Mount Everest is the highest point on earth, standing 29,028 feet (8,848 metres) high -- five and a half miles above sea level.
Everest Base Camp is at 17,600 feet (5,380 m) -- higher than any mountain in the Rockies. Just to reach the foot of Everest takes more than seven overnight stops to adjust to the rising elevations
The temperature at the summit averages about minus 33 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 36 degress Celcius) and can drop as low as minus 76 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 60 degress Celcius).
Located on the border between Nepal and China, Everest is part of the Himalayan mountain range. Tibetans call the mountain Chomolungma, which means "Mother of the Universe".
In 1924, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine were last reported seen on a ridge close to the top. Whether they made it to the summit is one of Everest’s great mysteries.
Sir Edmund Hillary, is the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953.
The oldest person in the world to summit Everest was 71 year old Katsusuke Yanagisawa, from Japan.
The youngest was a 15-year-old Sherpa girl, Mingkipa.
Mount Everest is growing at a rate of 3/16 inch (0.5 cm) per year, which makes it approximately 10 inches (25.4 cm) taller today than when first officially summited in 1953.
Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, has died aged 88. Read his story here
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