Could you say which are the biggest mountains in the world? If you thought of Mount Everest, you got it right, but know that this is not the only one. There are several other gigantic mountains around the world.
Are we going to meet them all?
World's largest mountains: definition criteria
In general, the largest mountains in the world are usually defined by their altitude in relation to sea level.
But there are other forms of measurement and, depending on the method adopted, the list changes completely.
A good example is the measurement from the top to the bottom, without considering sea level. In that case, Mount Mauna Kea in Hawaii wins the gold medal.
The Mauna Kea is a mountain formed by a volcano located within the sea. At 10,023 meters high, the Mauna Kea easily clears Mount Everest. However, much of this giant is submerged in the waters of the ocean. Only 4,205 meters are above sea level.
Another way used by scientists to measure the largest mountains in the world is by their proximity to space.
For this, the researchers take into account the distance from the top of the mountain in relation to space. Thus, the closer to the Equator, the closer the mountain is to outer space.
This is because our planet is not a perfect sphere and certain parts of the planet end up being flatter than others and consequently are located in a more “external” band.
If this question is taken into account, then the podium goes to Monte Chimborazo, located in Ecuador. The mountain is 6,268 meters high and is just 2.4 km away from space.
But for this ranking we will consider only the highest mountains in the world by altitude. Come and see:
The 10 highest mountains in the world by altitude
The ten largest mountains in the world are all located on the Asian continent.
Most of them are located in the Himalayas, a huge mountain range that stretches over 2500 kilometers spanning five countries: China, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan.
10th Annapurna – Nepal
Tenth is the mountain Annapurna, located in Nepal. With 8,091 meters of altitude, this mountain has five other secondary peaks, but all of them with more than 7 thousand meters of altitude.
This was the first mountain with more than 8 thousand meters of altitude to be climbed, in 1970. Unfortunately, one of the expedition's climbers ended up dying on the way down from the summit after an avalanche. Annapurna is among the most dangerous mountains in the world for climbers.
9th Nanga Parbat – Pakistan
The Nanga Parbat mountain is the ninth highest mountain in the world with 8125 meters of altitude. Located in the Kashmir region of Pakistan, Nanga Parbat is known as a killer mountain, because the death rate of climbers trying to climb it is high. Altogether, 68 people have already died while exploring it.
8th Manaslu – Nepal
The eighth place on the list goes to Nepal's Manaslu mountain. Manaslu, with its 8156 meters of altitude, is considered by climbers as one of the mountains above the eight thousand “easiest” to be climbed. That's because avalanches are not very frequent there.
7th Dhaulagiri – Nepal
Dhaulagiri mountain is the seventh highest in the world. With 8167 meters of altitude, Dhaulagiri was once considered the highest in the world.
6th Cho Oyo – Nepal / China
The sixth largest mountain in the world is in the Himalayas and is 8188 meters high. Located just 20 km west of Mount Everest, Mount Cho Oyo was first climbed in 1954.
5th Makalu – Nepal / China
Located in China, Makalu Mountain is the fifth largest mountain in the world, measuring no more than 8462 meters in altitude. This is one of the most difficult mountains to climb, as it has very steep peaks and sharp ridges.
4th Lhotse – Nepal / China
The fourth highest mountain in the world is Lhotse, measuring 8516 meters in altitude. Lhotse is connected to Mount Everest on the south side.
3rd Kangchenjunga – Nepal / India
Located between Nepal and India, the third highest mountain in the world is 8586 meters high, coming to be considered the highest mountain in the world until mid-1849, when the altitudes of K2 and Everest were discovered.
2nd K2 – Pakistan / China
The silver medal of the largest mountains in the world goes to the ice giant K2, located between the territories of Pakistan and China.
The mountain is 8614 meters high and is among the three most dangerous for climbers. Of every four people who try to climb it, one of them ends up dying.
1st Mount Everest – Nepal / China
And the highest mountain title in the world goes to Mount Everest, located in the Himalayas, between China and Nepal. With 8848 meters of altitude, this is considered the highest elevation point on the planet.
Countless climbers try to reach the summit of Everest every year, unfortunately not all return, since the mountain is the most difficult in the world to climb. The first successful Everest expedition took place in 1953, after several unsuccessful attempts.
“The 7 Summits”: the largest mountains in the world by continents
In 1985 the climber Richard Bass created the concept of “7 summits” to refer to the 7 highest mountains on the five continents, based on the altitude of each one.
See the list he created:
7th Carstensz Pyramid – Oceania (Nová Guiné) – 4884 meters altitude
6th Vinson – Antarctica – 4892 meters altitude
5th Elbrus – Europa (Russia) – 5642 meters altitude
4th Kilimanjaro – Africa (Tanzania) – 5895 meters altitude
3rd Denali – North America (United States, Alaska) – 6194 meters altitude
2nd Aconcagua – South America (Argentina) – 6962 meters of altitude
1st Mount Everest – Asia (Nepal) – 8848 meters altitude
And what is the biggest mountain in Brazil?
Brazil passes far from the highest peaks and hills in the world. Here, the highest mountains do not exceed 3 thousand meters in altitude, but still beautiful.
There are many discussions about the highest mountains in Brazil, because the official data are few and it was only in 2001 that IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) started to review the information and make new measurements.
For now, what we do know is that the highest mountain in Brazil is Pico da Neblina, with 2995 meters of altitude, located in Serra do Imeri (AM) in an area known as the triple border, that is, in the limits between Brazil, Venezuela and Colombia.
After Pico da Neblina, we have Pico 31 de Março, also in Amazonas, measuring 2974 meters of altitude.
In the list of the largest mountains in Brazil, Pico da Bandeira is still in 3rd place, with 2891 meters of altitude, located between the states of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo.
Pedra da Mina, with 2798 meters of altitude, is the fourth placed in the list, located between São Paulo and Minas Gerais.
Finally, the 5th place in this ranking goes to Pico das Agulhas Negras, with 2790 meters of altitude, located in Rio de Janeiro.
