Majestic photos from the world's 50 tallest mountains
In most elementary schools, children are introduced to a handful of explorers throughout history who were primarily responsible for circumnavigating the globe and unifying people of various geographic locations, the likes of whom include Marco Polo, Lewis and Clark, and Ferdinand Magellan. Hundreds of years ago, these men took to the oceans in search of a new frontier, traveling north and south, east and west in the hopes of discovering something new they could share with their compatriots upon return to their home country. Perhaps underappreciated for their exploratory contribution to history, England's Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepal's Tenzing Norgay successfully ascended the 29,035-foot summit of the Himalayas' Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain, for the first time in human history.
Thanks to trailblazing climbers such as Hillary and Norgay setting the precedent that these kinds of ascents are humanly possible, future generations with advanced technologies have been able to go on similar expeditions and capture breathtaking photographs of some of Earth's most impressive mountain ranges. Using data from Peaklist, Stacker has composed a list of the world's tallest mountains according to prominence, a measurement of the shortest possible distance between a mountain's peak and base, and included otherworldly images to accompany each one.
Read on to be blown away by some of the most marvelous natural formations this planet has to offer.
#50. Mount Blackburn
Elevation: 16,391 ft
Prominence: 11,598 ft
Location: 61º44' N, 143º26' W (Alaska, USA)
#49. Kongur Shan
Elevation: 25,095 ft
Prominence: 11,762 ft
Location: 38º36' N, 75º19' E (China)
#48. Mount Ararat (Agri Dagi)
Elevation: 16,853 ft
Prominence: 11,847 ft
Location: 39º42' N, 44º18' E (Turkey)
#47. Minya Konka (Mount Gongga)
Elevation: 24,790 ft
Prominence: 11,949 ft
Location: 29º36' N, 101º53' E (China)
#46. Ritacuba Blanco
Elevation: 17,749 ft
Prominence: 11,959 ft
Location: 6º29' N, 72º18' W (Colombia)
#45. Finisterre Range HP (Mount Boising)
Elevation: 13,533 ft
Prominence: 12,057 ft
Location: 5º57' S, 146º22' E (Papua New Guinea)
#44. Gunung Semeru (Mount Semeru)
Elevation: 12,060 ft
Prominence: 12,060 ft
Location: 8º06' S, 112º55' E (Indonesia)
#43. Nevado Ojos del Salado
Elevation: 22,615 ft
Prominence: 12,100 ft
Location: 27º07' S, 68º32' W (Argentina/Chile)
#42. Gunnbjørn Fjeld
Elevation: 12,119 ft
Prominence: 12,119 ft
Location: 68º55' N, 29º54' W (Greenland)
#41. Monte San Valentin
Elevation: 13,313 ft
Prominence: 12,126 ft
Location: 46º36' S, 73º20' W (Chile)
#40. Pico del Teide (Mount Teide)
Elevation: 12,198 ft
Prominence: 12,198 ft
Location: 28º16' N, 16º39' W (Spain)
#39. Kangchenjunga
Elevation: 28,169 ft
Prominence: 12,867 ft
Location: 27º42' N, 88º09' E (India/Nepal)
#39. Gunung Rinjani
Elevation: 12,224 ft
Prominence: 12,224 ft
Location: 8º25' S, 116º28' E (Indonesia)
#38. Cerro Chirripó
Elevation: 12,533 ft
Prominence: 12,228 ft
Location: 9º29' N, 83º29' W (Costa Rica)
#37. Jbel Toubkal
Elevation: 13,671 ft
Prominence: 12,319 ft
Location: 31º04' N, 7º55' W (Morocco)
#36. Mount Cook (Aoraki)
Elevation: 12,319 ft
Prominence: 12,319 ft
Location: 43º36' S, 170º08' E (New Zealand)
#35. Mount Fuji
Elevation: 12,388 ft
Prominence: 12,388 ft
Location: 35º22' N, 138º44' E (Japan)
#34. Mount Erebus
Elevation: 12,448 ft
Prominence: 12,448 ft
Location: 77º31' S, 167º11' E (Antarctica)
#33. Gunung Kerinci (Mount Kerinci)
Elevation: 12,483 ft
Prominence: 12,483 ft
Location: 1º42' S, 101º16' E (Indonesia)
#32. Mount Kenya
Elevation: 17,057 ft
Prominence: 12,549 ft
Location: 0º09' S, 37º18' E (Kenya)
#31. Mount Cameroon
Elevation: 13,254 ft
Prominence: 12,798 ft
Location: 4º13' N, 9º10' E (Cameroon)
#30. Tirich Mir
Elevation: 25,288 ft
Prominence: 12,827 ft
Location: 36º15' N, 71º51' E (Pakistan)
#28. Ngaliema (Mount Stanley)
Elevation: 16,762 ft
Prominence: 12,962 ft
Location: 0º23' N, 29º52' E (Congo/Uganda)
#27. Yushain (Mount Jade, Mount Yu)
Elevation: 12,966 ft
Prominence: 12,966 ft
Location: 23º28' N, 120º57' E (Taiwan)
#26. Mount Fairweather
Elevation: 15,325 ft
Prominence: 12,956 ft
Location: 58º54' N, 137º31' W (US/Canada)
#25. Pico Bolívar
Elevation: 16,341 ft
Prominence: 12,982 ft
Location: 8º32' N, 71º03' W (Venezuela)
#24. Volcán Tajumulco
Elevation: 13,845 ft
Prominence: 13,058 ft
Location: 15º03' N, 91º54' W (Guatemala)
#23. Ras Dejen
Elevation: 15,092 ft
Prominence: 13,090 ft
Location: 13º14' N, 38º22' E (Ethiopia)
#22. K2 (Mount Godwin-Austen, Chhogori)
Elevation: 28,251 ft
Prominence: 13,179 ft
Location: 35º53' N, 76º31' E (Pakistan/China)
#21. Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,411 ft
Prominence: 13,196 ft
Location: 46º51' N, 121º46' W (Washington, USA)
#20. Gunung Kinabalu (Mount Kinabalu)
Elevation: 13,435 ft
Prominence: 13,435 ft
Location: 6º04' N, 116º34' E (Malaysia)
#19. Namcha Barwa
Elevation: 25,531 ft
Prominence: 13,471 ft
Location: 29º38' N, 95º03' E (China)
#18. Bogda Shan
Elevation: 17,864 ft
Prominence: 13,523 ft
Location: 43º48' N, 88º20' E (China)
#17. Chimborazo
Elevation: 20,561 ft
Prominence: 13,523 ft
Location: 1º28' S, 78º49' W (Ecuador)
#16. Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy)
Elevation: 24,406 ft
Prominence: 13,609 ft
Location: 42º02' N, 80º07' E (Kyrgyzstan/China)
#15. Mauna Kea
Elevation: 13,796 ft
Prominence: 13,796 ft
Location: 19º49' N, 155º28' W (Hawaii, USA)
#14. Nanga Parbat (Diamer)
Elevation: 26,657 ft
Prominence: 15,118 ft
Location: 35º14' N, 74º36' E (Pakistan)
#13. Klyuchevskaya Volcano
Elevation: 15,584 ft
Prominence: 15,252 ft
Location: 56º03' N, 160º39' E (Russia)
#12. Mount Damavand
Elevation: 18,405 ft
Prominence: 15,311 ft
Location: 35º57' N, 52º07' E (Iran)
#11. Mont Blanc
Elevation: 15,777 ft
Prominence: 15,406 ft
Location: 45º50' N, 6º52' E (France/Italy)
#10. Gora Elbrus (Mount Elbrus)
Elevation: 18,510 ft
Prominence: 15,554 ft
Location: 43º21' N, 42º26' E (Russia)
#9. Puncak Jaya (Carstensz Pyramid)
Elevation: 16,023 ft
Prominence: 16,023 ft
Location: 4º04' S, 137º11' E (Indonesia)
#8. Vinson Massif
Elevation: 16,050 ft
Prominence: 16,050 ft
Location: 78º31' S, 85º36' W (Antarctica)
#7. Pico de Orizaba (Citlaltépetl)
Elevation: 18,491 ft
Prominence: 16,148 ft
Location: 19º02' N, 97º16' W (Mexico)
#6. Mount Logan
Elevation: 19,550 ft
Prominence: 17,224 ft
Location: 60º34' N, 140º24' W (Canada)
#5. Pico Cristóbal Colón
Elevation: 18,701 ft
Prominence: 18,074 ft
Location: 10º50' N, 73º41' W (Colombia)
#4. Mount Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 19,340 ft
Prominence: 19,308 ft
Location: 3º04' S, 37º21' E (Tanzania)
#3. Denali (formerly Mount McKinley)
Elevation: 20,320 ft
Prominence: 20,138 ft
Location: 63º06' N, 151º03' W (Alaska, USA)
#2. Aconcagua
Elevation: 22,841 ft
Prominence: 22,841 ft
Location: 32º39' S, 70º01' W (Argentina)
#1. Mount Everest
Elevation: 29,028 ft
Prominence: 29,028 ft
Location: 27º59' N, 86º55' E (Nepal/Tibet)
