What is the highest mountain peak on Earth?

The highest mountain peak on Earth, measured above sea level, is Mount Everest.

Everest rises to 8,848.86 metres above sea level on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China. Nepal calls it Sagarmatha, while its Tibetan name is Chomolungma. The modern English name honours George Everest, the British Surveyor General of India, although he never visited the mountain.

The first confirmed ascent took place on 29 May 1953, when New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay reached the summit. Everest was first measured during the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, when it was known simply as Peak XV.

The answer depends on the measurement used. Mauna Kea in Hawaii is taller from its underwater base to its summit, but most geographic comparisons use elevation above sea level. K2 is the second-highest peak by that standard, at 8,611 metres, while Kangchenjunga and Lhotse are also lower than Everest.