International Mountain Day
Next: December 11, 2026
Where the world's water begins.
The story
Where it comes from
International Mountain Day grew out of the International Year of Mountains, which the UN held in 2002. The idea for that year was first raised at a mountain research conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in 1996. Following the year, the UN General Assembly decided in resolution 57/245 to designate 11 December International Mountain Day from 2003. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) leads the day through its Mountain Partnership, to show how much life on Earth depends on mountains and on the people who live among them.
How it's celebrated
FAO chooses a new focus each year and invites everyone to take part. People organise hikes, school talks, photo competitions, art exhibitions and craft fairs, and register their events with FAO so they can be shared around the world. Online, people post a photo of their favourite mountain with the hashtag #MountainsMatter. Or simply plan a walk up the nearest hill.
Did you know
- Mountains cover about 27 per cent of the world's land and are home to about 15 per cent of its people, yet they supply between 60 and 80 per cent of its fresh water, according to the UN.
- Sheep, goats, yaks, alpacas and llamas all originated or were diversified in the mountains, according to FAO.
- Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, at 4,095 m, is the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea, and Kinabalu Park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
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