Where are the world's mountains above 8,000 meters in elevation? What are their landform features? How many peaks exceed this altitude? For a long time, these questions remained unanswered, posing challenges to scientific research and mountaineering activities in snow mountain regions. After over 20 years of research, Chinese scientists have successfully compiled the world's first *Atlas of the World’s 8,000-Meter Mountains*, which is set to be published soon.
Mi Desheng, a researcher at the Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the author of the book, told reporters that to clarify these scientific issues, since the 1980s, researchers have conducted field surveys and photogrammetric measurements of the world's snow mountains above 8,000 meters. They obtained a wealth of valuable firsthand data, mapped out the landforms and interrelations of the mountains and peaks, and after years of effort, successfully created the *Atlas of the World’s 8,000-Meter Mountains*.
Mi Desheng explained that this *Atlas of the World’s 8,000-Meter Mountains* is developed on a mathematical basis and produced according to the standards of surveying and mapping guidelines. It consists of a preface, seven 1:100,000 scale maps, and an epilogue.
It has been learned that current research findings on the *Atlas of the World’s 8,000-Meter Mountains* have been published in *Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology*, a leading Chinese journal on frozen earth science. Prior to the completion of this atlas, Chinese researchers had compiled maps of nine of the mountains above 8,000 meters back in 1995. Through years of exploration and study, scientists have now identified 17 mountain massifs and 39 individual peaks worldwide that rise above 8,000 meters.
It is understood that the *Atlas of the World’s 8,000-Meter Mountains* will be published in both Chinese and English, filling a gap in global geophysical and geographical mapping. It will provide a theoretical foundation for glacial research. Additionally, the atlas will offer detailed mapping information for the global mountaineering and scientific trekking communities.
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