12 Highest Mountains of the World

The List Of Highest Mountains

The sport of climbing was born in 1760, when a young Geneva scientist, Horace-Benedict de Saussure, offered a prize in first person reward to reach the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe. But long before humans were climbing mountains to meet the challenge. Or "because it's there" as well-known English mountaineer George Mallory who asked him why he wanted to climb Mount Everest. A few months later, he disappeared on the way to the summit.

Some of the mountains on this list are still a daunting challenge for professional mountaineer. Others can be visited more easily on foot or by cable car. But each of them can be enjoyed from a safe distance with magnificent views and spectacular scenery.

1: Mount Everest

At 8,848 meters above sea level, Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. It is located on the border between Nepal and Tibet. The highest mountain in the world attracts mountaineers of all levels, from experienced mountain climbers to beginner mountaineers who are willing to spend a great deal of money on professional mountain guides to successfully complete the climb. Although it is much more difficult to climb other aircraft at 8,000 kilometers, such as K2, Mount Everest still has many inherent dangers, such as altitude sickness, climate, and wind. People who die during the ascent are usually left behind and it is not uncommon to find corpses near the classic climbing routes. On May 29, 1953, the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and New Zealander Edmund Percival Hillary were the first to climb the summit of Everest.

2. Matterhorn

The Matterhorn is a famous mountain and an iconic emblem of the Swiss Alps. The mountain derives its name from the German words Matte, meaning meadow, and Horn, which means peak. With its 4,478 meters (14,692 ft) high summit, lying on the border between Switzerland and Italy, it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps. It is also one of the deadliest peaks in the Alps. From the first time, it was climbed in 1865 to 1995, 500 alpinists have died on it. The Matterhorn's faces are steep, and only small patches of snow are expected to accumulate on the glaciers at the base of each face.

3: Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa. Its main feature is a flat plateau of about 3 km from one side to the other, surrounded by steep cliffs. The highest point of Table Mountain is 1,086 meters above sea level. A cable car leads passengers to the top of the mountain and offers views of Cape Town, Table Bay and Robben Island to the north, as well as the Atlantic coast to the west and south. António de Saldanha was the first European to land at Table Bay. He climbed the mighty mountain in 1503 and named it "Mountain Table".

4: K2

With a maximum altitude of 8,611 meters, K2 is the second-highest mountain in the world after Mount Everest. The mountain is part of the Karakoram Range, located on the border between China and Pakistan. K2 is also known as the Wild Mountain because of the difficulty of climbing and one of the highest mortality rates for those who climb it. K2 is notable for its local relief as well as for its total height. It is located at more than 3,000 meters above a large part of the bottom of the glacial valley at its base. What is more extraordinary is the fact that the pyramid is always steep and it falls quickly in almost all directions. An Italian expedition reached the summit of K2 on July 31, 1954.

5: Mountains of Banff

Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park. It was created in 1885 in the Rockies and is one of the most visited parks in North America. The Banff Mountains have different shapes that have been influenced by the composition of the rock deposits, layers and their structure. Mount Assiniboine, 3618 meters high, was shaped by glacial erosion, which left an important peak. It has been unofficially named the "Matterhorn" of North America. The mountains of the Valley of the Ten Peaks, located near the crystal clear waters of the Moraine, are also renowned for their picturesque vistas.

6. Mount Kailash

Situé au Tibet, le mont Kailash est considéré comme un lieu sacré dans cinq religions: l'hindouisme, le bouddhisme, le jaïnisme, l'Ayyavazhi et la religion Bön. Dans l'hindouisme, il est considéré comme la demeure du Seigneur Shiva. Chaque année, des milliers de personnes se rendent en pèlerinage à Kailash, dans le respect d'une tradition millénaire. On croit que le fait de se déplacer à pied autour du mont Kailash sera une chance. En raison de ces croyances, la montagne est considérée comme interdite aux grimpeurs et aucune tentative d'escalade du mont Kailash, d'une hauteur de 6 638 mètres (21 778 pieds), n'a été enregistrée. C'est le sommet le plus important au monde qui n'a connu aucune tentative d'escalade connue.

7: Monte Fitz Roy

Monte Fitz Roy is a mountain of 3375 meters located on the border between Argentina and Chile. Despite its average height, the mountain has the reputation of being extremely difficult to climb because the steep granite walls have long periods of difficult technical progress. In addition, the climate in the region is exceptionally harsh and treacherous. The mountain also attracts many tourists and photographers thanks to its supernatural form. It was climbed for the first time in 1952 by French mountaineers Lionel Terray and Guido Magnone.

8: Aoraki Mount Cook

Aoraki Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand and culminates at 3 754 meters (12 316 feet). Aoraki means "Cloud Piercer" in the Ngai Tahu dialect of the Maori language. The mountain lies in a national park of the same name which contains 27 other mountains that rise to more than 3000 meters. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favorite destination for mountaineers. It is a difficult climb, with frequent storms and a very strong rise of snow and ice to reach the summit. The mountain was climbed for the first time successfully in 1894 by three New Zealanders who reached the summit via the northern ridge.

9: Mount Huang

Mount Huang is a mountain range in eastern China, also called Huangshan ("Yellow Mountain"). The area is well known for its landscapes, sunsets, granite peaks of particular shape and its view of the clouds from above. Mount Huang is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese painting and literature, as well as modern photography. The highest peak in the Huangshan Mountain Range is the Lotus Peak at 1,864 meters (6,115 feet). In ancient times, nearly 60,000 stone steps were dug into the side of the mountain. Today, there are also cable cars that tourists can use to get directly from the base to one of the peaks.

10: Amphitheater, Drakensberg

The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, culminating at 3,482 meters (11,420 feet) in height. The name is derived from Dutch and means "dragon mountain". The amphitheater is one of the geographical features of Northern Drakensberg and is widely regarded as one of the most impressive cliffs in the world. The amphitheater has a length of more than 5 kilometers and steep cliffs rising to about 1,200 meters along its length.

11: Mount Kabul

With a maximum height of 4,095 meters, Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Borneo. The mountain is known around the world for its tremendous biodiversity of botanical and biological species. More than 600 species of ferns, 326 bird species, and 100 mammal species have been identified on Mount Kinabalu and surrounding areas. The main summit of the mountain can be easily climbed by a person in the good physical condition and does not require any mountaineering equipment, even if mountaineers must always be accompanied by guides.