Qomolangma: Snow Mountain Goddess

Mount Qomolangma, known in the West as Mount Everest, lies on the border between China and Nepal. Rising 8844.43 meters above sea level, it is not only the highest peak in the Himalayan Range but also the highest peak in the world. People have referred to it variously as "the mountain of mountains,""the top of the world," and "the third pole of planet Earth."

In Tibetan, Qomo means "goddess" and langma means "third." The name Qomolangma thus describes the mountain as being a goddess living in the clouds with grace and serenity. The perennial snow drifting in strong winds on the peak looks like the veil of the goddess, creating a sense of beauty, solemnity and holiness.

Shaped like a pyramid, sublime and magnificent, the mountain pierces the sky. Its topography is treacherously precipitous, varied and complex. Within twenty kilometers around it is a forest of mountains, one next to another, of which more than forty are over 7,000 meters high. Among the more renowned ones are Kanchenjunga (the world's third highest mountain peak), Lhotse (the forth highest) and Makalu (the fifth highest). These mountains throng together and roll like sea waves towards Qomolangma as if paying homage. The view is simply spectacular.

Since the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, international explorers and mountaineers have attempted to unveil the mystery of Qomolangma. During the twenties and thirties of the twentieth century, foreign mountaineering expeditions made seven assaults on Qomolangma via the north-ridge route but all ended in failure. It wasn't until 1960 that a historical breakthrough was made by a team of Chinese mountaineers, who reached the summit from the north ridge. Up to this very day, reaching the summit of Mount Qomolangma is still regarded as the lifelong goal of numerous mountain-climbing enthusiasts.

In 1975 an expedition team consisting of members from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping of China and the National Physical Culture and Sports Commission of China reached the summit of Qomolangma. The team measured its height as 8844.13 meters, which was considered the Qomolangma's official height in China until 2005. A new height of 8844.43 meters for Mount Qomolangma was determined and released by the National Bureau of Surveying and Mapping of China on October ninth, 2005.



珠穆朗玛：雪山女神

珠穆朗玛峰位于中国和尼泊尔两国边界，海拔8844.43米，是喜马拉雅山脉的主峰，也是世界第一高峰，被誉为“万山之尊”、“地球之巅”、“世界第三极”。

珠穆为藏语“女神”之意，朗玛是“第三”之意，形容其柔美、静穆，宛如云中仙子。峰顶终年积雪，在劲风的吹拂下，飘飘洒洒，好像女神的面纱，给人以美丽、肃穆、神圣的感觉。

珠穆朗玛整个山体呈金字塔状，威武雄壮，昂首天外，四周地形极其险峻，环境异常复杂。在它周围20公里的范围内，群峰林立，山峦叠障。海拔7000米以上的高峰就有40多座，较著名的有干城章嘉峰（世界第三高峰）、洛子峰（世界第四高峰）、马卡鲁峰（世界第五高峰）等，形成了群峰来朝，峰头汹涌的场面，壮观无比。

从18、19世纪开始，就陆续有一些国际探险家、登山队员前往珠峰探索奥秘。20世纪20年代至30年代，外国登山队曾7次想从北坡登顶，均以失败告终。1960年，中国登山队首次从北坡登上顶峰。时至今日，她仍是无数登山爱好者毕生追慕的女神。

1975年，中国科学院、中国国家测绘局和中国国家体委组成联合登山科学考察队，登上珠峰之巅。当时中国科学家测定珠峰高度为8848.13米。这一数据一直作为中国对珠峰高度的采用值沿用至2005年。2005年10月9日，中国国家测绘局公布了珠穆朗玛峰新的高度为8844.43米。