By leah jones
International Mountain Day was designated to take place every year on Dec. 11 by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in 2003. It's coordinated by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).
Its purpose is to “create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the opportunities and constraints in mountain development…”
“...and to build alliances that will bring positive change to mountain peoples and environments around the world.”
Mountains supply half of humanity with fresh water and host about half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. They also cover nearly 30% of the earth’s land surface and are the homes of millions of people.
However, climate change and harmful impact to the environment are causing mountains to degrade. Preservation is crucial for the survival of all of Earth and its inhabitants.
An iconic mountain known by many around the world is Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world.
Everest is located in the Himalayan range, straddling the border between Nepal and Tibet. Its summit reaches an elevation of 8,849 meters (29,032 feet) above sea level.
Many do not know that Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world when specifically measured from sea level. If measured differently, other mountains take the tallest title.
Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador can be seen as the tallest mountain in the world when measuring what the farthest point from Earth's center is.
Chimborazo’s summit is the farthest point from the Earth's core due to the Earth's equatorial bulge. However, its height above sea level is much lower than Everest's.
On another note, Mauna Kea in Hawaii can be considered the tallest mountain on earth when measuring from base to summit.
Mauna Kea is taller than Everest when measured from its base at the ocean floor. Its total height is about 10,210 meters (33,500 feet), but much of it is underwater.