The Sagarmatha (forehead of the sky) in Nepali is known as Mt. Everest in the world. Mt. Everest with the altitude of 8848m, is the highest peak in the earth, so, it is also known as the roof of the world. The South face of this recognized mountain lies in Nepal where as the North face is said to be laid in China’s autonomous state Tibet. This world’s highest peak was first officially measured in 1956 during the Great Trigonometry Survey of British India government and then known as Peak XV certified with the height of 8840m. With a simple technology and the distance from the mountain, the height was determined with really phenomenal accuracy and only 8m off from current value of 8848m.
The name of British Surveyor in 1956 Sir George Everest was the General of British India during the survey period and hence to honor him the name of this highest peak was chosen. Tibet and Nepal were closed to foreigners, so it is reasonable to assume that local names of the mountain were unknown. It was lucky that the tallest mountain Mt. Everest was not named after an unaccomplished politician or a royal family member.
