Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
mountain
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Related Topics
Images, Videos & Interactives
Mount Sir Donald Mount Triumph, Washington Bearhat Mountain
Understand how the age of mountains determine their types; young mountains and old mountains
Peru
The video thumbnail image shows a snow-capped mountain against a blue sky.
continental collision cross section of the Himalayas world's highest mountains Mount Fuji, Japan.
For Students
Karakoram Range: K2 (Mount Godwin Austen)
mountain summary
Quizzes
Mt. Elbrusvolcano, Western Caucasus mountain range, Russia. (dormant Russia)
Natural Wonders
Garden in front of Mao Zedong Memorial Hall where Mao's body rests in state at Tiananmen Square, one of the largest public squares in the world, Beijing, China. Near the Forbidden City. Mausoleum.
Largest, Tallest, and Smallest Around the Globe Quiz
Blue Ridge Mountains. Blue Ridge Parkway. Autumn in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, United States. Appalachian Highlands, Ridge and Valley, The Appalachian Mountain system
All About Mountains Quiz
Read Next
Mount Everest (Mt. Everest, mountains, Himalayas).
Is Mount Everest Really the Tallest Mountain in the World?
Bear Hat Mountain above Hidden Lake on a crest of the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park, Montana
Exploring 7 of Earth’s Great Mountain Ranges
Discover
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in 2019. (Meghan Markle, British royalty)
6 Things You Should Know About Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
Lead image for "A Timeline of the World in 8 Maps"
A Timeline of the World in 8 Maps
Space race (1957-1969) infographic between United States (U.S.) and Russia. America, Soviet Union, U.S.S.R., space exploration
Timeline of the Space Race, 1957–69
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)
New Seven Wonders of the World
Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd
Causes of the Great Depression
Close up of periodic table, focus on nickel, copper, zinc, palladium, silver, cadmium
When Was the Periodic Table Invented?
After a perfect launch, spectators try to catch a last glimpse of Space Shuttle Columbia, barely visible at the top end of the twisted column of smoke.
7 Accidents and Disasters in Spaceflight History

Selected world mountains

inmountain
print Print
Please select which sections you would like to print:
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/science/mountain-landform
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Written by
Peter H. Molnar
Senior Research Associate, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.
Peter H. Molnar
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: • Article History
Key People:
Alfred Elis Törnebohm

News •

Wildfires in the mountain: Forest and wildlife officers battles blaze • Feb. 25, 2025, 10:31 PM ET (Nation.Africa)
‘Everything we had floated away’: Hurricane Helene survivors help each other as disinformation swirls • Feb. 18, 2025, 3:53 AM ET (The Guardian)

A list of selected world mountains is provided in the table.

Selected mountains of the world
height
name range location   feet metres year first climbed
Africa
Acacia trees on the plain below the summits of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Kibo cone is at right, Mawensi (Mawenzi) at left.
Kilimanjaro (Kibo peak) Tanzania 19,340 5,895 1889
Afromontane moorland
Mount Kenya (Batian peak) Kenya 17,058 5,199 1899
Uganda: Margherita Peak
Margherita Ruwenzori Congo (Dem.Rep.)-Uganda 16,795 5,119 1906
Antarctica
Vinson Massif
Vinson Massif Sentinel Range Ellsworth Mountains 16,050 4,892 1966
Tyree Sentinel Range Ellsworth Mountains 15,919 4,852 1967
Shinn Sentinel Range Ellsworth Mountains 15,751 4,801 1966
Asia
Everest (Chomolungma) Himalayas Nepal-Tibet, China 29,035 8,850 1953
Karakoram Range: K2 (Mount Godwin Austen)
K2 (Godwin Austen; Chogori) Karakoram Pakistan-Xinjiang, China 28,251 8,611 1954
Kanchenjunga
Kanchenjunga (Gangchhendzonga) Himalayas Nepal-India 28,169 8,586 1955
Lhotse I
Lhotse I Himalayas Nepal-Tibet, China 27,940 8,516 1956
Caucasus
Mount Elbrus, highest peak of the Caucasus mountains
Elbrus Caucasus Russia 18,510 5,642 1874
Dykh-Tau
Dykhtau Caucasus Russia 17,073 5,204 1888
Koshtan-Tau Caucasus Russia 16,900 5,151 1889
Europe
Mont Blanc
Mont Blanc Alps France-Italy 15,771 4,807 1786
Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) Alps, Switzerland
Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) Alps Switzerland-Italy 15,203 4,634 1855
Dom
Dom (Mischabel) Alps Switzerland 14,911 4,545 1858
North America
The highest peak in North America
McKinley (Denali) Alaska Alaska, U.S. 20,310 6,190 1913
Logan St. Elias Mountains Yukon, Can. 19,551 5,959 1925
Orizaba
Citlaltépetl (Orizaba) Cordillera Neo-Volcánica Mexico 18,406 5,610 1848
Oceania
Jaya (Sukarno, Carstensz) Sudirman Indonesia 16,024 4,884 1962
Pilimsit (Idenburg) Sudirman Indonesia 15,476 4,717 1962
Trikora (Wilhelmina) Jayawijaya Indonesia 15,580 4,750 1912
South America
Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas, Argentina.
Aconcagua Andes Argentina-Chile 22,831 6,959 1897
Ojos del Salado Andes Argentina-Chile 22,615 6,893 1937
Bonete Andes Argentina 22,546 6,872 1913
Conversions rounded to nearest 10 feet.