Nepal to measure Mt Everest
2011-07-18 22:07
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Kathmandu - Nepal has started the process of measuring the world's highest mountain, Mt Everest, state news agency RSS reported on Monday.
It is the first time Nepal has started such a venture, as the country previously lacked the necessary equipment.
The government expects to complete the task within two years. The level of the Indian port city of Kolkata will be considered sea level for purposes of the exercise.
Although the standard height of the mountain is generally accepted to be 8 848m, different inspections have come up with different measurements.
Mt Everest was first measured by BL Gulatee of the British India Company in 1952, setting its height at 8 847.842m.
According to the Chinese government, the mountain's rock height was 8 844.42m and 8 847.933m when measured with snow deposit.
In 1990, American geologist Wash Borne claimed that Mt Everest measured 8 850 meters.
Everest was first opened to the world in 1953, with the successful climb to the summit by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary. Since then, more than 5 000 people have ascended it.
- SAPA
