Annapurna is a section of the Himalaya in north-central Nepal that includes 8091 meter (26,545 ft) Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over 7000 meters and 16 more over 6000 meters. This section is a 55 km (34 m) long massif. Annapurna I is tenth among Earth’s fourteen eight-thousanders. It rises east of the Kali Gandaki Gorge separating it from Dhaulagiri massif 8167 meter Dhaulagiri I is 34 km to the west and the gorge between is considered Earth’s deepest.
The entire massif and surrounding area are protected within the 7,629 km2 Annapurna Conservation Area, the first and largest conservation area in Nepal, established in 1986 by the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation.
