The Tallest Mountain on Earth

Mount Everest typically gets the tallest mountain award(29,031.7 feet), however, if you measure from base to summit, Mauna Kea in Hawaii is the tallest mountain on Earth.

Mauna Kea rises about 10,210 meters (33,500 feet) from its base on the seafloor to its peak. About 6,000 meters is below water which is why Everest gets the nod.

A Few Extra, Mind-Blowing Facts:

1. Mauna Loa is a lava machine. It makes up about 50% of the entire Big Island of Hawaii. That’s like one volcano building a whole U.S. state!

2. Mauna Kea is so tall, it gets snow. Even though it’s in tropical Hawaii, the summit often gets snow in winter, and it once had a glacier during the last Ice Age.

3. You’re not that far from space on Mauna Kea. Because it’s near the equator and so tall, Mauna Kea is one of the best places in the world for space observation. That’s why 13 telescopes from 11 countries sit at its summit.