Kaamya Karthikeyan, a 17-year old student from Navy Children School (NCS) in Mumbai (Maharashtra), scripted history by becoming the world’s youngest female to scale the 7 highest peaks across seven continents.
- She achieved this remarkable significant milestone after she successfully climbed Mount Vinson Massif (4,892 metres, m) in Antarctica along with her father Commander S. Karthikeyan on December 24 2024.
- In 2021, she was conferred with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Shakti Puraskar, India’s highest national honour for young achievers.
Kaamya Scaled World’s Highest Peaks:
i.She first summiting Gilman’s Point (5,685m) on Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. This ascent marked her first major international climb and the beginning of her pursuit of the Seven Summits challenge.
ii.Later, In 2018, she scaled Mt. Kosciuszko (2,228 m) in Australia continent, as well as Mt. Elbrus (5,642m) in Europe, in the same year.
iii.She climbed Mt. Aconcagua (6,962 m), highest peak in South America in 2020 followed by Mt. Denali (6,190 m) in North America in 2022.
iv.In May 2024, she scaled the summit of Mt. Everest (8,849 m) in Asia at the age of 16, becoming India’s youngest climber and the world’s 2nd youngest girl to summit the world’s highest peak and Asia’s highest peak from Nepal side.
About the Seven Peaks of the Seven Continents :
1.Mount Vinson Massif:
- The 4892 m mountain is a large mountain massif in Antarctica and is located about 1,200 kilometres(km) from the South Pole, one of the coldest places on Earth.
- It is situated in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains of western Antarctica.
- It was named after Carl Vinson, a United States(US) Representative from Georgia who served in Congress from 1935 to 1961.
2.Mount Kilimanjaro:
- Mount Kilimanjaro is located in Tanzania. It is the African continent’s highest peak at 5,895 m.
- It is the largest free-standing mountain in the world.It is made up of three cones: Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira.
3.Mount Kosciuszko:
- Mount Kosciuszko is the tallest mountain peak in mainland Australia at 2,228 m. It is located in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales.
- It was named in honour of Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish patriot and statesman by the Polish explorer Paul Strzelecki in 1840.
4.Mount Elbrus:
- Mount Elbrus is the highest peak of the Caucasus mountains, southwestern Russia.
- It is an extinct volcano with twin cones reaching 18,510 feet (5,642 m) and 18,356 feet (5,595 m).
5.Mount Aconcagua:
- At 6961 m, Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas. It lies in the Southern Andes Mountains of the South American continent.
- It is the highest mountain in the world outside Asia.
6.Mount Denali :
- It is the highest mountain peak in North America, located in Alaska, the United States of America(USA).
- It is a block of granite with a height of 6,190 m.
- The name of the peak was changed from “Mount McKinley” to “Denali.”
7.Mount Everest:
- It is the world’s highest mountain peak situated in the Greater Himalayas along the boundary of Nepal and Tibet.
- The height of the peak is 8,849m.
- The peak was named Mount Everest in 1865 in honour of Sir George Everest who was the head of the Survey of India when its height was accurately measured.
