The Top 10 Highest Mountains in the World

The highest mountain in the world is Mount Everest. It’s pretty famous. Big pointy thing in the Himalayas in Nepal. Sits up at 8,848m. It’s a real high mountain. Everyone knows about Mount Everest. Most people also know the second highest mountain in the world is K2. But very few people know the third highest mountain in the world is called Kangchenjunga. Or how to spell that. It’s not quite as simple as ‘K2’, that’s for sure. So how many of the highest mountains in the world do you really know?

By the time you get onto the rest of the 10 highest mountains in the world, most don’t have a clue. Why would you? Mount Everest is hogging all the fame. And the more commonly known Seven Summits – the highest mountains on each of the seven continents in the world – don’t make much of an appearance on this list. A top 10 of the world’s highest mountains contains itself exclusively to Asia.

So let’s do this. Let’s help you learn the top 10 highest mountains in the world. Let’s help you cheat in this pub quiz you’re probably competing in right now, phone under the table, connected to dodgy Wi-Fi. Don’t feel bad. Everyone’s doing it. That team with the dog were definitely cheating in the music round. Here are the 10 highest mountains in the world.

1. Mount Everest, Himalayas, Nepal/Tibet Autonomous Region, China – 8848m

2. K2, Karakoram, Pakistan/China – 8611m

3. Kangchenjunga, Himalayas, Nepal/India – 8586m

4. Lhotse, Himalayas, Nepal/Tibet Autonomous Region, China – 8516m

5. Makalu, Himalayas, Nepal/Tibet Autonomous Region, China – 8485m

6. Cho Oyu, Himalayas, Nepal/Tibet Autonomous Region, China – 8188m

7. Dhaulagiri, Nepal – 8167m

8. Manaslu, Nepal – 8163m

9. Nanga Parbat, Pakistan – 8126m

10. Annapurna I, Nepal – 8091m

And there you have it! Those are the 10 highest mountains in the world. The 10 highest summits. An honourable mention must go out to the amazingly named Gasherbrum I (8080m) on the Pakistan–Chinese border, though. It’s the 11th highest mountain in the world and as such misses out on a place in this list, and on the fame and fortune that comes with it, by a mere 19 metres.