MountQomolangmaisdistributedinTibetandPakistan,India,Nepal,Sikkim,Bhutanandothercountries.ItsmainpartisatthejunctionofChinaandNepal.ThenorthslopeisinTibetandthesouthslopeisinNepal."Qomolangma"inTibetanmeans"virgin".InTibetan,"Qomolangma"meansgoddess,and"Langma"meansthethird.BecausetherearefourmountainsnearMountQomolangma,whichranksthethird,itiscalledMountQomolangma.Everestis8848metersabovesealevel.ItisthemainpeakoftheHimalayasandthehighestpeakintheworld.
TheHimalayasisoneoftheyoungestmountainsintheworld,withanageof10-20millionyears.Itiscomposedofmanyparallelmountains,withatotallengthof2450kmfromeasttowestandawidthof200-300kmfromnorthtosouth.Itisayoungfoldedmountainrangewithcomplexstructure.Fromnorthtosouth,itcanbedividedintofourzones:chaisikmountain,Ladakhmountain,greatHimalayamountain,littleHimalayamountainandsiwalikmountain.ThemainveinisthegreatHimalayamountain,whichisthehighest,about50-90kmwideandmainlycomposedofcrystallinerocks.ThegreatHimalayanmountainsaretraditionallydividedintothreesections:thewesternHimalayasfromaripulantoParbatinNagaya,India;theMiddleHimalayasfromnamninatoYadongchuomoraliintheeastofPulan;andthegreatHimalayasfromYadongtoYarlungZangboRiverintheeastofYadong
Atthecorner,NamjagbarwapeakistheeasternHimalayas.TheaveragealtitudeofthegreatHimalayanMountainsismorethan6000meters,withmanypeaks.Therearemorethan50peaksover7000meters,and16peaksover8000meters.MountEverest,theworld'shighestpeak,standsontheborderbetweenChinaandNepal.Within5000squarekilometersaroundMountQomolangma,thereare4peaksabove8000metersand38peaksabove7000meters.Thisphenomenonofpeakconcentrationistheonlyoneintheworld,soitiscalled"theroofoftheworld".Undertheerosionandcuttingofmanyrivers,theHimalayashaveformedmanygorgechannelswithadepthofseveralkilometers,whichhasbecomeashortcutfortradeandculturalexchangesbetweenTibetanditssurroundingareas.
MountQomolangmaisanapproximatelyEast-Westarc-shapedmountainsystem.Thepyramidshapedpeakisclearlyvisiblefromahundredkilometersaway,givingpeopleasolemnandsacredfeeling.Everestiscoveredwithiceandsnowalltheyearround.Thereareseverallargeglaciersinthecanyon.ThefamousRongbuglacierisformedbytheconfluenceofthreeglaciers:East,WestandmiddleRongbu.Themountaintopglaciercoversanareaof10000squarekilometers,andthesnowline(4500-6000meters)islowintheSouthandhighinthenorth.
ThenaturalconditionsofMountQomolangmaareextremelycomplex,theclimateisharshandtheterrainissteep.ThesouthslopeofMt.Qomolangmaisrichinprecipitation,withtropicalmonsoonrainforestbelow1000meters,subtropicalevergreenforestbetween1000-2000meters,temperateforestabove2000metersandalpinemeadowabove4500meters.Thenorthslopeismainlyalpinemeadow,andthereareforestsandshrubsinthevalleybelow4100meters.Therearepeacock,gibbon,Tibetanbear,snowleopard,Tibetanantelopeandotherrareanimalsandavarietyofmineraldepositsinthemountains.
Everest,knownasthetopoftheearth,hasbecomethe"holytemple"inthemindsofmountaineersallovertheworld,whichisthelongcherishedwishofeverymountaineer.Sincethe18thand19thcenturies,explorersandmountaineersfromsomecountrieshavecometoEveresttoexploreitsmystery.Butitwasnotuntilafterthe1950sthatpeopleclimbedMountEverestfromthesouthslope.From1921to1938,BritishexplorerstriedtoclimbMountEverestfromthenorthslopeseventimes,buttheyallfailed,andsomeevenlosttheirlives.Therefore,theycallthenorthslope"therouteofnoclimbing"and"therouteofdeath".
MountQomolangmawasestablishedasanaturereservein1989.In1993,itwasdesignatedasanationalnaturereservewithatotalareaof3.38millionhectares.MountQomolangmahasbecomethehighestaltitudeNatureReserveinChina.In2005,Mt.EverestwaslistedasanationalAAAAscenicspot.