Mount Everest is more than two feet taller, China and Nepal announce

Based on parallel surveys conducted by the two countries, the new height measurement has been accepted for use by the National Geographic Society.

The highest point on Earth has a newly announced elevation. Mount Everest is 29,031.69 feet above sea level, according to survey results presented today. That is more than two feet higher than the altitude previously recognized by the government of Nepal.

The elevation, which was announced on December 8 in a joint statement by the Survey Department of Nepal and Chinese authorities, is the culmination of a multiyear project to definitively measure the legendary mountain. As the first serious survey of Everest in 16 years, the effort has been closely followed by the geographic community—particularly scientists analyzing how a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015 affected the region. (Find out why Mount Everest changes height.)

Last spring a small group of

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