Great Trigonometrical Survey measures Peak XV (Everest)
- When
- 1856
- Where
- Calcutta; Kangchenjunga
- Episodes
- 2
The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India announced Peak XV as the world's highest mountain in March 1856, establishing its height at 29,002 feet. This announcement corrected earlier assumptions that Kangchenjunga was the highest peak, confirming it as the third highest after K2. The findings resulted from years of trigonometric calculations and verification of observations.
Episodes
- Confirmation of Kangchenjunga's Rank
The 1856 announcement confirmed Kangchenjunga as the third-highest mountain, correcting the assumption that it was the highest.
- Announcement of Peak XV Height
Andrew Waugh announced Peak XV as 29,002 feet high in March 1856, confirming it as the world's highest mountain.
Background and detail
Peak XV Announcement. In March 1856, Andrew Waugh announced Peak XV as 29,002 feet high. This height was derived from observations made by the Great Trigonometrical Survey. The announcement confirmed Peak XV as the highest mountain on Earth, surpassing previous assumptions about Kangchenjunga's status.
Kangchenjunga Confirmation. Prior to 1852, Kangchenjunga was assumed to be the highest mountain. However, 1849 measurements showed Peak XV was higher. After verification, the 1856 announcement confirmed Kangchenjunga as the third-highest mountain, ranking behind Everest and K2.
People involved
- Andrew Waugh · Announced the height of Peak XV in 1856
- Radhanath Sikdar · Indian mathematician and surveyor from Bengal who was the first to identify Everest as the world's highest peak
Sources
- Mount Everest Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-27
- Kangchenjunga Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-10
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.