Mount Everest Is Now Officially Nearly 30 Feet Taller
Mount Everest just got taller. Not actually taller but officially taller. New measurements put the peak at about 29,032 feet – nearly 30 feet higher than previously recorded.
China and Nepal jointly announced the new measurement after years of surveying and number crunching. The previous height had stood since the 1950s.
National Geographic explained how the new measurement was determined and why it differs from older calculations.
Modern GPS and measurement technology is more precise than the triangulation methods used decades ago. The mountain didnt grow – our ability to measure it improved.
Scientific precision matters even for things we thought we knew definitively.
Some tectonic activity does push the Himalayas upward slowly. The growth is millimeters per year though not feet. This change is mostly about better instruments.
Nepal and China agreeing on the number is notable. The two countries have disputed Everests exact height before based on whether you count the snow cap or just the rock.
For climbers the practical difference is nothing. The mountain is still deadly hard and requires the same preparation. But the record books get updated.
Announced December 2020
