By Pradeep Bashyal | BBC News Nepali (Read this in Hindi & Nepali)
The world’s highest peak Mount Everest is 8,848.86 meters tall, Nepal and China jointly announced on Tuesday.
The new height of the mountain at the border of two countries is 86 centimeters taller than previously accepted height of 8,848 meters. The height also includes the snow cap.
In a written message, President of Nepal Mrs. Bidhya Devi Bhandari announced: “At this historic moment, after having measured and jointly processed the survey data by the respective survey departments of our two countries, I am pleased to join your excellency [Chinese president Xi Jinping] disclose height of 8,848.86 meters as the new height of Mount Sagarmatha/ Chomolongma."
Mount Everest is called Sagarmatha in Nepal and Chomolongma in Tibet.
Teams of surveyors from Nepal and China separately measured the height of the Everest. Until now, China had put the height at 4m lower than globally accepted height determined by the Survey of India during British colonial rule.
The measurement of the mountain was initiated by Nepal in
2017 after the huge earthquake in 2015 that was said to have a significant impact
to the top of the world.
Known as Chomolungma in Tibet, the highest mountain spreads across the two nations, but its peak lies within Nepal's territory.
Despite having several measurements in the past, this is the first time Nepal has measured the height of the Everest on its own.
Later, China initiated a similar survey and both Nepal and China had agreed to share data and key findings in a joint statement signed by President Bidhya Devi Bhandari and her counterpart Xi Jinping in 2019.
A year later, the two sides made an official announcement.