Mount Everest gets smaller

MOUNT Everest is about 12ft lower than previously thought, according to the results of a Chinese survey of the world's highest peak.

It revealed the summit is now only 29,017.16ft above sea level - 12.14ft below a 1975 Chinese survey and 21.65ft lower than a 1999 American study.

Using a combination of radar and global positioning system (GPS) equipment, Chinese mountaineers scaled the peak in May this year and measured the height against six control points near the mountain's base for reference.

The revised measurement does not threaten Everest's revered position as the world's highest peak - the second highest, K2, is 28,251ft above sea level - but it may surprise some observers, while perhaps confirming suspicions that the mountain has been shrinking due to the effects of global warming.