Mountains and what continents they are on. The highest mountain peaks of the Earth's continents - names and heights. The highest mountains in the world by continent. Descriptions of the seven highest peaks of the world by part of the world

Our planet holds many secrets and mysteries. Most of them are hidden in the highest mountains on Earth. There is an opinion that the first people came down from the mountains when the great water began to recede.

Hundreds of thousands of archaeologists, historians, topographers, geographers, biologists and ordinary travelers every year make a pilgrimage to the great mountains that are most closely associated with the word eternity.

7 highest peaks world - these are not the most high mountains on the planet, these are the highest points of each continent.

There is even an informal society of climbers called the “7 Summits Club”, which includes people who have successfully conquered all 7 mountains.

This idea first appeared in 1981, since then very few have been able to climb all 7 peaks of the world.

There are also some disagreements, and specifically they relate to the highest point of Australia and Oceania. If we take into account only the continent of Australia, then the highest point will be Kosciuszko (or Kosciuszko) Peak, 2,228 meters above sea level. But many do not agree, since the peak is not of climbing interest.

If we take Australia and Oceania into account, the highest point is the Carstensz Pyramid, or Puncak Jaya, which is 4,884 meters above sea level, located in Indonesia. In order to avoid eternal disputes, these days there are two programs for climbing the 7 peaks. Everyone chooses the peak they consider correct, in any case it will be counted as conquering 7 peaks of the world.

Some manage to climb 8 peaks, thereby leaving no room for omissions.

The very first conqueror and creator of the idea was Dick Bass, who completed the program on April 30, 1985 by climbing Everest. In his version, Kosciuszko Peak was included in the program.

The first with a version of both mountains of Australia and Oceania was Reinhold Messner, who was not satisfied with the role of the second, and he decided to conquer all 8 peaks.

The race for records for climbing the 7 peaks of the world has been going on for a long time, and every year new records and new disagreements appear. There is a special website where detailed and clear statistics are kept about each ascent.

What kind of mountains attract peak conquerors so much that it attracts them to the top? To quote the first person to climb Everest, “I climb this peak because it exists.”

The second name of Mount Chomolungma. Height above sea level - 8,848 meters. This is the highest point in Asia and the whole world, according to all versions. It is located on the border of Nepal and China, these days, several hundred people try to conquer the roof of the world every year, but not everyone succeeds. Every year many die while pursuing their dreams.

Despite all these factors, more than 1,000 people have already been to the top of the mountain. The cost of the climb will be about $40,000.

Pyramid Carstensz. The second name is Puncak Jaya. The height above sea level is 4,884 meters. Be on an island New Guinea. The summit itself is not difficult.

Discomfort and difficulties are caused by inaccessibility and unusual climate. The cost of the climb will be about $19,000.

The height above sea level is 2,228 meters. This mountain is of no interest to climbers, since it can be climbed without any special preparation. This is more of a checkmark on the list of 7 peaks of the world.

The cost of the climb will be about $5,000.

I would also like to note some records associated with conquering the 7 highest peaks of 7 continents.

The youngest conqueror of the 7 Summits program was Jordan Romero at the age of 15. The oldest climber in the program was Carlos Soria, at the age of 71.

This once again proves that the impossible is possible, you just have to want it. And if you are sitting on the couch right now and reading this article, then get up and go to conquer the highest point in the area, for example, climb a 20-story building on foot.

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All climbers can agree that climbing the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each of the world's continents, is one of the highest achievements of their sport; it is more difficult to get them to agree on which peaks constitute the Seven Summits. The problem is one of geographical classification and perspective. First, there is the question of whether Europe is considered part of Asia or a continent in itself. If we accept the concept of Eurasia as a single continent, there should in fact be only six summits. Another question arises in relation to Europe: if the Urals are taken as the dividing line between Europe and Asia, should the highest point in Europe be Mont Blanc, which is undeniably entirely in Europe, or Mount Elbrus, which, depending on the interpretation, is barely managed to escape classified as an Asian trait? The question then arises as to whether Australia is classified in isolation or includes Oceania. A pair of climbers formulated two of the most popular schemes. The list of peaks, compiled and selected by American climber Dick Bass, draws a line in Australia itself; the list compiled by Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner covers Oceania. Since neither climber supports the concept of Eurasia or is concerned about the location of Mount Elbrus, their lists are otherwise identical. Here, then, are the Seven Worlds - or perhaps the eight - Peaks.

Africa: Kilimanjaro

The highest peak in Africa is scaled by Kilimanjaro, a volcanic massif in northeastern Tanzania, near the Kenyan border. The massif extends approximately east-west for 50 miles (80 km) and consists of three main extinct volcanoes, the youngest and tallest of which has the central cone of Kibo, which rises to 19,340 feet (5,895 meters). The Kibo summit was first reached in 1889 by German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller. National Park Mount Kilimanjaro, established in 1973 to protect the mountain above the tree line as well as six forest corridors running down the mountain's forest belt, was designated World Heritage UNESCO in 1987.

Europe: Mount Elbrus


The highest peak in the Caucasus and the highest point in Europe is Mount Elbrus in southwestern Russia. Created over 2.5 million years ago, this extinct volcano has two cones that extend to heights of 18,510 feet (5,642 meters) and 18,356 feet (5,595 meters). The tall cone was first raised in 1874 by a British expedition led by Swiss guide Peter Knubel. Elbrus is covered with 22 glaciers that feed the Kuban River.

North America: Denali


Denali (also called Mount McKinley), located in the center of the Alaska Range in south-central Alaska, is the highest peak in North America. It rises sharply about 18,000 feet (5,500 meters) from the Denali Fault at its base to the higher, more southerly of the two peaks. Denali's official elevation was 20,320 feet (6,194 meters) from the early 1950s until 2015, when the United States Geological Survey (USGS) restored it to 20,310 feet (6,190 meters) after a thorough re-evaluation using modern technology. equipment. In 1910, two explorers, dubbed the Sourdough Expedition, were the first climbers to summit North Peak. On June 7, 1913, Hudson Stuck and Harry Carstens held a party for the South Peak, the true summit. Currently, hundreds of climbers attempt to reach the summit every year.

South America: Mount Aconcagua


Mount Aconcagua, on the Chilean border in west-central Argentina, is the highest point in South America and the Western Hemisphere, but its exact elevation has been debated since the early 20th century. In January 2001, a group of scientists using advanced technology GPS (Global Positioning System) reported the elevation to be 22,840 feet (6,962 meters), plus or minus 16 feet (5 meters), but neither the Argentine government nor the National Geographic Society recognizes this figure; the altitude of 22,831 feet (6,959 meters), set by the Military Geographical Institute of Argentina, remains the generally accepted figure. Mount Aconcagua has two peaks, north and south, connected by a ridge. The southern peak has been measured at 22,736 feet (6,930 meters). Higher northern peak was first reached in 1897 by Swiss mountaineer Matthias Zurbriggen.

Asia: Mount Everest


Mount Everest, the highest mountain in Asia and the world, stands on the ridge of the Great Himalayas of southern Asia, which lies on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Reaching 29,035 feet (8,850 meters), it was recognized for the first time as the highest point on the surface Lands by the Government Survey of India in 1852. Major expeditions to Everest began in the 1920s, but it was not until 1953 that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay—members of an expedition sponsored by the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club—certainly reached its apogee. Mystery still surrounds the 1924 disappearance of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, who may have reached the summit before disappearing. Mallory's body was found at 26,760 feet (8,156 meters) in 1975; Irwin has gone missing.

Antarctica: Vinson Massif


Discovered in 1935 by American explorer Lincoln Ellsworth, the Vinson Massif is the most... high mountain in Antarctica. Located in the Country Range of the Ellsworth Mountains in the western part of the continent, the peak overlooks the Ronne Ice Shelf. It rises to an altitude of 16,050 feet (4,892 meters) above sea level. Vinson is named after Carl Vinson, an American congressman who championed the exploration of Antarctica. The summit was first reached in 1966 by an American expedition supported by the American Alpine Club and the National Science Foundation.

Australia: Mount Kosciuszko

The highest peak in Australia itself is Mount Kosciuszko, located 240 miles (390 km) southwest of Sydney in the snowy mountains of the Australian Alps in south-eastern New South Wales. Located in Kosciuszko National Park, it rises to an elevation of 7,310 feet (2,228 meters). Nearby are Mounts Townsend, Twinme, North Ramshead and Carruthers, which all have an elevation of 7,000 feet (2,130 metres). The first European to climb Mount Kosciuszko was Polish explorer and geologist Paul Strzelecki, who made the ascent in 1840 and named the mountain in honor of Polish patriot and hero of the American Revolution, Tadeusz Kosciuszko.

Australia/Oceania: Jaya Peak (Mount Carstenz)


If the wider net is omitted to include Oceania, the tallest mountain is Jaya Peak (also known as Mount Carstens), found in the Sudirman Range in the west-central highlands of the island of New Guinea. Rising to an elevation of 16,024 feet (4,884 meters), it is the highest island peak in the world. The snowfield of Jaya Peak was reached by Dutch explorer Hendrik A. Lorenz in 1909, but another 53 years passed before its summit was climbed in 1962 by an expedition led by Austrian explorer and writer Heinrich Harrer, author of Seven Years in Tibet ( 1953).

« What made both man and animal strive to these barren heights? Dr. James Chapin, who spent many years studying the birds of the Congo, once found the skeleton of the Hamlin's monkey on the top of Karisimbi, many miles from its native forests. And recently I read an interesting article about a pack of hyena dogs that were seen in the Kilimanjaro glaciers, at an altitude of almost twenty thousand feet. Perhaps man is not the only creature in this world who climbs a mountain just because it stands in front of him».
© George Schiller. Year under the sign of the gorilla.

Climbing a mountain is a desire that everyone understands. Even when photographing landscapes, we often try to find a higher vantage point, and there is little that compares to the feeling of looking out over the world from the top after a hard climb. No wonder that mountain hikes and high-altitude mountaineering continues to gain popularity.

Advances in technology, equipment and increased knowledge about hypoxia are gradually making mountaineering more accessible. Every year more and more people decide to challenge themselves and test their strength. Even on Everest, despite the enormous cost of the expedition (from 4 to 5 million rubles), the number of climbers is constantly growing. Nepalese authorities are already deciding how to reduce the number of people on the world's highest peak for safety.

In addition to conquering the highest point on the planet, the idea of ​​climbing all the highest points of the continents - Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica - has gained great popularity. Climbers who were able to complete this program are unofficially united in "7 Peaks Club".

The classic set of the highest mountains on Earth includes Everest (8848 m), Aconcagua (6961 m), Denali (formerly McKinley, 6194 m), Kilimanjaro (5894 m), Elbrus (5642 m), Vinson Massif (4892 m) ) and Jaya Peak (formerly Carstens Pyramid, 4884 m). However, there is Alternative option, where Jaya is replaced by Mount Kosciuszko (2228 m) in Australia. The discrepancies are due to the fact that Kosciuszko is the highest point of Australia, and therefore the entire continent. However, if we take into account Oceania, which lies on the same tectonic plate, then the highest point is Jaya. Most often, to avoid discrepancies, climbers conquer both of these mountains, since the Kosciuszko peak is very accessible in height.

The founder of the idea of ​​the Seven Summits program is considered to be the American William Hackett (1918-1999), who in the 40-50s. last century, conquered the highest mountains in five parts of the world - Denali (1947), Aconcagua (1949), Kilimanjaro (1950), Kosciuszko (1956) and Mont Blanc (1956), which at that time was considered the highest point in Europe.

Hackett grew up in Portland, Oregon, and became interested in the mountains at age 14. During World War II he spent more than three years in the Mountain Division. The 1947 ascent of Denali was part of Operation White Tower for the US Army and had two goals: to obtain photographs of the snow on high altitude and test the capabilities of photographic equipment and conduct a scientific test on the amount of radiation in order to begin geological work on the ground in the future.

The second famous climber was the Japanese Naomi Uemura (1941-1984). He managed to climb to the top of Mont Blanc (1966), Kilimanjaro (1966), Akongaua (1968), Everest (1970) and Denali (1970). While preparing for an expedition to Antarctica in 1984, Uemura decided to repeat the ascent of Denali and went missing.

The breakthrough in 1978 was made by the famous Italian climber Reinhold Messner, who also conquered all 14 eight-thousanders in the world. He began the program with Jaya Peak in 1971 and climbed Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro and Everest before 1978, thus summiting six of the seven peaks. It was Messner who called Elbrus the highest point in Europe and proposed the option of seven peaks with Jaya Peak. Already in the 80s, Messner climbed Kosciuszko and Vinson Massif. Due to a break in the program, the climber became only the fifth person to visit the highest points of the planet.

The first real conqueror of the 7 peaks in 1983-1985 was the American Richard Bass. The amateur climber climbed Aconcagua, Denali, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Vinson and Kosciuszko in just 1983, and Everest in 1985.

Patrick Morrow, a Canadian mountaineer, was the first to plan an ascent of 8 peaks, including both Jaya and Kosciuszko, and completed the program in 9 years.

The first woman to repeat his success in 1992 was Junko Tabei, a Japanese climber who was also the first woman in the world to climb Everest in 1975.

After understanding the possibility of such a program, climbers began to compete in the speed of mastering all peaks. In 1990, Rob Hall and Gary Ball were able to do this in seven months.

In 2006, Indian climber Maili Mastan Babu spent 172 days climbing 7 peaks. In 2008, Dane Henrik Christiansen broke his record and improved the result to 136 days. In 2010, Vernon Texas managed to reduce the time to 134 days. The latest achievement to date belongs to Steve Plain, who secured the record at 117 days in 2018.

The youngest 8 summit climber in 2011 was American Jordan Romero, who was only 15 years old at the end of the program.

Now the 7 peaks program with Jaya or Kosciuszko peak has been completed by 416 people. The complete set with 8 peaks was collected by 348 people.

December 11 is International Mountain Day. The holiday was established by decision of the 57th UN General Assembly in January 2003.

Daria Solovyova

The highest mountains in the world have different names, but at the same time they can be called briefly - Seven Peaks is a term that appeared in 1985 at the suggestion of Richard Bass (the man who was the first to conquer all seven peaks) and united the seven highest peaks on each continent. This association is not equal to the ranking of the highest mountains in the world, most of which are located in Nepal. This list is made up of mountains, each of which is the highest on its continent.

highest peak North America located in Alaska and is the center National Park Denali. The summit of Mount McKinley is 6194 meters away from the ground. This mountain is the third in the world in terms of topographic position, surpassed only by Everest and Aconcagua. And if you take into account the ratio of base to peak, then McKinley is the highest mountain in the world. The mountain got its name in honor of the American president, and the Indian name - Denali - means “great”.

Part of the Andes and with a height of 6959 meters, Mount Aconcagua is considered the highest peak South America. The mountain is located in the Argentine province of Mendoza and is 15 km from the border with Chile. The name of the mountain comes from the Quechua words for “stone guardian.”


Europe – Mount Elbrus (Russia)

Elbrus is an inactive volcano with a height of 5642 meters, which is located in Caucasus Mountains ah, on the border of Russia and Georgia.

Elbrus has several other names, the most romantic of which, translated from Adyghe and Kabardino-Circassian, means “mountain that brings happiness.”


Asia – Mount Everest (Nepal/China)

The world's highest mountain, Everest, is located exactly on the border of Nepal and China. Everest is part of the Himalayas - the highest mountain range in the world. This is where the highest mountains in the world are located. The height of Everest is 8848 meters. Everest attracts all climbers of the world and this is understandable. Technically, Everest routes are not very difficult, but they add challenges such as altitude sickness, strong wind and disgusting weather. The name Everest is English - in honor of the head of the geodetic service who first told the European community about this peak. The mountain has the Tibetan name Chomolungma (divine mother of life) and the equivalent Nepalese name Sagarmatha (mother of the gods).


The highest mountain on the African continent is an extinct volcano, the highest point of which is 5895 meters away from sea level. Moreover, Kilimanjaro has three peaks, two of which are extinct, and the third may well wake up. Kilimanjaro erupted 360 thousand years ago, but volcanic activity at Kibo Peak (the highest of the three) was seen 200 years ago, indicating that the volcano is potentially active. In Swahili, the name Kilimanjaro means "sparkling mountain".


The highest point of Oceania is also the highest mountain in the world, which is located on an island. Puncak Jaya is located in the west of the island of New Guinea. The height of Mount Puncak Jaya, also called simply Jaya or Carstensz Pyramid, is 4884 meters. The name of the mountain means "mountain of victory" in Indonesian.


Antarctica - Mount Vinson

The seventh of the highest mountains in the world received its name in honor of Carl Vinson, an eminent American politician. mountain range Vinson is part of the Ellsworth Mountains and has a high point 4,892 meters above sea level.


Seven mountains, each unique in its origin and beauty, attract climbers from all over the world. Climbers who have conquered the Seven Peaks are united in an informal community.