When people think of the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest usually comes to mind. Standing at 8,848 metres above sea level, the Himalayan giant is widely recognized as the world’s tallest mountain. However, there is another mountain that holds a different and equally fascinating record.
Chimborazo, a dormant volcano in Ecuador’s Andes Mountains, is the point on Earth’s surface farthest from the planet’s centre. Despite being more than 2,500 metres shorter than Everest, its summit extends farther into space because of the unique shape of the Earth.
The reason lies in the fact that Earth is not a perfect sphere. Due to the planet’s rotation, it bulges outward around the equator and is slightly flattened at the poles, a shape known as an oblate spheroid.
Chimborazo is located almost directly on the equator, benefiting from this natural bulge. Everest, by contrast, sits nearly 28 degrees north of the equator and therefore begins from a point closer to Earth’s centre.
As a result Chimborazo summit is approximately 6,384.4 kilometres from Earth centre, while Everest summit is about 6,382.3 kilometres away. This places Chimborazo roughly 2.1 kilometres farther from the planet’s core than Everest.
The difference is remarkable because Everest remains significantly taller when measured from sea level. Yet the Earth’s equatorial bulge provides Chimborazo with enough of a head start to surpass Everest in terms of distance from the centre of the planet.
Understanding Different Definitions of “Highest”
The comparison highlights an important scientific distinction. Everest is the highest mountain above sea level, but Chimborazo is the farthest point from Earth’s centre.
This means the answer to the question “What is the highest mountain on Earth?” depends entirely on how height is measured.
From sea level Everest remains the undisputed champion. From Earth’s centre, Chimborazo takes the title. Another mountain, Mauna Kea in Hawaii, is often considered the tallest when measured from its base on the Pacific Ocean floor to its summit, even though most of the mountain remains underwater.
More Than One Mountain Beats Everest
Chimborazo is not the only peak that surpasses Everest in distance from Earth centre. Because of the equatorial bulge, several mountains located near the equator are farther from Earth’s core than the Himalayan giant.
Many of these peaks are found in the Andes, with Peru’s Huascarán ranking among Chimborazo closest rivals. Nevertheless, Chimborazo remains the most distant point on Earth’s surface from the planet’s centre.
The distinction has led some scientists and institutions to describe Chimborazo as the place on Earth closest to outer space. While Everest still reaches higher into the atmosphere above sea level, Chimborazo extends farther outward from the centre of the planet.
The mountain unique position serves as a reminder that geography often depends on perspective. Everest remains the world’s highest mountain by the traditional measure but when Earth’s true shape is taken into account, the summit closest to space belongs to Ecuador’s Chimborazo.