What is the highest mountain on an island?

Puncak Jaya is the highest mountain on an island, rising 4,884 metres on New Guinea.

The peak is also called Carstensz Pyramid or Nemangkawi Ninggok. It stands in Indonesia’s Central Papua province, within the Sudirman Range. Because New Guinea is the world’s second-largest island, Puncak Jaya’s elevation makes it the highest island summit on Earth.

Its name means “Glorious Peak” in Indonesian, while Carstensz Pyramid commemorates Dutch explorer Jan Carstenszoon, who sighted the mountain’s glaciers in 1623. The first recorded ascent came in 1936, decades before modern climbing expeditions made the peak better known.

A common mix-up is Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest mountain, or Mauna Kea, whose underwater base makes it exceptionally tall. Neither is the highest summit located on an island; that distinction belongs to Puncak Jaya.