In school, we were all led to believe that Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. But the truth is it is not. Mount Everest is the tallest mountain above sea level (29,029 feet).

Technically, the tallest mountain in the world is Mauna Kea situated on the island of Hawaii. Much of Muana Kea is submerged under water. The base-to-peak height of Mauna Kea is 33,100 feet.

Interestingly Everest’s base-to-peak height is only 15,260 feet. Mount Everest is surrounded by the rest of its friends, the Himalayas, all of which are collectively growing by a quarter of an inch per year and pushing Everest’s summit higher.

So Everest’s height on its own is only half of that of Mauna Kea.