the nearest eruption is not expected in the foreseeable future. Although its activity cannot be completely ruled out, most residents of the region feel quite calm. The fact is that there are 13 observatories on the top of the mountain - the mountain is just perfect for astronomical observations. Scientists who are constantly above the very mouth of the volcano, as well as scientific geological equipment located there, minimize the suddenness of the beginning eruption. Therefore, the US Geological Survey assigned the lowest possible rating to the volcano.

Although Mauna Kea is located in tropical latitudes, snow lies on its top all year round, having formed large ice caps. The slopes of the volcano are completely overgrown with dense forest, in some places almost impassable. The ancient Hawaiians revered the thicket of Mauna Kea, which gave them food. Before the arrival of Europeans on the island, indigenous people existed thanks to the fruits of the forest. However, the appearance of pets with " mainland"only shook the ecological balance of nature, and some representatives unique fauna have disappeared, and those who remain are under pressure from introduced animals and plants. It got to the point that the Hawaiian authorities took an unprecedented step, announcing the start of the eradication of imported species of flora and fauna.

Mauna Kea: flora and fauna

At the top is the so-called alpine belt. This place is characterized by high illumination (respectively, high solar radiation). average temperature air below zero degrees. Characteristic strong winds. Neither trees nor shrubs grow in such alpine meadows. Most of flora in this zone it is represented by low herbaceous perennials, among which there are also evergreens.

At the top of Mauna Kea is the Alpine Belt Conservation Area. Under its protection are all representatives of the animal and plant world that live on such high altitude. A wolf spider lives here, which can live at an altitude of 4,200 m. The total number of spiders on the summit is not known, since the study of the endemic began only in the 80s of the XX century. A local attraction is the "Forest Shawl" butterfly, which hides in crevices of stones that are heated and retain the heat received during the day.

Beneath the alpine meadows lies a forest of Sophora aureus, a leguminous tree found only in Hawaii. The forest area is constantly shrinking, under the yoke of imported species. It is estimated that the current forest area of ​​Sophora is only 10% of the former, so they are declared on the verge of extinction. Now the entire forest area (212 sq. km) is a reserve.

Below 2 km. is the lower zone which is also a nature reserve. There are 8 species of birds that are on the verge of extinction, and 12 species of plants, the number of which is also inexorably falling. Great damage to the ecosystem was caused by Europeans who arrived in Hawaii and cut down a significant part of the trees for their settlements, as well as cleared places for future sugar plantations.

Mountains have always struck the imagination of man and attracted to them with their proud grandeur and bewitching beauty. No one can remain indifferent at the sight mountain peaks covered with snow caps and wrapped in blankets of clouds. Anyone who has seen mountains, even if not very high, will remember them for a lifetime. Can anything compare to this magnificence? Probably, only even more with even steeper slopes and snow-white glaciers sliding down them, with sharp peaks of peaks that stretch upwards towards the bright sun and hide in the blue abyss of the sky.

The greatness of nature and its creations makes a person think about many things. And not only about our being and life problems, but also about what surrounds us. After all, we know so little about the world around us! And even what seems to us a long time ago is not so unambiguous. For example, when asked what is the most on Earth, many, without hesitation, will answer that this is Everest. From the school bench, we even know its height - 8848 meters. We also know its location - the Himalayas.

And is it really so?

The thing is that the values ​​​​of the height of the mountain depend on the way it is measured. If we consider the height above the level of the World Ocean, then, of course, the highest mountain on Earth is Chomolungma, which is also called Everest. Many argue that this peak continues to grow and its height has already reached 8852 meters. There is another opinion: Chomolungma is decreasing in size, it seems to sink into the bowels of the earth, so it has become lower - 8841 meters. But be that as it may, Everest is considered the highest above-ground peak of our planet.

But not everything is so simple. After all, there are mountains not only on land, but also under water. And if you measure the height from the foot to the top, it turns out that the highest mountain on Earth has a "growth" of about 10,000 meters. This giant is the symbol Hawaiian Islands- Mauna Kea volcano.

With the first method of counting, this mountain could not even get into the top ten most significant peaks in the world. And with the second method, hidden in the waters is added to 4205 meters above sea level Pacific Ocean to a depth of almost 6000 meters the lower part of the mountain, resulting in a total height, which, according to various sources, ranges from 9750 to 10205 meters. But still it is much more than Everest. After all these calculations honorary title"The highest mountain on Earth" should be given to Mauna Kea.

famous stranger

It translates as "White Mountain". Its peak is hidden under an ice cap that formed a very long time ago. The snow cover of the mountain is constantly replenished with newly fallen snow, sometimes many meters thick. Mauna Kea belongs to the centers of modern glaciation, as well as Elbrus - the highest mountain in the Caucasus.

Mauna Kea originated on the ocean floor at that distant time, when, as a result of numerous volcanic eruptions, the entire Hawaiian archipelago was formed. Today, the volcano is considered extinct, but its awakening is only a matter of time, since the process of mountain building in this section of the bottom continues to the present, and the highest mountain on Earth can still grow.

At first glance, it does not seem difficult to answer the question: which mountain is the highest? The vast majority of people will say it is. The height of this giant, located in the Himalayas, is 8848 meters above sea level, and no other mountain peak can reach such an impressive figure. That is why Everest is the highest point in the world.

Everest is considered the highest mountain on Earth from sea level.

The highest mountain giant got its name in honor of George Everest, the head of the geodetic service of British India. But there is more ancient name, which the inhabitants of Tibet gave to grief - Chomolungma (mother of the winds). Indeed, the wind speed in the upper part of the mountain reaches 60 m/s. Somewhere in the valley with such a wind it is generally impossible to go, and 6-meter waves rise to the sea.

In addition, nighttime temperatures can drop to minus 60 degrees Celsius, which, combined with the wind, makes climbing Everest extremely dangerous for climbers. Up to 11% of people die before reaching the summit. Therefore, Everest has long been called a cemetery, as hundreds of frozen human bodies lie on its slopes.

most high mountain on Earth from the foot to the top is the volcano Mauna Kea

But let's get back to the height of the mountain peaks and try to more objectively answer the question: which mountain is the highest. It should be noted here that the height of any mountain can be measured not only from sea level, but also from the foot to the top. In this case, Everest loses to such a giant as an extinct volcano in Hawaii. Above sea level, it rises to 4205 meters, but most of it is under water. The total height of this mountain from the foot to ocean floor to the top point is 10203 meters. And this is almost one and a half kilometers higher than Everest.

Mauna Kea, translated from the local dialect, means " white mountain". The summit of this mountain majesty is considered the most sacred place on Hawaiian archipelago. And any person who has climbed to the top of an extinct volcano can safely say that he has conquered the highest mountain on the planet.

Sizes of Everest and Mauna Kea in relation to Olympus

However, let's expand the question a little, because our solar system can not boast of a single Earth. There is a much higher mountain on the planet Mars, compared to which both Chomolungma and Mauna Kea look like relatively modest hills. It's about grief. Olympus, towering majestically on the red planet. Its height from the foot to the top is 21.2 km. The diameter of this mountain giant is also striking, it is 500 km.

It is noteworthy that Olympus has very steep slopes. Their height reaches 7 km. Experts cannot give an exact explanation of how they formed. But there is an opinion that they were washed away ocean waters that once splashed on Mars. This mountain is also considered extinct volcano, and the force of its eruption many times exceeded the force of the eruption of any volcano located on Earth.

Asteroid Vesta

Until 2011, when answering the question of which mountain is the highest in the solar system, everyone called Olympus. But in the summer of that year, priorities changed. On the largest asteroid Vesta, which is located in the main asteroid belt, the largest impact Rheasilvia crater with a diameter of 500 km. In the center of the crater, a mountain about 22 km high and 180 km in diameter was found. It was named after the crater and was considered the highest mountain formation in the solar system, since it is slightly higher than the Martian Mount Olympus.

Ararat is considered perhaps the most famous symbol of Armenia and is depicted on its coat of arms, although today the mountain is located in Turkey. Yerevan residents say that it is not possible to see Masis and Sis (both peaks of Mount Ararat) so often - they are usually covered by clouds. Ararat (tour. Agri dagi - "Mountain of pain") - the highest mountain in the world according to relative altitude(distance greater mountain from the foot to the top is 4365 m), highest point Armenian highlands and Turkey. Ararat is active volcano, its last eruption was recorded in 1840. The mountain consists of two mountains that have merged with their bases: Masis and Sis, which are also called Big and Small Ararat.