Gangkhar Puensum

Gangkhar Puensum
Summit of Gangkhar Puensum
Highest point
Elevation7,571 m (24,839 ft)
Ranked 40th
Prominence2,995 m (9,826 ft)
Ranked 92nd
ListingCountry high point
Ultra
Coordinates28°02′54″N 90°27′15″E / 28.04833°N 90.45417°E / 28.04833; 90.45417
Naming
Native nameགངས་དཀར་སྤུན་གསུམ་ (Dzongkha)
Geography
Gangkhar Puensum
Location of Gangkhar Puensum
60km
37miles
Bhutan
Nepal
Pakistan
India
China
45
The major peaks (not mountains) above 7,500 m (24,600 ft) height in Himalayas, rank identified in Himalayas alone (not the world).
Location of Gangkhar Puensum
LocationBhutanChina border
Parent rangeHimalaya
Climbing
First ascentUnclimbed

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 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 1994 Bhutan banned the climbing of peaks over 6,000 metres and since 2003, all mountaineering has been banned in Bhutan.