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Makālu, one of the world’s highest mountains (27,766 feet [8,463 meters]), in the Himalayas on the Nepalese-Tibetan (Chinese) border. It lies 14 miles (23 km) east-southeast of Mount Everest. Makālu had been observed by climbers of Mount Everest, but attempts to ascend its steep, glacier-covered sides did not begin until 1954. On May 15, 1955, two members of a French party—Jean Couzy and Lionel Terray—reached the summit, and seven more arrived within two days.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Mindy Johnston.
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