Mount Everest is situated at 27° 59' 16" N, 86° 56' 40" E on the border between Tibet and Nepal in the East end of the Himalayas. This spectacular mountain range runs from the Indus River in Pakistan to the Brahmaputra River in southeast Tibet.

Its immediate neighbours include Lhotse (8,501m), and Nuptse (7,861m) as well as other 8,000m peaks: Makalu (8,463m) to the East and Cho Oyu (8,201m) to the West. On the trek over to Everest, one mountain beautifully dominates the view in the East for days, Ama Dablam (6,856m).

Mount Everest is now part of a large national park called the Sagarmatha National Park. It covers approximately 1,150 square kilometers of the eastern region of the Himalayas, and has been listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO since 1979.

From a geological point of view, the region is still growing. It is being pushed upward by tectonic movement of the Indian sub-continent grinding its way underneath the Asian continent (Read more). However, since this growth is counteracted by erosion. Therefore, the height increase only has real significance on a geological time scale.

The height of Mount Everest was re-measured on May 5th, 1999 using GPS instruments and satellite technology. The revised elevation of 8,850m (29,035 feet) was announced on November 11th, 1999, and has been accepted by the National Geographic Society.

Is Mount Everest really the highest mountain in the world and the highest point on earth?
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