Mount Aconcagua
The highest summit in both the Western and Southern hemispheres is called Mount Aconcagua. It is located in the Southern Andes range, and although most of the mountain is in Argentina, a few of its foothills are in Chile, near Santiago, its capital. The mountain is of volcanic origin, but it is not an active volcano within itself, meaning it shall never explode. Despite the well-known fact of its astounding height, the exact altitude of the highest point has been debated since the early 1900s. The Military Geographical Institute of Argentina says that it is 22,831 feet, or 6,959 meters, whereas GPS, or the Global Positioning System, states that it is 22,840 feet, or 6,962 meters, give or take about 5 meters.
Mount Aconcagua has two summits, North Summit, the highest one, and South Summit, which are connected by a ridge called “Cresta del Guanaco,” or Guanaco Ridge. The first attempt to reach its peak in 1883 failed, although fourteen years later, a Swiss climber of the name Matthias Zurbriggen made it to the top for the first time.
Even higher than that of Mount Everest, Mount Aconcagua has the highest death rate of aspiring climbers; so climb at your own risk. Overall, Mount Aconcagua, who’s name is thought to come from the Quechua word Ackon Cahuak, or “Sentinel of Stone,” is a wonder of South America, with a peak only less than 7,000 feet lower than that of Mount Everest, and most definitely a sight to behold, even without the sight from the sky.