Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. At 29,035 feet it is actually growing about 1/2 inch per year as the Earth's plates continue to push against each other. The Himalya Mountain Range is located on the border of Nepal and China.
The first people to successfully climb Mount Everest were Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay. They did it in 1953. Over 1200 other climbers have done it since then. Unfortunately, many climbers have also attempted to climb the mountain, but have died trying. The weather is very cold, with harsh winds and blizzards. Climbers also have to be careful of thick ice and avalanches. And what makes climbing 29,035 very difficult is that the atmospheric pressure is much different at that elevation. Humans only breathe in about 30% of the oxygen that they do at sea level. This makes it hard to get enough air and can make people tired and confused.
Use these links to find out more about Mount Everest:
National Geographic photo gallery
Read a story about a 13 year old who is trying to climb Mt. Everest right now!
A fact sheet about Mt. Everest
One interesting fact about Mt. Everest is that there are over 120 dead bodies still up on the mountain. It is difficult and dangerous to remove them. Check out this article about sherpas who will be removing garbage and dead bodies from Mt. Everest.
