THE HIGHEST POINT on Earth has a newly announced elevation. Mount Everest is 29,031.69 feet above sea level, according to survey results presented today. That is more than two feet higher than the altitude previously recognized by the government of Nepal.
The elevation, which was announced on December 8 in a joint statement by the Survey Department of Nepal and Chinese authorities, is the culmination of a multiyear project to definitively measure the legendary mountain. As the first serious survey of Everest in 16 years, the effort has been closely followed by the geographic community—particularly scientists analyzing how a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015 affected the region.
Last spring a small group of Nepalese surveyors and guides endured the biting cold of a nighttime ascent, reaching the top at 3 a.m. local time so they could conduct their work unimpeded by crowds of recreational climbers, to try to settle the matter. (Find out exactly how the teams made their measurements, and the challenges they faced during the expedition.)