The Extremes Of Planet Earth

Record Holders

Meet the record-breakers of the natural world — the highest peak, the longest river, the deepest trench, the driest, hottest and coldest places our planet has to offer.

Highest Mountain

8,849 m

Mount Everest

Nepal / China (Himalayas)

Rising 8,849 metres above sea level, Everest’s summit is the highest point on Earth’s surface, straddling the border between Nepal and Tibet.

Longest River

6,650 km

The Nile

Northeastern Africa

Flowing about 6,650 km northward through eleven countries into the Mediterranean, the Nile is generally regarded as the world’s longest river.

Largest River By Discharge

~209,000 m³/s

The Amazon

South America

The Amazon pours roughly 209,000 cubic metres of water into the ocean every second — more than the next seven largest rivers combined.

Deepest Ocean Point

10,935 m deep

Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench

Western Pacific Ocean

The Challenger Deep plunges about 10,935 metres below the surface — deep enough to swallow Mount Everest with more than two kilometres to spare.

Largest Desert

14,000,000 km²

Antarctic Polar Desert

Antarctica

A desert is defined by scarce precipitation, not heat — and the frozen Antarctic, at 14 million km², is by far the largest desert on Earth.

Largest Hot Desert

9,200,000 km²

The Sahara

North Africa

Spanning 9.2 million km² across North Africa, the Sahara is the largest hot desert on the planet — nearly the size of the United States.

Largest Lake

371,000 km²

The Caspian Sea

Europe / Asia border

Despite its name, the Caspian is the world’s largest inland body of water — a 371,000 km² lake bordered by five countries.

Deepest Lake

1,642 m deep

Lake Baikal

Siberia, Russia

At 1,642 metres deep, ancient Lake Baikal holds around a fifth of all the unfrozen freshwater on Earth’s surface.

Tallest Waterfall

979 m

Angel Falls

Canaima, Venezuela

Water plunges 979 metres from a tabletop mountain in Venezuela, making Angel Falls the tallest uninterrupted waterfall in the world.

Largest Island

2,166,000 km²

Greenland

North Atlantic / Arctic

Covering 2.16 million km² — most of it beneath a vast ice sheet — Greenland is the largest island on Earth that is not a continent.

Largest Coral Reef

~2,300 km long

Great Barrier Reef

Queensland, Australia

Stretching some 2,300 km off Australia’s coast, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth — visible from space.

Driest Place

<1 mm rain / year

Atacama Desert

Northern Chile

Some weather stations in Chile’s Atacama have never recorded rain — the driest non-polar place on Earth, and a stand-in for Mars.

Hottest Recorded Temperature

56.7 °C

Death Valley (Furnace Creek)

California, USA

On 10 July 1913, Furnace Creek in Death Valley hit 56.7 °C (134 °F) — the highest air temperature ever reliably recorded on Earth.

Coldest Recorded Temperature

−89.2 °C

Vostok Station

Antarctica

Russia’s Vostok Station recorded −89.2 °C in 1983 — the coldest air temperature ever measured directly at the surface of the planet.

Largest Rainforest

~5,500,000 km²

Amazon Rainforest

South America

The Amazon blankets about 5.5 million km² across nine countries and holds roughly one in ten known species on Earth.

Largest Volcano

~74,000 km³ volume

Mauna Loa

Hawaiʻi, USA

Measured from its base on the sea floor, Hawaiʻi’s Mauna Loa is the largest active volcano on Earth by both volume and area.

Largest Country

17,098,242 km²

Russia

Eastern Europe / Northern Asia

Spanning 17.1 million km² across two continents and eleven time zones, Russia is by far the largest country on Earth — nearly twice the size of the next biggest.

Smallest Country

0.49 km²

Vatican City

Rome, Italy

At just 0.49 km² and around 800 residents, the Vatican is the smallest sovereign state in the world — an independent enclave within the city of Rome.

Largest Ocean

165,250,000 km²

The Pacific Ocean

Between Asia, the Americas & Oceania

Covering about a third of the planet’s surface, the Pacific is the largest and deepest ocean — bigger than all of Earth’s land area combined.

Largest Continent

44,580,000 km²

Asia

Eastern Hemisphere

At 44.6 million km² and home to roughly 60% of humanity, Asia is the largest and most populous continent on Earth.

Longest Mountain Range

~7,000 km

The Andes

Western South America

Running roughly 7,000 km down the spine of South America, the Andes form the longest continental mountain range in the world.

Tallest Tree

115.9 m

Hyperion (Coast Redwood)

California, USA

A coast redwood named Hyperion soars to 115.9 metres — taller than a 35-storey building — making it the tallest known living tree on Earth.

Largest Cave Passage

5 km long, up to 200 m high

Hang Sơn Đoòng

Quang Binh, Vietnam

Vietnam’s Sơn Đoòng holds the largest known cave passage on Earth — vast enough to contain a 40-storey skyscraper, with its own jungle and clouds.

Largest Salt Flat

10,582 km²

Salar de Uyuni

Potosí, Bolivia

Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni spreads over 10,582 km² of dazzling white salt that turns into the world’s largest natural mirror after rain.

Longest Cave System

685+ km mapped

Mammoth Cave

Kentucky, USA

With more than 685 km of surveyed passages — and more found each year — Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave is the longest known cave system in the world.

Largest Glacier

~400 km long, 100 km wide

Lambert Glacier

East Antarctica

The Lambert Glacier in Antarctica is the largest and fastest glacier on Earth — about 400 km long and draining a huge slice of the polar ice sheet.

Largest River Delta

~105,000 km²

Ganges–Brahmaputra Delta

Bangladesh & India

Where the Ganges and Brahmaputra meet the sea, they build the world’s largest delta — home to the vast Sundarbans mangrove forest.

Longest Coastline

202,080 km

Canada

North America

Fringed by three oceans and countless islands, Canada has the longest coastline of any country — 202,080 km, over half the world’s total.

Highest Volcano

6,893 m

Ojos del Salado

Chile / Argentina

Straddling the Chile–Argentina border high in the Andes, Ojos del Salado rises to 6,893 m — the highest volcano on Earth.

Windiest Place

Gusts over 320 km/h

Commonwealth Bay

Antarctica

Commonwealth Bay in Antarctica endures relentless katabatic winds — gusts topping 320 km/h make it the windiest place at sea level on the planet.

Largest Impact Crater

~300 km wide

Vredefort Crater

Free State, South Africa

Formed by an asteroid strike about two billion years ago, South Africa’s Vredefort structure — roughly 300 km across — is the largest known impact crater on Earth.

Lowest Land Point

−430 m

Shores of the Dead Sea

Jordan / Israel / West Bank

The salty shores of the Dead Sea lie about 430 metres below sea level — the lowest exposed land on the surface of the Earth.

Tallest Free-Standing Mountain

5,895 m

Mount Kilimanjaro

Tanzania

Rising alone from the plains of Tanzania to 5,895 m, snow-capped Kilimanjaro is the tallest free-standing mountain on Earth and Africa’s highest peak.

Hottest Inhabited Place

~34.6 °C year-round average

Danakil Depression

Afar, Ethiopia

With an average temperature around 34.6 °C and blistering sulfur fields, Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression is the hottest inhabited place on the planet.

Wettest Place

~11,871 mm rain / year

Mawsynram

Meghalaya, India

Drenched by monsoon clouds off the Bay of Bengal, Mawsynram in India receives nearly 11,900 mm of rain a year — the wettest inhabited place on Earth.

Hottest Surface Temperature

80.8 °C ground temp

Dasht-e Lut

Iran

Satellites clocked the sun-baked ground of Iran’s Lut Desert at 80.8 °C — the highest land-surface temperature ever recorded on Earth.

Oldest Desert

~55 million years

The Namib

Namibia

Its towering red dunes have stood for around 55 million years, making the Namib along Africa’s south-west coast the oldest desert in the world.

Largest Sheet Of Falling Water

1,708 m wide, 108 m high

Victoria Falls

Zambia / Zimbabwe

Neither the tallest nor widest alone, Victoria Falls combines width and height into the largest single sheet of falling water on Earth.

Largest Freshwater Lake

82,100 km²

Lake Superior

North America

Covering 82,100 km² on the US–Canada border, Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area.

Highest Plateau

~4,500 m average

Tibetan Plateau

Central Asia

Averaging about 4,500 m above sea level across 2.5 million km², the Tibetan Plateau is the highest and largest plateau on Earth — the “Roof of the World.”

Deepest Canyon

~5,382 m deep

Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon

Tibet, China

Carved by the Yarlung Tsangpo river around the Himalayas, this Tibetan gorge plunges up to 5,382 m — the deepest canyon on the planet.

Tallest Active Geyser

Up to 115 m

Steamboat Geyser

Yellowstone, USA

When it erupts, Yellowstone’s Steamboat Geyser blasts water up to 115 m into the air — the tallest active geyser in the world.

Largest Archipelago

~17,500 islands

Indonesia

Southeast Asia

Scattered across the equator, Indonesia’s roughly 17,500 islands form the largest archipelago on Earth, stretching over 5,000 km east to west.

Highest Capital City

~3,640 m elevation

La Paz

Bolivia

Cradled in a high Andean canyon at about 3,640 m, Bolivia’s administrative capital La Paz is the highest capital city in the world.

Tallest Building

828 m

Burj Khalifa

Dubai, UAE

Piercing the Dubai skyline at 828 m with over 160 floors, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building and tallest man-made structure on Earth.

Longest Wall

~21,196 km

Great Wall of China

China

Snaking across northern China for around 21,196 km, the Great Wall is the longest wall — and the longest structure — ever built by humans.

Largest Monolith

~858 m high, 8 km long

Mount Augustus

Western Australia

Rising 858 m over the outback and stretching 8 km, Western Australia’s Mount Augustus is widely regarded as the largest monolith on Earth — more than twice the size of Uluru.

Longest Fjord System

~340 km long

Scoresby Sund

East Greenland

Reaching some 340 km inland and studded with towering icebergs, Greenland’s Scoresby Sund is the longest and one of the deepest fjord systems in the world.

Highest Peak Outside Asia

6,961 m (22,838 ft)

Aconcagua

Mendoza, Argentina

Towering to 6,961 m in the Argentine Andes, Aconcagua is the highest mountain in both the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere — the tallest peak anywhere outside Asia.

Farthest Point From Earth’s Center

~6,384 km from center

Mount Chimborazo

Chimborazo, Ecuador

Because Earth bulges at the equator, the summit of Ecuador’s Chimborazo sits about 6,384 km from the planet’s core — farther out than Everest, making it the closest point to space.

Most Remote Ocean Point

2,688 km from land

Point Nemo

South Pacific Ocean

The oceanic pole of inaccessibility, Point Nemo lies 2,688 km from the nearest land — so isolated that its closest humans are often astronauts aboard the space station overhead.

Coldest Inhabited Place

−67.7 °C recorded

Oymyakon

Sakha Republic, Russia

This Siberian village recorded a bone-cracking −67.7 °C, making Oymyakon the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth, where residents endure winters darker and icier than almost anywhere.

Highest Navigable Lake

3,812 m elevation

Lake Titicaca

Peru / Bolivia

Perched at 3,812 m in the Andes, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world, its blue expanse dotted with the Uros people’s famous floating reed islands.

Greatest Vertical Drop

1,250 m sheer face

Mount Thor

Baffin Island, Canada

Mount Thor’s west face plunges 1,250 m at an overhanging 105° angle — the greatest purely vertical drop on Earth, a granite wall that lures the boldest climbers.

Largest Eruption In Recorded History

VEI-7 (1815)

Mount Tambora

Sumbawa, Indonesia

Tambora’s 1815 VEI-7 blast was the most powerful eruption in recorded history, ejecting so much ash it triggered 1816’s “Year Without a Summer” across the globe.

Largest Waterfall By Volume

~25,700 m³/s

Inga Falls

Congo River, DR Congo

Where the mighty Congo River crashes through a series of rapids, Inga Falls carries roughly 25,700 m³ of water every second — the greatest flow of any waterfall on Earth.

Widest Waterfall

~10.8 km wide

Khone Phapheng Falls

Champasak, Laos

Spanning about 10.8 km across the Mekong, Khone Phapheng is the widest waterfall in the world — a thundering maze of channels that blocks the river to navigation.

Largest Bay

2,172,000 km²

Bay of Bengal

Indian Ocean

Cradled by India, Bangladesh and Myanmar, the Bay of Bengal covers about 2,172,000 km² — the largest bay on Earth and a cradle of monsoon-driven life.

Only Sea Without A Coastline

Bounded by ocean currents

Sargasso Sea

North Atlantic Ocean

Defined by ocean currents rather than land, the Sargasso Sea is the only sea on Earth with no coastline — a golden meadow of floating sargassum weed in the mid-Atlantic.

Smallest Continent

7,700,000 km²

Australia

Southern Hemisphere

At about 7.7 million km², Australia is the smallest of the seven continents — yet it is also the world’s largest island and home to the iconic monolith Uluru.

Deepest Blue Hole

300 m deep

Dragon Hole

South China Sea

Plunging 300 m into the Paracel Islands, the Dragon Hole (Sansha Yongle) is the deepest known underwater sinkhole on Earth — a dark abyss steeped in local legend.

Saltiest Body Of Water

~40% salinity

Don Juan Pond

Victoria Land, Antarctica

With about 40% salinity — over ten times that of the ocean — Antarctica’s Don Juan Pond is the saltiest body of water on Earth, so briny it never freezes despite the cold.

Lightning Capital Of The World

~250 flashes/km²/yr

Lake Maracaibo

Zulia, Venezuela

Where the Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo, near-nightly storms unleash about 250 lightning flashes per km² each year — the most electric place on the planet.

Largest Sand Desert

650,000 km²

Rub‘ al Khali

Arabian Peninsula

The “Empty Quarter” sprawls across 650,000 km² of the Arabian Peninsula — the largest continuous sand desert on Earth, with dunes rising to 250 m.