Nepal has started the process of measuring the world's highest mountain, Mt Everest, state news agency RSS reported Monday according to dpa. It is the first time Nepal has started such a venture, as the country previously lacked the necessary equipment. The government expects to complete the task within two years. The level of the Indian port city of Kolkata will be considered sea level for purposes of the exercise. Although the standard height of the mountain is generally expected to be 8,848 meters, different inspections have come up with different measurements. Mt Everest was first measured by BL Gulatee of the British India Company in 1952, setting its height at 8,847.842 meters. According to the Chinese government, the mountain's rock height was 8,844.42 meters and 8,847.933 meters when measured with snow deposit. In 1990, American geologist Wash Borne claimed that Mt Everest measured 8,850 meters.
