The boiling point of an element or a substance is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid equals the environmental pressure surrounding the liquid.
A liquid in a vacuum environment has a lower boiling point than when the liquid is at atmospheric pressure. A liquid in a high pressure environment has a higher boiling point than when the liquid is at atmospheric pressure. In other words, the boiling point of liquids varies with and depends upon the surrounding environmental pressure (which tends to vary with elevation). Different liquids (at a given pressure) boil at different temperatures.
The boiling point of water is 100 °C (212 °F) at standard pressure. On top of Mount Everest, at 8,848 m elevation, the pressure is about 260 mbar (26.39 kPa) and the boiling point of water is 69 °C. (156.2 °F). The boiling point decreases 1°C every 285 m of elevation.
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