There are at least 108 mountains on Earth with elevations of or greater above sea level. Of these, 14 are more than . The vast majority of these mountains are part of either the Himalayas or the Karakoram mountain ranges located on the edge of the Indian plate and Eurasian plate in China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Discussion
The dividing line between a mountain with multiple peaks and separate mountains is not always clear (see also Highest unclimbed mountain). A popular and intuitive way to distinguish mountains from subsidiary peaks is by their height above the highest saddle connecting it to a higher summit, a measure called topographic prominence or re-ascent (the higher summit is called the "parent peak"). A common definition of a mountain is a summit with prominence. Alternatively, a relative prominence (prominence/height) is used (usually 7–8%) to reflect that in higher mountain ranges everything is on a larger scale. The table below lists the highest 100 summits with at least prominence, approximating a 7% relative prominence. A drawback of a prominence-based list is that it may exclude well-known or spectacular mountains that are connected via a high ridge to a taller summit, such as Eiger, Nuptse or Annapurna IV. A few such peaks and mountains with nearly sufficient prominence are included in this list, and given a rank of "S".
It is very unlikely that all given heights are correct to the nearest metre; indeed, the sea level is often problematic to define when a mountain is remote from the sea. Different sources often differ by many metres, and the heights given below may well differ from those elsewhere in this encyclopedia. As an extreme example, Ulugh Muztagh on the north Tibetan Plateau is often listed as to , but appears to be only to . Some mountains differ by more than on different maps, while even very thorough current measurements of Mount Everest range from to . These discrepancies serve to emphasize the uncertainties in the listed heights.
Though some parts of the world, especially the most mountainous parts, have never been thoroughly mapped, it is unlikely that any mountains this high have been overlooked, because synthetic aperture radar can and has been used to measure elevations of most otherwise inaccessible places. Still, heights or prominences may be revised, so that the order of the list may change and even new mountains could enter the list over time. To be safe, the list has been extended to include all peaks.
The highest mountains above sea level are generally not the highest mountains above the surrounding terrain, also called the highest free-standing mountains. There is no precise definition of surrounding base, but Denali, Mount Kilimanjaro and Nanga Parbat are possible candidates for the tallest mountain on land by this measure.
The bases of mountain islands are below sea level, and given this consideration. Mauna Kea ( above sea level) is the world's tallest mountain and volcano, rising about from the Pacific Ocean floor. Mount Lamlam on Guam is periodically claimed to be among the world's highest mountains because it is adjacent to the Mariana Trench; the most extreme claim is that, measured from Challenger Deep away, Mount Lamlam is tall. Ojos del Salado has the greatest rise on Earth: vertically to the summit from the bottom of the Atacama Trench, which is about away, although most of this rise is not part of the mountain.
The highest mountains are also not generally the most voluminous. Mauna Loa () is the largest mountain on Earth in terms of base area (about ) and volume (about ), although, due to the intergrade of lava from Kilauea, Hualalai and Mauna Kea, the volume can only be estimated based on surface area and height of the edifice. Mount Kilimanjaro is the largest non-shield volcano in terms of both base area () and volume (). Mount Logan is the largest non-volcanic mountain in base area ().
The highest mountains above sea level are also not those with peaks farthest from the centre of the Earth, because the shape of the Earth is not spherical. Sea level closer to the equator is several kilometres farther from the centre of the Earth. The summit of Chimborazo, Ecuador's tallest mountain, is usually considered to be the farthest point from the Earth's centre, although the southern summit of Peru's tallest mountain, Huascarán, is another contender. Both have elevations above sea level more than less than that of Everest.
Geographical distribution
Almost all mountains in the list are located in the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges to the south and west of the Tibetan Plateau. All peaks or higher are located in East, Central or South Asia in a rectangle edged by Noshaq () on the Afghanistan–Pakistan border in the west, Jengish Chokusu (Tuōmù'ěr Fēng, ) on the Kyrgyzstan–Xinjiang border to the north, Gongga Shan (Minya Konka, ) in Sichuan to the east, and Kabru () on the Sikkim–Nepal border to the south.
, the highest peaks on four of the mountains — Gangkhar Puensum, Labuche Kang III, Tongshanjiabu and Apsarasas Kangri, all located in India, Bhutan or China — have not been ascended. The most recent peak to have its first ever ascent is Karjiang, in China, on 13 August 2024.
The highest mountain outside of Asia is Aconcagua (), the 189th highest in the world.
List of highest peaks
+List of Earth's highest peaks with their prominence and parent mountainRankMountain name(s)Height(rounded)Prominence(rounded)RangeCoordinatesParent mountainFirstascent Country/Region administered byImage1Mahalangur Himalaya 19532K2Baltoro KarakoramMount Everest1954Pakistan, China3KangchenjungaKangchenjunga HimalayaMount Everest19554LhotseMahalangur HimalayaMount Everest19565MakaluMahalangur HimalayaMount Everest19556Cho OyuMahalangur HimalayaMount Everest19547Dhaulagiri IDhaulagiri HimalayaK21960Nepal8ManasluManaslu HimalayaCho Oyu1956Nepal9Nanga ParbatNanga Parbat HimalayaDhaulagiri1953Pakistan10Annapurna IAnnapurna HimalayaCho Oyu1950Nepal11Baltoro KarakoramK2195812Broad PeakBaltoro KarakoramGasherbrum I195713Baltoro KarakoramGasherbrum I195614Jugal HimalayaCho Oyu1964China15Gyachung KangMahalangur HimalayaCho Oyu1964SBaltoro KarakoramGasherbrum II197516Annapurna IIAnnapurna HimalayaAnnapurna I1960Nepal17Baltoro KarakoramGasherbrum III1958Pakistan18HimalchuliManaslu HimalayaManaslu1960Nepal19Distaghil SarHispar KarakoramK21960Pakistan20Ngadi ChuliManaslu HimalayaManaslu1979NepalSNuptseMahalangur HimalayaLhotse1961Nepal21Khunyang ChhishHispar KarakoramDistaghil Sar1971Pakistan22Masherbrum KarakoramGasherbrum I1960Pakistan23Nanda DeviGarhwal HimalayaDhaulagiri1936India24Chomo LonzoMahalangur HimalayaMakalu1954China25Batura SarBatura KarakoramDistaghil Sar1976Pakistan 26RakaposhiRakaposhi-Haramosh KarakoramKhunyang Chhish1958Pakistan27Namcha BarwaAssam HimalayaKangchenjunga1992China28Kanjut SarHispar KarakoramKhunyang Chhish1959Pakistan 29KametGarhwal HimalayaNanda Devi1931India30Dhaulagiri IIDhaulagiri HimalayaDhaulagiri1971Nepal31Saltoro KarakoramGasherbrum I1962 32Kangchenjunga HimalayaKangchenjunga1962Nepal33Tirich MirHindu KushBatura Sar1950PakistanSMolamenqingLangtang HimalayaShishapangma1981China34Gurla MandhataNalakankar HimalayaDhaulagiri1985China35Saser KarakoramGasherbrum I1973India36ChogolisaMasherbrum KarakoramGasherbrum I1975PakistanSDhaulagiri IVDhaulagiri HimalayaDhaulagiri II1975Nepal37Kongur TaghKongur Shan (Eastern Pamirs)Distaghil Sar1981ChinaSDhaulagiri VDhaulagiri HimalayaDhaulagiri IV1975Nepal38ShispareBatura KarakoramBatura Sar1974Pakistan39TrivorHispar KarakoramDistaghil Sar1960Pakistan40Gangkhar PuensumKula Kangri HimalayaKangchenjunganone41Daxue Mountains (Hengduan Shan)Mount Everest1932China42Annapurna IIIAnnapurna HimalayaAnnapurna I1961Nepal43Skyang KangriBaltoro KarakoramK21976 44ChangtseThe 1998 1:50,000 National Geographic map of Mount Everest has a height of for "Bei Peak" and for Bei'ao (North Col), giving a prominence. Mi Desheng's 1997 1:100,000 map of the Everest region has a summit and a indication near the col, not quite corresponding to the lowest pass. His 1975 1:50,000 version (in Chinese only) has Changtse at and North Col at . All maps agree that the eastern summit is the highest.Mahalangur HimalayaMount Everest1982China45Kula KangriKula Kangri HimalayaGangkhar Puensum198646Kongur TiubeKongur Shan (Eastern Pamirs)Kongur Tagh1956ChinaSAnnapurna IVAnnapurna HimalayaAnnapurna1955Nepal47Mamostong KangriRimo KarakoramGasherbrum I1984India48Saser Kangri II ESaser KarakoramSaser Kangri I2011India49Muztagh AtaMuztagata (Eastern Pamirs)Kongur Tagh1956China50Ismoil Somoni PeakPamir (Academy of Sciences Range)Muztagh Ata1933Tajikistan51Saser Kangri IIISaser KarakoramSaser Kangri I1986India52NoshaqHindu KushTirich Mir196053Pumari ChhishHispar KarakoramKhunyang Chhish1979Pakistan54Passu SarBatura KarakoramBatura Sar1994Pakistan55Yukshin Gardan SarHispar KarakoramPumari Chhish1984Pakistan56Teram Kangri ISiachen KarakoramGasherbrum I197557Jongsong PeakKangchenjunga HimalayaKangchenjunga193058MalubitingRakaposhi-Haramosh KarakoramRakaposhi1971Pakistan59GangapurnaAnnapurna HimalayaAnnapurna III1965Nepal60Tian ShanIsmail Samani Peak1956SGarhwal HimalayaNanda Devi1939India61K12Saltoro KarakoramSaltoro Kangri197462Ganesh HimalayaShishapangma195563Sia KangriSiachen KarakoramGasherbrum I193464Momhil SarHispar KarakoramTrivor1964Pakistan65Kabru NorthKangchenjunga HimalayaKangchenjunga199466Skil BrumBaltoro KarakoramK21957Pakistan67Haramosh PeakRakaposhi-Haramosh KarakoramMalubiting1958Pakistan68Istor-o-NalHindu KushNoshaq1969Pakistan69Ghent KangriSaltoro KarakoramSaltoro Kangri196170UltarBatura KarakoramShispare1996Pakistan71Rimo IRimo KarakoramTeram Kangri I1988India72Churen HimalDhaulagiri HimalayaDhaulagiri IV1970Nepal73Teram Kangri IIISiachen KarakoramTeram Kangri I197974Sherpi KangriSaltoro KarakoramGhent Kangri197675Labuche KangLabuche HimalayaCho Oyu1987China76Kirat ChuliKangchenjunga HimalayaKangchenjunga1939SAbi GaminGarhwal HimalayaKamet1950SKangchenjunga HimalayaKangchenjunga1994SNangpai GosumMahalangur HimalayaCho Oyu198677SaraghrarHindu KushNoshaq1959PakistanSTalungKangchenjunga HimalayaKabru196478Jomolhari HimalayaGangkhar Puensum193779ChamlangMahalangur HimalayaLhotse1961Nepal80ChongtarBaltoro KarakoramSkil Brum1994China81Baltoro KangriMasherbrum KarakoramChogolisa1963Pakistan82Siguang RiMahalangur HimalayaCho Oyu1989China83Yengisogat KarakoramSkil Brum (K2)1993China84Gyala PeriAssam HimalayaMount Everest1986China85Porong RiLangtang HimalayaShishapangma1982China86Panmah KarakoramKanjut Sar1977Pakistan87Yutmaru SarHispar KarakoramYukshin Gardan Sar1980Pakistan88Masherbrum KarakoramChogolisa1970Pakistan89HimalayaShishapangma1982China90Muztagh TowerBaltoro KarakoramSkil Brum195691Mana PeakGarhwal HimalayaKamet1937IndiaSDhaulagiri VIDhaulagiri HimalayaDhaulagiri IV1970Nepal92DiranRakaposhi-Haramosh KarakoramMalubiting1968Pakistan93Labuche HimalayaLabuche HimalayanoneChina94Putha HiunchuliDhaulagiri HimalayaChuren Himal1954Nepal95Apsarasas KangriSiachen KarakoramTeram Kangri Inone96Mukut ParbatGarhwal HimalayaKamet195197Rimo IIIRimo KarakoramRimo I1985India98Langtang LirungLangtang HimalayaShishapangma1978Nepal99KarjiangKula Kangri HimalayaKula Kangri2024China100Annapurna Dakshin (Annapurna South)Annapurna HimalayaAnnapurna1964Nepal101KhartaphuMahalangur HimalayaMount Everest1935China102TongshanjiabuThe name and information about this summit was extracted from the May 2003 edition of Japanese Alpine News.Lunana HimalayaGangkhar Puensumnone103Malangutti SarHispar KarakoramDistaghil Sar1985Pakistan104Nagarze HimalayaGangkhar Puensum1986China105Langtang RiLangtang HimalayaShishapangma1981106Lunana HimalayaTongshanjiabu2002107Singhi KangriSiachen KarakoramTeram Kangri III1976108Lupghar SarHispar KarakoramMomhil Sar1979Pakistan
Gallery
See also
List of mountain ranges of the world Summits farthest from the Earth's center List of tallest mountains in the Solar System