Gangkhar Puensum
Gangkhar Puensum (Dzongkha: གངས་དཀར་སྤུན་གསུམ་, romanized: Kangkar Punsum, alternatively, Gangkar Punsum or Gankar Punzum) is the highest mountain in Bhutan and the highest unclimbed mountain in the world, with an elevation of 7,570 metres (24,836 ft) and a prominence of 2,995 metres (9,826 ft). In Dzongkha language, its name means "White Peak of the Three Spiritual Brothers".
| Gangkhar Puensum | |
|---|---|
Summit of Gangkhar Puensum | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,570 m (24,840 ft) Ranked 40th |
| Prominence | 2,995 m (9,826 ft) Ranked 92nd |
| Isolation | 228 km (142 mi) |
| Listing | Country high point Ultra |
| Coordinates | 28°02′54″N 90°27′15″E |
| Naming | |
| Native name | གངས་དཀར་སྤུན་གསུམ་ (Dzongkha) |
| Geography | |
Gangkhar Puensum Location of Gangkhar Puensum on a map of Bhutan, at the border with Tibet | |
| Location | Bhutan–China border |
| Parent range | Himalaya |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | Unclimbed |
Gangkhar Puensum lies on the border between Bhutan and Tibet. After Bhutan was opened for mountaineering in 1983, there were four expeditions that resulted in failed summit attempts in 1985 and 1986. In 1999, a Japanese expedition successfully climbed Liankang Kangri, a 7,535 metres (24,721 ft) subsidiary peak (not an independent mountain), separated from the main peak by a 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long ridge to the north-northwest but had to turn around when their permit was revoked.
In 1994 Bhutan banned the climbing of peaks over 6,000 metres and since 2003, all mountaineering has been banned in Bhutan.