Fourteen mountains on Earth are officially recognized as eight-thousanders. Each rises more than 8,000 meters above sea level, and all 14 are located in the Himalaya or Karakoram ranges of Asia.
The highest is Mount Everest, at 8,848.86 meters according to the jointly announced Nepal–China elevation in 2020. K2 is the second-highest, followed by Kangchenjunga. The other eight-thousanders include Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna I, Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II, and Shishapangma.
Climbing all 14 is a major mountaineering achievement. Reinhold Messner became the first person to do so, completing the feat in 1986, and he did it without supplemental oxygen. The term “eight-thousander” refers to elevation, not prominence or climbing difficulty; some lower peaks can present greater technical challenges.