30+ Interesting Facts About Mountains

1. There are more than 150 mountains higher than 7,000 meters, and all these mountains are present in Asia.
2. The highest mountain outside Asia is Aconcagua Mountain in South America. The height of this mountain in the Andes is 6,960 meters.
3. After Asia and South America, the highest mountains in other continents are Denali (6194 m) in N. America, Kilimanjaro (5895 m) in Africa, Elbrus (5642 m) in Europe, Vinson Massif (4892 m) in Antarctica, and Kosciuszko (2228 m) in Australia. Highest mountains in all continents are collectively known as Seven Summits.
4. The highest mountain in the solar system is Olympus Mons on Mars. Its height is 21,171 meters.
5. Bhutan is the most mountainous country in the world by average height and percentage of area. Other countries high on these lists are Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Lesotho. (Source)
6. Several countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia are without mountains. The largest of these are Belarus, Lithuania, and Latvia.
7. 9 out of 10 highest mountains are in the Himalayan range. K2 (the world’s 2^nd highest mountain) is the only one in this list situated in the Karakoram Range.
8. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain, but K2 is more dangerous to climb than Mount Everest due to its bad weather and a very steep slope. (Source)

   

   Climbing K2 is very dangerous

   
   
9. The livelihood of more than 50% of humans depends on mountain catchments. A mountain freshwater ecosystem is an ideal site for studying climate change’s impact on biodiversity. (Source)
10. The highest possible permanent human residence is around 6,000 m. Heights above 8000 m are known as the “Death Zone” as they are unsafe for living.
11. Living for just two weeks in the mountains can increase RBCs (red blood cells) for months, even at lower elevations. (Source) 
12. The mountain climate is affected by the climate of its surroundings. However, there are several similar climatic features in every mountain. These include low temperature, increased insolation, reduced oxygen, and low pressure. (Source)
13. Only those animals and plants live in mountainous areas that have adapted to the difficult conditions at high altitudes. Mountainous plants have low growth and a well-adapted system to store food, moisture, and energy. Animals also can save energy and climb well in these areas. Few animals (e.g. yaks) have big hearts and lungs to compensate for low oxygen. (Source) 
14. Mountain goats are famous for their climbing abilities and maintaining balance on rocks. They can jump up to 12 feet in a single leap. 
15. There are several differences between mountains and hills. The mountains are at least 2,000 feet high with a steep slope and a peak. Hills are smaller with a rounded top and no-defined peak. (Source)
16. Mountains cover around 24% of the earth’s surface. But only 10% of people live in mountainous areas due to difficult conditions.
17. There are hundreds of unclimbed mountains on earth despite the popularity of mountaineering. The failure to climb these mountains is due to political, religious, or other reasons.
18. The highest unclimbed mountain in the world is Gangkhar Puensum, having a summit of 7,570 meters. A political dispute between Bhutan and China is a major hurdle in climbing this mountain. (Source)
19. Mountain men were the initial settlers of the North American Rocky Mountains in the 19^th Century. These fur trappers assisted in exploring the Far West. (Source)
20. Despite being 4,207 meters above sea level, Mauna Kea in Hawaii is the highest mountain on earth if measured from its base inside the ocean. It is because most of the mountain is underwater and measurement from inside the ocean makes it over 10,000 meters high. (Source)
21. If the farthest point from the earth’s center is taken into account, then the highest mountain is Chimborazo in Ecuador.
22. There are several types of mountains depending on their shape and formation methods. The main types are fold mountains, dome mountains, plateau mountains, fault-block mountains, and volcanic mountains. (Source)
23. Mountains have a strong impact on the climate of their nearby areas. High mountains help in the formation of clouds and fall of precipitation on one side and forming rain shadows (desert-like conditions) on the other side of the mountains. (Source)
24. The Andes in South America is the world’s longest mountain range on the surface of the earth, with a length of around 7,000 km. The Andean Mountains cover almost the whole western part of South America besides the Pacific Ocean.

    

    Andes in South America is the longest mountain range 
    
    

25. The longest mountain range on earth is the mid-ocean ridge, primarily under the ocean. Its length is more than 40,000 km.
26. The USA, Russia, Indonesia, Japan, and Chile have the highest number of volcanoes. All these countries have more than 100 volcanoes each. (Source)
27. There are eight lava lakes in the world. These are present in various parts of the world, including Antarctica and its adjacent island. (Source)
28. Satellites and GPS are modern techniques to measure mountains’ height. Before their invention, the method used to measure mountains was known as triangulation. Mount Everest was measured 100 feet away by this method. Recent measurements only added 27 feet in this calculation. (Source)
29. Several mountains are considered sacred by various religions due to several factors. Famous sacred mountains include Mount of Olives (Jerusalem), Mount Sinai (Egypt), Wudang Mountains (China), Mount Olympus (Greece), and Hesperus Mountain (USA). (Source)
30. Mountaineering became a sport during the 19^th Century. Initially, it was dominated by Europeans. However, it became an international sport in the 20^th Century with the participation of Japanese, Chinese, and Russians.  
31. Sherpas of the Himalayas are the mountain-dwelling people of Nepal, Tibet (China), and Sikkim (India). They are named after their language, “Sherpa.” They are famous for their mountaineering skills, and assist mountain climbers.
32. Mountains contain several types of minerals and gemstones. These include quartz, diamond, zircon, emerald, ruby, sapphire, etc.