10 Well Known Facts You Thought Were True (That Actually Aren't)

5. Mount Everest Is The Tallest Mountain In The World

Technically a question of semantics here €“ but bear with us. Mount Everest is absolutely the highest mountain in the world, but the tallest? Close, but no cigar. Height, you see, is a function of elevation €“ traditionally, as with people, buildings and giant transforming robots, measured from bottom to top. With mountains, however, one has to measure their height from sea level (presumably because, below sea level, €˜height€™ becomes €˜depth€™). When measuring how tall something is, on the other hand, such tricks of perspective become meaningless, because €˜tall€™ is purely a function of physical size. Everest, landlocked and surrounded by other lesser peaks in the Himalayas range like a gang leader representing in prison, isn€™t as tall as Mauna Kea. 20,000 feet of the Hawaiian mountain is underwater, making the height of the peak only 13,700 feet, but the actual size of the vast mountain 33,465 feet. Everest only reaches 29,029 feet. That€™s the technical aspects out of the way. For sheer impressiveness, however, you can€™t beat Mount Kilimanjaro. While Everest is always accompanied by its crew, a collection of smaller mountain peaks which are continuing to grow and therefore push the summit of the big boy in the yard ever higher, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is entirely alone €“ 10,000 feet shorter than Everest at 19,340 feet, but dramatically surrounded by nothing but plains and jungles. It€™s the highest free-standing mountain in the world.