K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, rising to 8,611 metres above sea level.
The mountain lies in the Karakoram range on the Pakistan–China border. Its survey designation, K2, came from the 19th-century Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, in which it was the second peak recorded in the Karakoram series. Unlike many famous mountains, it retained its survey name.
K2 is often called the Savage Mountain because of its steep terrain, severe weather and technical climbing challenges. Its first successful ascent was made in 1954 by an Italian expedition, with Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni reaching the summit on 31 July.
K2 is lower than Everest but generally considered more technically demanding. Everest rises to 8,848.86 metres and is the highest mountain above sea level. K2’s summit is not the highest point on Earth by every possible measurement, but it is the clear second-highest under the standard sea-level definition.