Which is the tallest mountain in the world? You'd quip Mt Everest and it is absolutely right. As per the latest measurements released by the Department of Survey, Nepal and Chinese authorities Mt Everest stands tall at 8,848.86 metres. From the previous measurements, the height has increased by 86 metres. The previous height of the mountain, 8,848 metres, was measured in 1954 by the Survey of India. There were some speculations about Mt Everest not being the tallest mountain in the world, which led to the reassuring measurements by Nepal. And while Mt Everest maintains its crown as the highest peak in the world, are you aware of which other mountain peaks that follow next in line? Here we round up five tallest mountains in the world including Mt Everest. Mount Everest in Himalayas Visible From Bihar's Sitamarhi District as Lockdown Reduces Air Pollution (See Picture).

There are more than a 100 mountain peaks that have a greater elevation that 7,200 metres above the sea level. A vast majority of these tall peaks are located in the Indian and Eurasian continents. Let us look at some of the highest mountain peaks in the world with their height, location and how have they been scaled.

Top 5 Highest Peaks in the World

Mt Everest- 8,848.86 Mtrs

Mt Everest reigns the crown for the highest mountain peak in the world. This towering mountain is situated on the border between Nepal and the autonomous region of Tibet. This mountain is part of the Seven Summits, which is a list of the highest mountain on each of the world’s seven continents. Mt Everest was first scaled by Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealand climbers Mr. Edmond Hillary in the year 1953. The treks to Mt Everest have recently come under a lot of scrutiny following the crowds seen here and turning into a rubbish dump.

Mt K2- 8,611 Mtrs

After Everest comes Mt K2 located on the China-Pakistan border in the Gilgit region of Northern Pakistan. At 8,611 metres above the sea level, it is second highest mountain in the world. K2 is called as the "Savage Mountain" as scaling it is a brush with death experience. It is one of the deadliest mountains as almost one person who tries to scale this has lost his life every year.  Viridiana Álvarez Chávez of Mexico Breaks Guinness World Records for Fastest Ascent of World’s Three Highest Mountains (Watch Video).

Kanchenjunga- 8,586 Mtrs

Kangchenjunga, located between Nepal and Sikkim in India is the third highest mountain in the world with an elevation of 8,586 metres. This mountain range is made of five peaks which are called "Five Treasures of the Snow." An interesting thing about this mountain is, it was considered as the highest mountain of the world until 1852. Later with the announcements of Mt Everest measurements, it slipped to number 3. 2 Indian Climbers Die on Mount Kanchenjunga in Nepal.

Mt Lhotse- 8,516 Mtrs

Mt Lhotse is located in Nepal and connected to Mt Everest  via the South Col. The word Lhotse in Tibetan language means "South Peak". It is regarded as one of the most extremely difficult climbs and there have been rare attempts to scale it. It was first climbed  in 1956 comprising of a Swiss team of Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger.

Mt Makalu- 8,481 Mtrs

Mt Makalu is also along the line of Mt Everest. It is located at the southeast point Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and China. It has an iconic four side pyramid-like shape with an isolated peak at the top. So climbing to the peak involves extreme mountaineering skills like ice climbing. The first attempt to climb the peak was made in 1954 by American team led by Riley Keegan, but they had to turn back due to severe stormy weather. It was first summited by a French expedition led by Jean Franco in 1955.

A lot of you may probably know about the top three in the list, but the fourth and fifth mountain peaks are also in and around the world's tallest peak Mt Everest. Now you know about the top five peaks that stand tall on our planet. A mountaineer in you may feel like scaling them but at their towering heights, it is no mean feat.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 08, 2020 03:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).