What is Mount Everest's official surveyed elevation above sea level?
Answer
8,848.86 metres
Mount Everest's official surveyed elevation is 8,848.86 metres above sea level.
Nepal and China announced this jointly agreed height in December 2020. The measurement includes the mountain's snow and ice cap, which is why it is often described as the mountain's elevation rather than simply the height of its exposed rock. Everest stands in the Himalayas on the border between Nepal and Tibet, an autonomous region of China.
Earlier widely cited figures included 8,848 metres, based on a 1954 Indian survey, and 8,850 metres from later estimates. New surveying used modern satellite positioning, gravity observations, and other techniques. Earthquakes and natural changes can also affect measurements over time.
The mountain is called Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibetan. Its summit is the highest point on Earth's surface above mean sea level, but Mauna Kea is taller when measured from its underwater base, and Chimborazo's summit is farthest from Earth's centre because of the planet's equatorial bulge.