The Chinese and Nepalese governments have just agreed to officially set the height of the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest , at 8,848 meters , which stands on the border between the two countries. This is four meters more than Beijing claimed. The difference was based on the fact that China proposed that the exact height to rock level be measured, while Nepal considered that the four meters of snow cover should be included. Finally, the Chinese representatives accepted the Nepalese proposal.
The debates about the height of Everest began in 1856, when the first measurement of Mt. The height finally accepted by the two parties, 8,848 meters, was first established in 1955 by an Indian researcher who included the snow cover in the measurement. However, geologists estimate that the height accepted by Chinese and Nepalese could be incorrect, because Everest has not stopped growing due to the movement of tectonic plates. In May 1999 , a team of American scientists established, using GPS technology, that the mount currently measures 8,850 meters . The National Geographic Society of the United States has accepted this figure, but China and Nepal have not officially recognized it.
