It is well known that Mount Everest is the highest peak in the Himalayas, between Nepal and Tibet, as well as the highest point on Earth above sea level, at an altitude of 8,848.86 meters.

The height of Mount Everest changes by several centimeters every year, as the Indian tectonic plate collides with Eurasia, continuing the process of orogenesis created by the Himalayas, while at this altitude the air is so sparse with a significant lack of oxygen, which combined with strong winds and extremely low temperatures do not allow the growth of any flora or fauna on its upper slopes.

The height of Everest, then, is large enough, but not so great as to give it the first place as the highest point on Earth. What do you think this is and why does this strange fact apply?

Even higher than Mount Everest is Mauna Kea, a volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii that peaks at 4,205 meters above sea level. But because it rises from the bottom of the ocean, the height from the base to the top is actually over 10,000 meters, making it, by that measurement at least, the highest mountain in the world.

Also, Mount Everest is not even the closest point to Earth in space, as this position is held by the inactive volcano Tsiboraso in Ecuador, in the Andes, with an altitude of 6,266 meters. Although measured by sea level it is lower than Mount Everest, Ciboraso is actually 2,168 meters higher than Mount Everest. This is because the Earth is not a perfect sphere, but it inflates in the middle and thus, is the point with the greatest distance from the center of the Earth.