1. The UN encouraged nations “to organise events at all levels” to highlight the importance of sustainable mountain development. Whether this meant at all levels of the mountains is unclear.
2. Until the 1920s, the Ordnance Survey classified anything higher than 1,000ft as a mountain. Now the system is more flexible but 2,000ft is generally taken as the qualifying height.
3. Last year, Calf Top in the Yorkshire Dales was found to qualify a mountain by a margin of 2mm.
4. The mountain whose peak is furthest from the Earth’s centre is Mt Chimborazo in the Andes…
5. …but this is due to a bump around the Earth’s equator. Everest rises higher above sea level.
6. Mount Disappointment in Australia was named by climbers who found the view poor at the top.
7. The earliest known reference to “making mountains out of molehills” was in 1570.
8. Around one fifth of the Earth’s land is covered by mountains.
9. The tallest known mountain in the solar system is Olympus Mons, on Mars at 72,000 feet.
10. “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.” (Muhammad Ali).
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