The official height of Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山), the highest peak in Taiwan, has been officially changed to 3,952.43m above sea level with a margin of error of 4.5cm, using the most modern technology available, the Yushan National Park Headquarters said in a news release on Wednesday.
The National Land Surveying and Mapping Center visited the mountain on multiple occasions in 2016 and last year to take readings, the statement said.
Different techniques, such as leveling, satellite positioning and gravity surveying were used to ensure that the measurement is as accurate as possible, the statement said, adding that it is the most precise measurement possible with existing technology.
The peak’s official height was previously recorded as 3,952m and it remains the highest peak in Taiwan and Northeast Asia, the park said.
The first time the mountain was measured was during the Japanese colonial era and, in 1897, it was renamed Niitakayama (New Highest Mountain) because it was higher than Japan’s tallest peak, Mount Fuji, which stands at 3,776m, the park said.
The mountain was measured at 3,945m in 1904, 3,962m in 1909 and 3,950m in 1925, it added.
In 1947, the Taiwan Provincial Government renamed it Niitakayama Yushan (Jade Mountain), and in 1957, the US military recorded the mountain’s height as 3,997m, the park said.
Due to the use of different techniques, the mountain was measured at 3,952.348m in 1976 and 3,951.798m in 2003, it added.
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