Seven Summits: Highest Peak on Each Continent

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa. But where does it rank in order of the highest peak on each continent?

Seven Summits

First of all, what are the highest peaks on each continent? There are seven continents so the seven highest peaks are Mount Everest in Asia, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, Aconcagua in South America, Mount McKinley (Denali) in North America, Mount Elbrus in Europe, Vinson Massif in Antarctica and Puncak Jaya in Indonesia.

You may be asking, Indonesia? Where’s Australia? Technically Puncak Jaya is situated in the Papua province of Indonesia but it lies on the Australian continental shelf. The highest peak on the mainland of Australia is Mt Kosciuszko. However, Mt Wilhelm in Papua New Guinea is taller at but also is not on the mainland of Australia, rather it is on the island just north of the mainland. New Zealand, also on the continental shelf of Australia, has Mount Cook or Aoraki.

How tall are each of these mountains?

Mountain Everest is the tallest. It currently is 8,848 meters or 29,029 feet. It is located in Nepal and China.

The second highest peak is Aconcagua which stands at 6,962 meters or 22,841 feet. It is located in Argentina. In fact, it is the highest standing mountain in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres and is located in the Andes mountain range.

The third highest peak is Mount McKinley at 6,194 meters or 20,320 feet. It is located in Alaska. Recently, President Obama restored the original name of Mount McKinley to Denali, which has cultural significance to the native Alaskan people.

The fourth highest mountain is Mount Kilimanjaro it stands 5,892 meters or 19,340 feet and is located in Tanzania. It is the only free-standing mountain of the seven.

The fifth highest peak is Mount Elbrus. Elbrus stands at 5,642 meters or 18,510 feet. Located in Russi, tt is actually two dormant volcanoes and lies on top of a moving tectonic area and is linked to a fault line.

The sixth highest summit goes to Vinson Massif measuring in at 4,892 meters or 16,050 feet. Located in Antartica, it lies within the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains. Vinson Massif overlooks the Ronne Ice Shelf near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula.

And finally, the highest peak on the Australian continental shelf is Puncak Jaya measuring in at 4,884 meters or 16,024 feet and is located in Indonesia. Australia is actually comprised of New Guinea, the country of Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Timor, other islands, and the submerged continental shelf.

But wait, there’s a technicality

Mauna Kea, located on the island of Hawaii, is actually the tallest mountain in the world. It stands 4,207 meters or 13,802 feet above sea level. Its peak is the highest point in the state of Hawaii. However, most of the mountain is under water. When measured from its oceanic base, Mauna Kea is over 10,000 meters or 33,000 feet tall. This makes it the world’s tallest mountain from base to summit.

Originally published at Peak Planet.