The second highest mountain in the world is known by two different names. What are they?

The world's second-tallest peak, located in the Karakoram Range on the border of Pakistan and China, has a surprisingly technical primary name. The designation K2 originated during the Great (Review) Trigonometrical Survey of British India in the 19th century. As surveyors mapped the region from a distance, they simply labeled prominent peaks they saw, with "K" standing for Karakoram. K2 was the second peak they cataloged in the range, and the simple, unpoetic designation stuck, becoming its most common name worldwide.

The alternative name, Mount Godwin-Austen, honors one of the first European explorers of the area, Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen, who surveyed the vast glacier at its base in 1861. While this name appears on some older maps and is still occasionally used as a secondary reference, it was never formally or universally adopted by geographical societies. Interestingly, the mountain also has a local name, Chogori, which is derived from the Balti language and translates to "Great Mountain."

Despite its sterile official name, K2 has earned a far more dramatic nickname among climbers: the "Savage Mountain." This reputation stems from its extreme difficulty and one of the highest fatality rates among the world's 8,000-meter peaks. Its steep, exposed slopes and notoriously unpredictable weather make it a significantly tougher and more dangerous challenge for mountaineers than even Mount Everest.