History of the Origin and Naming of Mount Everest

Prior to receiving the name Everest, the mountain was known as Chomolungma in Tibet and Sagarmatha in Nepal. The British, meanwhile, referred to it as Peak XV.

L. Small
3 min readDec 16, 2022
Photo by Kalle Kortelainen on Unsplash

Simply mention Mount Everest, and most people will recognize its location. Each year, a huge number of climbers from all over the world attempt to reach the summit of this peak due to its status as the mountain with the greatest altitude.

Geographically, this mountain is situated in the Himalayas, more specifically in the border region between Nepal and Tibet. From the south-east (Nepal) and the north (Tibet/China), the two main routes to the summit are from Nepal and Tibet/China, respectively.

Some contend that the ascent from Nepal is simpler. However, each route presents a unique set of obstacles, and climbers must still contend with acute mountain sickness (AMS), frostbite, and low oxygen pressure, among others.

Prior to receiving the name Everest, the mountain was known as Chomolungma in Tibet and Sagarmatha in Nepal. The British, meanwhile, referred to it as Peak XV.

Attempts to measure Mount Everest’s height

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L. Small
L. Small

Written by L. Small

"One arrow alone can be easily broken but many arrows are indestructible" ~Genghis Khan~