On Earth, land covers only 29 percent of the Earth's surface. However, of this small amount of land area, high mountains and plateaus above 2,000 meters make up 11 percent of the land area. Mountainous areas above 1,000 meters account for more than 28 percent of the land area, or about 42 million square kilometers.

It covers an area exactly the size of the whole of Asia, and with a few low hills and hills, the land of the Earth is covered with mountains.

There are many mountains on the earth. When the highest peak is mentioned, we think of Mount Everest. The height of Mount Everest is about 8840 meters. Although there are many mountains distributed on the earth, the height of other mountain peaks does not exceed Mount Everest. So why did the mountains on the earth not surpass this height?

The first limiting factor is gravity. Many mountain ranges are formed by plate motion. When two plates collide, the force of the collision forces material upward from the edge where it touches. This is how the Asian Himalayas were formed.

As these plates push against each other, the mountains grow taller. Until, at some point, the mountain became so heavy that its own quality prevented the upward growth caused by the collision of the two plates.

Mountains can also be formed in other ways. Volcanic islands like the Hawaiian Islands, for example, are formed when molten magma erupts out of the Earth's crust and gradually builds up. And no matter how mountains are formed, they eventually become too heavy and succumb to gravity. In other words, if the Earth had less gravity, the mountains would be higher.

For example, the mountains on Mars are much higher than our planet. The Olympus Mountain on Mars is the highest known volcano in the solar system, about 26,000 meters high, which is about three times that of Mount Everest.

In addition to the gravity factor, there is another factor that cannot be ignored, that is the river. In the beginning, rivers made mountains taller. But the role of rivers changes dramatically as mountains get taller.

Having a stream that is somewhat erosive. As a river continues to flow, it causes its course to become steeper and steeper. In the process, the mountain gets taller and taller, which can eventually cause landslides that carry the surface material away from the mountain and of course affect the growth of the mountain.

Mountains are an important part of nature and are closely related to human survival. Unfortunately, it is humans who continue to destroy mountains. The unrestricted exploitation of natural resources by human beings has resulted in the depletion of resources and the decline of species.

Tropical rainforests, the most widespread and home to the most flora and fauna, have been the hardest hit. Around the world today, rainforests are being cut down and burned at a rate of 20 hectares a minute, with the result that many species are becoming extinct and natural gene pools are being destroyed.

The United Nations designated 2002 as the International Year of Mountains. This is to call on governments and all sectors of society to take effective measures to strengthen the protection of mountains.