Here's a good trivia question for your kids, or possibly one your kids may ask you. What is the tallest mountain in the world. Easy, right? Obviously it's Mt. Everest in the Himalayan mountains which stands at just a few feet above 29,000 feet. Nothing is taller than Mt. Everest, or is there? Turns out there is!
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| Mt. Everest |
The tallest mountain on Earth is Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The difference is in how you define mountain. If the definition of mountain is above sea level, then yes, Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain on Earth. It is the highest point above sea level anywhere on Earth. If you measure from the summit of the mountain, however, Mauna Kea blows Mt. Everest away. Mauna Kea has a height of 13,800 feet above sea level, but it's summit is below sea level. Measuring from the summit, Mauna Kea is just over 33,000 feet tall! That's 4,000 feet taller than Mt. Everest! That's not a small distance.
So let's not discriminate against those mountains that start below sea level. Measure from the summit and Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world.
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| Mauna Kea |
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