Climbing the Seven Summits

Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff

About 350 mountaineers have climbed all "Seven Summits"—the highest peak on each of the seven continents. The first was Dick Bass, an American businessman, on April 30, 1985.

ContinentMountainCountry and/or locationHeight
FeetMeters
AsiaMt. EverestTibet-Nepal29,0358,850
South America Mt. AconcaguaArgentina22,8346,960
North AmericaMt. McKinley (Denali)United States, Alaska20,3206,194
AfricaMt. Kilimanjaro Tanzania19,3405,995
Europe Elbrus Russia/Georgia 18,5105,642
AntarcticaVinson MassifEllsworth Mts.16,0664,897
Australia1Kosciusko Australia7,3102,228
1. Some climbers believe that the true Seven Summits should include Carstensz Pyramid (16,023 ft.) in Irian Jaya, Indonesia, rather than Australia's Kosciusko. Carstensz is the highest summit in Australia/Oceania, but strictly speaking, Oceania is not a continent.

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