How many 8000m peaks are there exactly?

I was recently asked by my daughter how many 8000m peaks are there? "Fourteen" I confidently responded, and wheeled off the names, Everest, K2... Well honey, daddy was wrong!

Currently, fourteen peaks are internationally recognised as above 8000m (26,250ft). However, that is about to change... You see, depending on the definition of a 'mountain' (300m or 500m of prominence?) there could be 23 peaks in the world which could be classified as above eight-thousand metres.

Recently the UIAA, which is affiliated to the International Olympic Committee, had initiated the ‘Agura’ project to identify and recognise new peaks above 8,000 metres. The Agura project has now recognised five additional peaks in Nepal and one at the China-Pakistan border as new peaks above 8,000 metres.

The six peaks recognised by the Agura project are Yarlung Khang - 8,505m (also known as Kanchenjunga West), Kanchenjunga Central - 8,473m (Nepal-India border), Kanchenjunga South - 8,476m (Nepal-India border), Lhotse Middle - 8,413m (Nepal-China border), Lhotse Shar - 8,400m (Nepal-China border) and Broad Peak Central - 8,047m (Pakistan-China border).

Final ratification may take a little longer than expected as according to the Himalayan Times, Nepal (and we assume all the other countries) will have to wait for one more year to receive the final international recognition of the additional five peaks it is looking to add as above 8000 metres because Pakistan Alpine Club and Indian Mountaineering Foundation are yet to hold their annual general meetings. However, it looks set that we will soon be talking about the 20 tallest mountains in the world!

As Gearcaster points out - What will this do to all of those who have already climbed the 14 tallest peaks, both with and without oxygen? Will Reinhold Messner or Edurne Pasaban come back to complete another 5? Nepalese officials say that the addition of the new 8000 meter peaks should not challenge records set by past climbers. If someone wants to climb the 14 highest mountains, they must still climb the original peaks - even though some of the new peaks are higher?

This is certainly an interesting move for those of us interested in High Adventures, for now there are more adventures to be had!

Future of Climbing in Nepal: New Mountains and Tighter Controls - the GearCaster

Why Nepal May Open 5 New Peaks Above 8000m To Mountaineers