Mount Everest, on the border of Nepal and China, is the ultimate climbing challenge. In 2006, 70-year-old Takao Arayama became the oldest to climb it. In 2010, 13-year old Jordan Romero became the youngest. At 29,035 feet, Everest is the tallest mountain in the world.

Measuring the exact height of Mount Everest is no easy task. In the early 1950s, an Indian survey calculated the mountain's height as 29,028 feet. Later surveys tried to make more accurate measurements, but the results were disputed. A survey sponsored by the National Geographic Society using GPS equipment in 1999 established the current figure of 29,035 feet, plus or minus 6.5 feet.

For people who live in the Himalaya valleys, the mountains have always been sacred. Tibetans call Mount Everest Chomolungma, often translated as "Goddess Mother of the World." The Sanskrit and Nepali name Sagarmatha means "Ocean Mother." Until 1865, the mountain was known to the rest of the world as Peak XV. That year it was renamed for Sir George Everest, British surveyor general of India from 1830 to 1843.

The Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has attracted visitors to India since it was built in the 1600s. The white marble masterpiece was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his wife. The project took 20,000 workers 22 years to complete.

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India was built as a memorial for Mumtaz Mahal ("Chosen One of the Palace"), wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The name Taj Mahal comes from her name. The central white marble structure of the Taj is the mausoleum. The main arch on each side of the building is 108 feet high. The central dome reaches 240 feet.

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India blends Islamic, Indian, and Persian architecture. The main building materials were white marble from Rajasthan and red sandstone from Delhi. Passages from the Koran were carved in Arabic calligraphy throughout the building. Inlays of more than forty different kinds of semiprecious stones were used to create flowers and geometric designs.