A Brief History
On June 3, 2023, the world celebrates Chimborazo Day, a day to admire and adore the highest mountain on Earth. You might wrongly think of Mount Everest as the highest mountain, but when measured as the furthest distance from the center of the Earth, Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador is the 1st Prize Winner.
Digging Deeper
An inactive volcano, Chimborazo has an altitude of 20,549 feet above sea level, much less than the 29,031 feet claimed by Mount Everest. So why is Chimborazo King of the Hills? Because it is located near the Equator where the Earth bulges outward from the center, making Chimborazo the champ, and besides, it has a much cooler name!
Despite its tropical location, Chimborazo is covered by glaciers and is a challenge for mountaineers having to contend with snow, ice, and jagged rock. How will you celebrate Chimborazo Day?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Horrell, Mark. Feet and Wheels to Chimborazo: A unique climbing and cycling adventure to the summit of Ecuador. Mountain Footsteps Press, 2019.
Ziman, Steve. Response to Mt. Chimborazo. Xlibris, 2013.
The featured image in this article, a stamp, is in the public domain because stamps in Ecuador are in the public domain. See: Commons:Stamps/Public domain#Ecuador
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.
