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Everest is not the world's highest mountain! Strange bulge in the Earth's shape means a volcanic peak in Ecuador actually sticks out further into the atmosphere

Chimborazo is higher than Everest when measured from Earth's centre
The Earth is not a perfect sphere, and is wider at the equator than at poles
Everest is 3,965 miles high when measured from centre of the planet
Chimborazo by comparison is 3,967 miles from the centre of Earth's core

Published: 12:46 GMT, 18 May 2016 | Updated: 15:28 GMT, 18 May 2016

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Since Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay first reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, conquering the world's highest peak has been a goal of almost every mountaineer on the planet.

But it seems they may have been targetting the wrong mountain - scientists say the title of the world's highest mountain should go to a volcanic peak in Ecuador.

They say that when measured from the centre of the planet, Mount Chimborazo extends further out into the atmosphere than Mount Everest.

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When measuring from the equator, Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador is the highest mountain on Earth, whose apex rises 3,967 miles from the Earth's centre

This is because the Earth is not a perfect sphere and bulges around the equator.

When measured from sea level, Mount Chimborazo, which rises 20,500 feet, falls short of Everest by 8,529 feet, which stands at a mighty 29,029 feet.

But when measured from the centre of the Earth, researchers at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement in France have confirmed that Chimborazo’s apex reaches 3,967 miles, according to an article in the New York Times.

Everest, by comparison, does not even make the cut for the Earth's top 20 highest mountains, measuring 3,965 miles from the planets centre.

HOW THE 'HIGHEST' MOUNTAINS MEASURE UP
	Mount Everest	Mount Chimbarazo
Location	Himalayas, Nepal and Tibet	Cordillera Occidental, Equador
Height above sea level	29,029 feet	20,500 feet
Height from centre of Earth	3,965 miles	3,967 miles
Average climbing time	40 days from base camp	14 days
First ascent	1953	1802

This occurs due to the rather irregular shape that the Earth actually is. While we have known that the Earth is not flat since 6th century BC, we also know that it is not a perfect sphere.

At its poles, the Earth flattens, while at its equator, it bulges. In fact, the radius at the equator is about 13 miles greater than it is at the poles.

Chimborazo is closer to the equator than Everest, which lies further north.

This means that when we measure from the centre of the Earth, Chimborazo’s apex reaches the highest.

Chimborazo is closer to the equator than Everest, which lies much nearer the poles. This means that when we measure from the centre of the Earth, Chimborazo’s apex reaches the highest, at about 3,967 miles, while Everest does not even make the cut for the Earth's top 20 highest mountains.

Rising 20,500 feet above sea level, Mount Chimborazo (left) falls short of Everest (right) by 8,529 feet, which stands at a mighty 29,029 feet. However, when measured from the equator, Chimborazo pips Everest to the post to claim the title of highest mountain

It comes shortly after the 280th anniversary of a 1736 mission by the explorer Charles Marie de La Condamine, who attempted to climb Chimborazo but died in the process.

To commemorate his attempt, a research team led by the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement in France recently climbed Mount Chimborazo.

After reaching the summit on 5 February 2016, they used a Global Navigation Satellite System to gather data for two hours.

To commemorate the 280th anniversary of Charles Marie de La Condamine's attempt to climb Chimborazo, a research team led by the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement in France recently climbed the mountain

After reaching the summit on 5 February 2016, the team from the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement used a Global Navigation Satellite System to gather data for two hours. Upon returning to base, they were then able to calculate that Mount Chimborazo is 20,946,246 feet (6384415.98 metres) from the centre of the Earth

Upon returning to base, they were then able to calculate that the mountain is 20,946,246 feet (6384415.98 metres) from the centre of the Earth.

This was actually approximately 15 feet shorter than previously thought, but regardless, confirmed its status as the highest from the Earth’s centre.

A statement posted on the Institute's website said: 'Chimborazo remains far behind Mount Everest (8,848 meters) from the level of the sea.

'However, it is the farthest point from the center of the Earth, because of its location close to the equator.

'There, the equatorial radius is about 21km (13 miles) longer than the distance between the center of the Earth and the poles, due to the flattening of the Earth.'

This is not the only measure where Mount Everest is pipped to the post to be named the highest mountain.

Mauna Kea in Hawaii is taller than Mount Everest when measured from top to bottom, however the majority of the mountain actually lies under the sea

Mauna Kea in Hawaii is a lot taller when measured from top to bottom, however the majority of the mountain actually lies under the sea.

The portion of Mauna Kea above sea level isn’t able to match Everest’s record-breaking height.

Mount Everest is famously known for being an extremely difficult climb - the mountain can take a treacherous two months of work to reach the summit.

But there's good news for those of you who want to claim you've 'climbed the highest mountain in the world' - Chimborazo is much easier to ascend and can be tackled in about two weeks.