Extreme points of Earth

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This is a list of lists of extreme points of Earth, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other locations on the landmasses, continents or countries.

Contents 1 The world 1.1 Latitude and longitude 1.2 Altitude 1.2.1 Highest point 1.2.2 Lowest point (artificial) 1.2.3 Lowest point (natural) 1.2.4 Highest attainable by transportation 1.2.5 Lowest attainable by transportation 1.2.6 Highest geographical features 1.3 Remoteness 1.4 Center 1.5 Along constant latitude (east-west distances) 1.6 Along constant longitude (north-south distances) 1.7 Along any great circle 2 The Americas 3 Antarctica 4 The Arctic 5 Australasia 6 Afro-Eurasia 7 See also 8 References

The world

Latitude and longitude

• The northernmost point of Earth is the geographic North Pole, in the Arctic Ocean.
• The northernmost point on land is Kaffeklubben Island, north of Greenland (83°40′N 29°50′W / 83.667°N 29.833°W / 83.667; -29.833 (northernmost point on land)), which lies slightly north of Cape Morris Jesup, Greenland (83°38′N 32°40′W / 83.633°N 32.667°W / 83.633; -32.667 (Cape Morris Jesup)). Various shifting gravel bars lie further north, the most famous being Oodaaq. The term Ultima Thule was given by medieval cartographers to denote any distant northern place located beyond the "borders of the known world."
• The southernmost point of the world and the southernmost point on land is the geographic South Pole, which is on the continent of Antarctica.
• The westernmost and easternmost points of the world, based on the normal practice of using longitude, can be found anywhere along the 180th meridian in Siberian Russia (including Wrangel Island), Antarctica, or the three islands of Fiji through which the 180th meridian passes (Vanua Levu's eastern peninsula, the middle of Taveuni, and the western part of Rabi.)
• The westernmost point on land, according to the path of the International Date Line, would be Attu Island, Alaska.
• The easternmost point on land, according to the path of the International Date Line, would be Caroline Island, Kiribati.¹

¹A 1995 realignment of the International Date Line ([1]) moved all of Kiribati to the Asian side of the Date Line, causing Caroline Island to be the easternmost. However, if the original Date Line were followed, the easternmost point would be Tafahi Niuatoputapu, in the Tonga Islands chain.

Altitude

Highest point

• The highest point measured from sea level is the summit of Mount Everest in Nepal. While measurements of its height vary slightly, the elevation of its peak is usually given as 8,848 m (29,029 ft) above sea level.
  
  • Mention has been made of altitude from the center of the earth, for the peak that reaches farthest into space. Since the earth is not a sphere, but an oblate spheroid (approximately), whose equatorial radius is 13 miles greater than the polar radius, mountains nearer the equator have an advantage, such that Mt. Chimborazo (See 6/3, Chimborazo Day in Chase's Annual Events) is 'higher' than Mt.Everest (Sagarmāthā or Chomolungma). Similarly, the mouth of the Mississippi river is about 6 mi. 'higher' than its source, by the same reasoning, and so 'flows up-hill'.
    
• The point farthest from the Earth's centre is widely reported to be the summit of Chimborazo (due to the Earth not being a perfect sphere), at 6,384.4 km (3,967 mi). (Everest's summit is at 6,382.3 km (3,966 mi).) However, Huascarán is a very close contender, within the 2-metre (6 ft 7 in) measured error, if each mountain's reported height is correct.

Lowest point (artificial)

• The lowest point underground is the 12,261 metres (40,230 ft)-deep Kola Superdeep Borehole number SG-3 drilled in the Kola Peninsula, Russia. According to Google Maps, it starts from approximately 400 meters above sea level.
• The lowest human-sized point underground is 3.9 kilometers^[1] below ground at the TauTona mine, Carletonville, South Africa.

Lowest point (natural)

• The lowest point is Challenger Deep, at the bottom of the Mariana Trench: 10,911 m (35,797 ft) below sea level [2].
• The lowest point underground is more than 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) under surface. For example the altitude difference in the Voronya Cave between the entrance and the deepest explored point (its depth) is 2,191 ± 20 metres (7,190 ± 66 ft). The lowest point underground hasn't been explored.
• The lowest point on land not covered by liquid water is the floor of the Bentley Subglacial Trench: 2,555 m (8,383 ft) below sea level. It is however covered by a thick layer of ice. See the Extremes on Earth page. See List of places on land with elevations below sea level
• The lowest point on dry land is the shore of the Dead Sea, 418 m (1,371 ft) below sea level. See List of places on land with elevations below sea level
• The point closest to the Earth's centre (~6,353 km (3,948 mi)) is probably at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean (greatest depth 5,450 m (17,881 ft)) near the Geographic North Pole (the bottom of the Mariana Trench is 6,366.4 km (3,956 mi) from the centre of the Earth).

Highest attainable by transportation

• Road (dead end): Aucanquilcha, Chile, 6,176 m (20,262 ft), mining road to summit of volcano, once usable by 20-ton mining trucks.^[2] The road is no longer usable.
• Road (mountain pass): Possibly Semo La in China, 5,565 m (18,258 ft), or Marsimik La, Indian-administered Kashmir, depending on definition of "attainable by transportation". There may be higher motorable passes in Tibet, China, in areas affected by lack of information and restricted access. See Khardung La, 5,359 m for more information.
• Train: Tanggula Mountain Pass, in the Tanggula Mountains, China, 5,072 m (16,640 ft), located on the Qingzang Railway. Tanggula also has the world's highest railway station at 5,068 m (16,627 ft). Before the Qingzang Railway was built, the highest railway ran between Lima and Huancayo in Peru, reaching 4,829 m (15,843 ft) at Ticlio.^[3]
• Commercial airport: Qamdo Bangda Airport, China, 4,334 m (14,219 ft)^[4]
• Helipad: Sonam, Siachen Glacier, Indian-administered Kashmir at a height of 6,400 m (20,997 ft) above the sea level.^[5]
• Permanent settlement : La Rinconada, Peru, 5,100 m (16,732 ft), in the Peruvian Andes. It is located near a gold mine.

Lowest attainable by transportation

• Road: The roads beside the Dead Sea, Israel, West Bank and Jordan, 418 m (1,371 ft) below sea level.
• Commercial airport: Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport(KTRM), Palm Springs, California, United States, 35 m (114.8 ft) below sea level.
• Train: Excluding tracks inside South African gold mines, which can be several thousand metres below sea level, the world's lowest railway is located in Japan's Seikan Tunnel, at 240 m (787 ft) below sea level. By comparison, the Channel Tunnel between Folkestone, England and Coquelles, France reaches a depth of 75 m (246 ft). The lowest station is Yoshioka-kaitei, 150 m (492 ft) below sea level. Outside tunnels, the lowest railway is 71 m (233 ft) below sea level, on the line connecting Yuma, Arizona and Palm Springs, California, in the United States.^[3]

Highest geographical features

• Lake: There is an unnamed crater lake on Ojos del Salado (which itself is the world's highest volcano) at 6,390 m (20,965 ft),^[6] on the Argentina-Chile border. Another candidate is Lhagba Pool on the northeast slopes of Mount Everest, Tibet, China at an altitude of 6,368 m (20,892 ft).^[7]
• Navigable Lake: Lake Titicaca, on the border of Peru and Bolivia in the Andes, 3,812 m (12,507 ft)

• Glacier: The Khumbu Glacier on the southwest slopes of Mount Everest in Nepal is the world's highest glacier, beginning on the west side of Lhotse at an altitude of 7,600 m (24,934 ft) to 8,000 m (26,247 ft).^[8]
• River: One candidate from among many possibilities is the Ating Ho (Ho meaning river), which flows into the Aong Tso (Hagung Tso), a large lake in Tibet, China and is about 6,100 m (20,013 ft) at its source at 32°49′30″N 81°03′45″E / 32.825°N 81.0625°E / 32.825; 81.0625 (Ating Ho (source)). A very large high river is the Yarlung Tsangpo or upper Brahmaputra River in Tibet, whose main stem, the Maquan He has its source at about 6,020 m (19,751 ft) above sea level at 30°48′59″N 82°42′45″E / 30.81639°N 82.7125°E / 30.81639; 82.7125 (Maquan He (source)).^[9]. Above these altitudes there are no rivers since the temperature is almost always below freezing.
• Island: There are a number of islands in the Orba Co lake, which is located at an altitude of 5,209 m (17,090 ft) in Tibet, China.^[10]

Remoteness

• The Eurasian pole of inaccessibility, the point on land farthest from any ocean, is located approximately 320 km (199 mi) north from the city of Ürümqi, in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China, at 46°16.8′N 86°40.2′E / 46.28°N 86.67°E / 46.28; 86.67 (Eurasian pole of inaccessibility) (in the Dzoosotoyn Elisen Desert). This position is at a distance of approximately 2,648 km (1,645 mi) from the nearest coastline.
• The Pacific pole of inaccessibility (also called Point Nemo), the point in the ocean farthest from any land, lies in the South Pacific Ocean at 48°52.6′S 123°23.6′W / 48.8767°S 123.3933°W / -48.8767; -123.3933 (Point Nemo), which is approximately 2,688 km (1,670 mi) from the nearest land (equidistant from Ducie Island in the Pitcairn Islands to the north, Maher Island off Siple Island near Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica to the south and Motu Nui off Rapa Nui in the north east). It is in the middle of an area of 22,405,411 km² (8,650,778 sq mi) of ocean, larger than the entire former Soviet Union.
• The most remote island is Bouvet Island, an uninhabited and small Norwegian island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It lies at coordinates 54°26′S 3°24′E / 54.433°S 3.4°E / -54.433; 3.4 (most remote island). The nearest land is the uninhabited Queen Maud Land, Antarctica, over 1,600 km (994 mi) away to the south. The nearest inhabited land is Tristan da Cunha, 2,260 km (1,404 mi) away and South Africa, 2,580 km (1,603 mi) away.
• The most remote archipelago is Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic Ocean, 2,816 km (1,750 mi) from South Africa and 3,360 km (2,090 mi) from South America. The islands are part of the British crown colony of Saint Helena. With a population of c. 270, the main island of Tristan da Cunha is also the remotest inhabited island in the world.
• The most remote major city with a population in excess of one million is Auckland in New Zealand. The nearest city of comparable size or greater is Sydney in Australia, 2,153 kilometres (1,338 mi.) away.^[11]
• The most remote major city with a population in excess of 500,000 is Honolulu in Hawaii. The nearest city of comparable size or greater is San Francisco, 3,841 kilometres (2,387 mi.) away.
• The most remote airport in the world is Mataveri International Airport (IPC) in Easter Island, which has a single runway for military and public use. It is located 3,759 km (2,336 mi) from Santiago, Chile (SCL) which has scheduled flights to it, and 2,603 km (1,617 mi) from Mangareva (GMR) in the Gambier Islands, French Polynesia, which does not have scheduled flights to it.^[12] In comparison to this, the airport at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station (NZSP) is not very remote at all, being located only 1,355 kilometres (842 mi) from Williams Field (NZWD) near Ross Island.^[13]
• The most remote capital city of the world (longest distance from one capital of a sovereign country to the one closest to it) is a tie between Wellington, New Zealand and Canberra, Australia.

Center

Since the Earth is a near-sphere, its center (the core) is thousands of kilometres beneath its crust. However, one could perhaps consider the intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian, located at the coordinates of zero degrees by zero, to be the "center" of the standard geographic model (as viewed on a map), though the selection of longitude meridians are culturally and historically dependent, rather than based on geological or geographic reasons. This point, (0°, 0°) is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 614 km south of Accra, Ghana, in the Gulf of Guinea. The center of population, the place to which there is the shortest average route for everyone in the world, could be considered a centre of the world, and is located in the north of the Indian subcontinent, although the precise location has never been calculated.

Along constant latitude (east-west distances)

• Longest continuous distance on land:
  • 10,726 km (6665 mi) @ 48°24'53N: France (4°47'44W), central Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Russia (140°6'3E).^{[citation needed]}
• Longest continuous distance at sea (between continents):
  • 15,409 km (9575 mi) @ 18°39'12N: China (Hainan) (110°15'9E), Pacific Ocean, Mexico (103°42'6W).^{[citation needed]}
• Longest continuous latitude on land (incl. permanent ice shelf):
  • 7,958 km (4946 mi) @ 78°35S: Minimum extent of Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica (subject to change).^{[citation needed]}
• Longest continuous latitude at sea:
  • 22,471 km (13964 mi) @ 55°59S: South of Cape Horn, South America.
  • 4,435 km (2758 mi) @ 83°40N: North of Kaffeklubben Island, Greenland (longest in the northern hemisphere).^{[citation needed]}

Along constant longitude (north-south distances)

• Longest continuous distance on land:
  • 7590 km (4717 mi) @ 99°1'30E: Russia (76°13'6N), Mongolia, China, Burma, Thailand (7°53'24N).^{[citation needed]}
  • 7417 km (4610 mi) @ 20°12E: Libya (32°19N), Chad, Central Africa, Congo DR, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa (34°41'30S). (Longest in Africa).^{[citation needed]}
  • 7098 km (4412 mi) @ 70°2W: Venezuela (11°30'30N), Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina (52°33'30S). (Longest in western hemisphere and in South America).^{[citation needed]}
  • 5813 km (3613 mi) @ 97°52'30W: Canada (68°21N), USA, Mexico (16°1N). (Longest in North America).^{[citation needed]}
• Longest continuous distance at sea:
  • 15986 km (9935 mi) @ 34°45'45W: Eastern Greenland (66°23'45N), Atlantic Ocean, Antarctica (Filchner Ice Shelf) (77°37S).^{[citation needed]}
  • 15883 km (9871 mi) @ 172°8'30W: Russia (Siberia) (64°45N), Pacific Ocean, Antarctica (Ross Ice Shelf) (78°20S). (Longest in the Pacific Ocean).^{[citation needed]}

Along any great circle

• Longest continuous distance on land: 13,573 km. It begins on the coastline near Greenville, Liberia (5°2′51.59″N 9°7′23.26″W / 5.0476639°N 9.1231278°W / 5.0476639; -9.1231278), goes across the Suez Canal and ends at the top of a peninsula apx. 170 km south of the city Ningbo, China 28°17′7.68″N 121°38′17.31″E / 28.2854667°N 121.6381417°E / 28.2854667; 121.6381417.^{[citation needed]}

• Longest continuous distance at sea: There are several possible ways to travel along a great circle for more than the antipodic length of 19,840 km. Two good examples of such routes would be:
  • From the south coast of Hormozgan province, Iran (25°35′N 58°22′E / 25.583°N 58.367°E / 25.583; 58.367) across the Gulf of Oman, south-east across the Arabian sea, passing south of Australia and New Zealand, near the Antarctic coastline, then north-east across the South Pacific Ocean, passing the antipodal point and ending on the Mexican south-west coast somewhere near Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas (17°57′N 101°57′W / 17.95°N 101.95°W / 17.95; -101.95). This route is at least 24,500 km long.^{[citation needed]}
  • From Invercargill (46°37′S 168°59′E / 46.617°S 168.983°E / -46.617; 168.983), New Zealand, across Cape Horn, then off the coast of Brazil close to Recife, passing north of Cape Verde, passing the antipodal point and ending somewhere on the south-west coast of Ireland (52°09′N 6°34′W / 52.15°N 6.567°W / 52.15; -6.567). This route is approximately 21,000 km long.^{[citation needed]}

The Americas

• Extreme points of the Americas
  • Extreme points of North America
    • Extreme points of Canada
      • Extreme points of Canadian provinces
      • Extreme communities of Canada
    • Extreme points of Greenland
    • Extreme points of Mexico
      • Extreme points of Mexican states
    • Extreme points of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
    • Extreme points of the United States
      • Extreme points of U.S. states
        • Extreme points of New England
  • Extreme points of Central America
  • Extreme points of South America
    • Extreme points of Argentina
    • Extreme points of Brazil
    • Extreme points of Chile
    • Extreme points of Peru
    • Extreme points of Venezuela

Antarctica

• Extreme points of Antarctica
• Extreme points of the Antarctic

The Arctic

• Extreme points of the Arctic

Australasia

• Extreme points of Australia
• Extreme points of New Zealand
• Extreme points of Papua New Guinea

Afro-Eurasia

• Afro-Eurasia
  • Africa
    • Algeria
    • Madagascar
    • South Africa
  • Extreme points of Eurasia
    • Extreme points of Asia
      • Extreme points of China
      • Extreme points of India
      • Extreme points of Indonesia
      • Extreme points of Iran
      • Extreme points of Japan
      • Extreme points of Jordan
      • Extreme points of Russia
    • Extreme points of Europe
      • Extreme points of the European Union
      • Extreme points of Austria
      • Extreme points of Belgium
      • Extreme points of Bulgaria
      • Extreme points of Finland
      • Extreme points of France
      • Extreme points of Germany
      • Extreme points of Greece
      • Extreme points of Iceland
      • Extreme points of Ireland
      • Extreme points of Italy
      • Extreme points of the Netherlands
      • Extreme points of Norway
      • Extreme points of Poland
      • Extreme points of Portugal
      • Extreme points of Russia
      • Extreme points of Slovenia
      • Extreme points of Spain
      • Extreme points of Sweden
      • Extreme points of Switzerland
      • Extreme points of the United Kingdom

See also

• The world's most northern city, capital, island etc.
• The world's most southern city, capital, island etc.
• Extremes on Earth
• List of countries by northernmost point
• List of countries by southernmost point
• List of highest towns by country
• Lists of extreme points
• Several cultures have marked points as Land's End or the End of the World

References