Mountains of the Earth

The Highest, Tallest, and Largest Mountains on Earth

mountain range country elevation distinction
Mount Everest Himalaya Nepal
  China 1
8,850 m The summit of Mount Everest is the highest point on the Earth's surface as measured from sea level at 8,850 meters above the Geoid.2 Mount Everest continues to rise at an average rate of about 40 millimeters per year as the Indian Tectonic Plate slides north under the Eurasian Plate.
Chimborazo Andes Ecuador 6,310 m The summit of Volcán Chimborazo is the farthest point on the Earth's surface from the Earth's center of mass at 6,384,404 meters.3
Mauna Kea Hawaiian Volcanos United States 4,205 m Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain on Earth as measured from base to summit, with a total height of 10,203 meters. The base of Mauna Kea on the floor of the Pacific Ocean is 5,998 meters below mean sea level and its summit is 4,205 meters above mean sea level.
Mauna Loa Hawaiian Volcanos United States 4,169 m Mauna Loa is the most voluminous mountain on Earth with a volume of 74,000,000,000,000 cubic meters (74 Tm3), enoungh material to fill the Grand Canyon more than 18 times. Though 36 meters lower than neighboring Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa is the most massive mountain on Earth.
Note 1: The People's Republic of China has absorbed the nation of Tibet.
Note 2: A geoid is a mathematical model of the Earth used to define global mean sea level.
Note 3: The Earth is oblate, i.e., fatter around the equator than at the poles.

The 15 Highest Mountain Peaks

rank peak range region elevation
1 Mount Everest Himalaya Nepal & Tibet 1 8,850 m
2 K2 Karakoram Kashmir 2 8,611 m
3 Kanchenjunga Himalaya India & Nepal 8,586 m
4 Lhotse I Himalaya Nepal & Tibet 1 8,516 m
5 Makalu I Himalaya Nepal & Tibet 1 8,463 m
6 Cho Oyu Himalaya Nepal & Tibet 1 8,201 m
7 Dhaulagiri Himalaya Nepal 8,167 m
8 Manaslu I Himalaya Nepal 8,163 m
9 Nanga Parbat Himalaya Kashmir 3 8,125 m
10 Annapurna I Himalaya Nepal 8,091 m
11 Gasherbrum I Karakoram Kashmir 2 8,068 m
12 Broad Peak Karakoram Kashmir 2 8,047 m
13 Gasherbrum II Karakoram Kashmir 2 8,035 m
14 Shisha Pangma Himalaya Tibet 1 8,013 m
15 Gasherbrum III Karakoram Kashmir 2 7,952 m
Note 1: The People's Republic of China has absorbed the nation of Tibet.
Note 2: Pakistan and China occupy this disputed region of Kashmir.
Note 3: Pakistan occupies this disputed region of Kashmir.

The 7 Highest Mountain Ranges

rank range countries highest peak elevation
1 Himalaya Nepal
China1
India
Bhutan
Pakistan
Mount Everest 8,850 m
2 Karakoram Pakistan
India
China1
K2 8,611 m
3 Kunlun Shan China1 Kongkoerh 7,719 m
4 Hindu Kush Pakistan
Afghanistan
Tirich Mir 7,690 m
5 Hengduan Shan China1 Gongga Shan 7,556 m
6 Pamirs Tajikistan
Afghanistan
China1
Pik Ismail Samani 7,495 m
7 Tian Shan Kyrgyzstan
China1
Kazakhstan
Pik Pobedy 7,439 m
Note 1: The People's Republic of China has absorbed the nations of Tibet and East Turkistan.

The Highest Mountain Peak on Each Continent

rank continent highest peak country elevation
1 Asia Mount Everest Nepal
China 1
8,850 m
2 South America Aconcagua Argentina 6,962 m
3 North America Mount McKinley (Denali) United States 6,194 m
4 Africa Kilimanjaro Tanzania 5,895 m
5 Europe Gora El'brus Russia 5,642 m
6 Ocean Islands Puncak Jaya Indonesia 5,030 m
7 Antarctica Vinson Massif Antarctica 2 4,900 m
8 Australia Mount Kosciusko Australia 2,228 m
Note 1: The People's Republic of China has absorbed the nation of Tibet.
Note 2: Antarctica is governed by the Antarctic Treaty of 1959.

The Highest Mountain Peak in Each Latitude Zone

rank latitude zone highest peak country elevation
6 Arctic Zone Gunnbjornsfjeld Greenland 1 3,708 m
1 North Temperate Zone Mount Everest Nepal
China 2
8,850 m
4 North Tropical Zone Chimborazo Ecuador 6,310 m
3 South Tropical Zone Huascarán Perú 6,768 m
2 South Temperate Zone Aconcagua Argentina 6,962 m
5 Antarctic Zone Vinson Massif Antarctica 3 4,900 m
Note 1: Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) is a self-governing administrative division of the
Kingdom of Denmark.
Note 2: The People's Republic of China has absorbed the nation of Tibet.
Note 3: Antarctica is governed by the Antarctic Treaty of 1959.

The Highest Mountain Peak in Each Hemisphere

hemisphere highest peak country elevation
Northern Hemisphere Mount Everest Nepal
China 1
8,850 m
Southern Hemisphere Aconcagua Argentina 6,962 m
Eastern Hemisphere Mount Everest Nepal
China 1
8,850 m
Western Hemisphere Aconcagua Argentina 6,962 m
Note 1: The People's Republic of China has absorbed the nation of Tibet.