Famous Mountains Of The World

The word mountain takes it origin from the Latin word ‘Montem’ and its use can be dated back to the 13^th century.

The oxford dictionary describes mountain as “as "a natural elevation of the earth surface rising more or less abruptly from the surrounding level and attaining an altitude which, relatively to the adjacent elevation, is impressive or notable”.

Mountains have always been nature’s ultimate sign of grandeur. From the times that man was just a cave dweller, till this day, mountains hold the ability to awe us with their sheer beauty and magnificent size.

In the old days, with man’s passion to reach the sky, these gigantic structures meant the ultimate, with their tips reaching out into the heavens, they represented to man the access to God. This is the major reason that mountains hold a mystical appeal and are a part of the stories in many religions.

Some of the most popular mountains in this world are:

Situated near the famous city of Naples in Italy, vesuvius is a name most people have heard. Situated on the bay of Naples, it is the only volcano in Europe to have erupted in the last century. Its height is approximately 1,281 meters.

Vesuvius is among the most dangerous mountains in the world because of its volcanic nature and the number of people living near it.

The foot of this massive mountain is inhabited and there is a town by the name of ‘Herculaneum” and nearly 300,000 people live in its shadowed valleys.

This mountain has a vast history of explosions. Among its moat famous eruptions is the eruption of 79 A.D which caused major destruction and the eruption of 1631 which was so massive that the whole of Europe was blanketed with ash.

However it has not erupted since its last eruption in the year 1944. The vesuvius of today is among the most densely populated volcanic regions. On 5^th June 1995, vesuvius was declared a national park by the Italian public and it is a major tourist destination.

Located in Egypt in the Sinai Peninsula, this mountain is roughly 2,285 meters in height.

It is a mountain that holds a great religious significance for many religious in the world.

it is believed by Jews, Christians and Muslims that God bestowed his laws unto the prophet Moses on this very mountain.

The legend of the prophet’s receiving of the 10 commandments on the mountain of Sinai is a very popular one and because of this it is also known as “MountMusa”.

It is a major tourist destination as there is a cave on its summit by the name of ‘Moses’ cave’.

There is a famous Greek orthodox chapel and a mosque constructed on its summit.However both of theses are not open to the public.

Everyone has heard of the Mount Everest. The tallest mountain in the world, it stands a staggering 8,848 meters above the sea level.

Even though the descent up to its highest summit is not as difficult as it is on other mountains such as the K-2, it was still after many years of failed attempts that Sir Edmund Hillary reached its top on 29^th may 1953.

There is also great controversy regarding the climb up to the summit of Mount Everest. Climbing up more than 8000 feet is a feat that is highly dangerous and many people have died during the process.

In 1966, Everest claimed the lives of 15 people, making it the deadliest year in the history of the mountain.

Among the most beautiful mountains in the world, Mount Fuji is notable for its beautifully symmetrical shape.

Situated in Japan it is the countries highest mountain with the height of 3,776 meters. It is also an active volcano with its last recorded eruption in the year 1707.

There is a popular saying in Japan according to which anyone would be a fool not to climb Mount Fuji at least once, and also a fool to do so twice.

The forest at the base of this mountain known as Aokigahara is among the worlds biggest suicide location and till the early 19^th century poor people abandoned their young ones and the very old in this supposedly enchanted forest.

Mount Kilimanjaro

Considered the tallest free-standing mountain in this world this mountain is located in Tanzania and is 5,893 meters above sea-level. It is also the highest mountain in Africa.

It is a volcanic mountain made up of 3 peaks out of which the highest the peak “Kibo” is dormant and could still erupt. The other two however are extinct

Even though no volcanic eruption has occurred in recorded history, scientists have concluded that molten rock is just 400m below the crater of its summit and it could erupt in the next few years.

Although it is much lesser in height than many great mountains of the world, the ascent up the slopes is till a difficult task as the extreme weather conditions are very hard to conquer. Each year the death toll of the people trying to scale its height is somewhere around 10 to 20.