The mountain is the highest one on Earth and is part of the Himalaya range. It was given its English name by Andrew Waugh the British surveyor general of India in 1865 who named it after George Everest his cheif and predecessor. The Tibetan name for it is Chomolungma (Mother of the Universe). English 19th century records show the name as Deodungha (Holy Mountain). In the 1960's the Goverment of Nepal gave it its official Nepali name of Sagarmatha (Head of the Sky) which was invented by Baburam Acharya.
The measurments of the mountain varies depending on time it was done and the method used. It can vary between 29,000 feet and 29,035 feet. It is the highest mountain measured fom above sea level but is not the largest from its base.
The mountain is popular with climbers and as 2 main routes, the southeast ridge from Nepal and the northeast ridge from Tibet. There are others but these are climbed less.
One of the earliest climbs was in 1924 by British George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, they never returned. Malllory's body was found in 1999 by a research expedition near the old chinese camp. Arguments have been raised whether they made ascent before the first one that was officially confirmed. Generally it is believed they did not.
The first sucessful ascent and descent was in 1953 by a British expedition led by John Hunt, who had 2 climbing pairs, the first were unsucessful, the second pair Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay from Nepal were sucessful.
The mountain has claimed many lives up till 2006 there have been 203 deaths, many are left were they fell because of the difficulty of the conditions on the mountain.
Mount Everest is said to be haunted by some of the spirits of the people who have died there. The main one people see is thought to be that of Andrew Irvine, a freindly ghost whose presence gives encouragement to the climbers.
