Mt. Everest, the world's tallest mountain, is located in the eastern Himalayas. It is on the border between Tibet and Nepal.  The peak reaches 29,028 ft, making it a natural wonder. Some say that it is not technically the tallest mountain because underwater mountains are bigger but Everest is the tallest above sea level mountain.

Mt. Everest is a young, limestone mountain that is covered with patches of snow and ice.  It was formed about 60,000,000 years ago.  Glaciers feed into many rivers at the  base.  Rongbuk is one of these majestic glaciers.  It is always cold and blustery at the summit, while the base can be moderately temperate. Climbing Everest can be dangerous to your health.  Avalanches occur, as well as altitude sickness, hypothermia, and frostbite.  Altitude sickness is one of the deadliest; a victim gets a fever, turns pale, feels a headache,and vomits blood. High Altitude Pulmonary Edema is another dangerous sickness, where a victim's lungs fill with liquid.

Mt. Everest supports little life; though insects and spiders have been found as high as 20,000 feet.  Animals can't survive long here because of lack of plants to eat.  Lichens and fungi are about the only flora, because of lack of good soil and freezing temperatures. The tree line is at 4,200m.

The mountain was named after Sir George Everest, a British surveyor general in India. It was in 1865 when the mountain was named. The Tibetan name is Chomolungma (goddess mother of the world).  Some Buddhists believe Mt. Everest is the home of the gods, and say it is wrong to climb it. 

Many climbing attempts have had a bitter ending.  The first successful attempt to reach the summit was made by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norkey, or Norgay, in 1953. Hillary was a beekeeper from New Zealand and Norgay/Norkey was a native Nepalese who had been on 5 previous Everest expeditions.

Many factors make Everest amazing and harsh. You would need special equipment to survive on Mt. Everest.  One of the most important articles is warm clothing. The layering system is always in use.  You'd also need crampons (cleats), an ice ax, shelter, and a backpacking stove.  A shovel can be used to save avalanche victims and build shelter.  Most people need oxygen, while some have made it to the summit without oxygen.  A backpack is used to carry items.

All in all, Mt. Everest is a very interesting place to study.