Editing Extremes on Earth (section)

==Latitude and longitude==
{{See also|List of northernmost items|List of southernmost items}}

===Northernmost===
* The '''[[northernmost point of land]]''' is the northern tip of [[Kaffeklubben Island]], north of [[Greenland]] ({{Coord|83|40|N|29|50|W|type:landmark|name=northernmost point on land}}), which lies slightly north of [[Cape Morris Jesup]], Greenland ({{Coord|83|38|N|32|40|W|type:landmark|name=Cape Morris Jesup}}). Various shifting [[gravel bar]]s lie farther north, the most famous being [[Oodaaq]]. There have been other islands more northern such as [[83-42]] and [[ATOW1996]] but they have not been confirmed as permanent.

===Southernmost===
* The '''southernmost continental point of land outside Antarctica''' is in South America at [[Cape Froward]], [[Magallanes Region]], [[Chile]] ({{Coord|53|56|00|S|071|20|00|W|display=inline}}).
* The '''southernmost point of (liquid) water''' is a bay on the [[Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf]] along the coast of Antarctica ({{Coord|83|S|59|W}}){{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}, about {{cvt|100|km|mi|sigfig=1}} south of [[Berkner Island]].
** The '''southernmost point of ocean''' is located on the [[Gould Coast]] ({{Coord|84|30|S|150|0|W|type:landmark|name=southernmost point of ocean}}).{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}<ref>[http://geonames.usgs.gov/apex/f?p=gnispq:5:0::NO::P5_ANTAR_ID:5881 Gould Coast] US Geographic Survey.</ref>
** The '''southernmost point of [[open ocean]]''' is in the [[Bay of Whales]], also part of the [[Ross Sea]], at 78°30'S, at the edge of the [[Ross Ice Shelf]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Bay-of-Whales|title=Bay of Whales - former bay, Antarctica|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]]}}</ref>
*** The '''southernmost island''' is considered to be [[Deverall Island]], near the [[Shackleton Coast]], surrounded by the Ross Ice Shelf although there is an island in [[Lake Vostok]] but it is currently under ice.<ref>{{cite news |first=D |last=Whitehouse |title=Russia to resume Vostok drilling |date=25 May 2005 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4577627.stm |work=BBC News |access-date=28 January 2011 }}</ref>

===Easternmost and westernmost===
* The '''easternmost and westernmost points on Earth''', based on the east–west standard for describing [[longitude]], can be found anywhere along the [[180th meridian]], which passes through the [[Arctic Ocean|Arctic]], [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], and [[Southern Ocean]]s, as well as parts of [[Siberia]] (including [[Wrangel Island]]), Antarctica, and three islands of [[Fiji]] ([[Vanua Levu]]'s eastern peninsula, the middle of [[Taveuni]], and the western part of [[Rabi Island]]).
** Using instead the path of the [[International Date Line]] (which is not a straight line), i.e. define "easternmost" as "the first to see a new day" and define "westernmost" as "the last to see a new day", the '''westernmost point on land''' is [[Attu Island]], [[Alaska]], and the '''easternmost point on land''' is [[Caroline Island]], [[Kiribati]].{{efn|[http://www.trussel.com/kir/dateline.htm A 1995 realignment of the International Date Line] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060628045504/http://trussel.com/kir/dateline.htm |date=28 June 2006}} moved all of Kiribati to the Asian side of the Date Line, causing Caroline Island to be the easternmost point. If the previous Date Line were followed, the easternmost point would be Tafahi Niuatoputapu, in the [[Tonga Islands]].}}

===Longest grid lines===
{{multiple issues|section=yes|
{{unreferenced section|date=August 2012}}
{{original research|section|date=May 2019}}
}}

====Along constant latitude====
* The '''longest continuous east–west distance on land''' is {{cvt|10726|km}} along the latitude 48°24'53"N, from the west coast of France ([[Pointe de Corsen]], {{Coord|48|24|53|N|4|47|44|W}}) through [[Central Europe]], [[Ukraine]], [[Russia]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Mongolia]] and [[China]], to a point on the east coast of Russia ({{Coord|48|24|53|N|140|6|3|E}}).
* The '''longest continuous east–west distance at sea''' is {{cvt|22471|km}} along the latitude 55°59'S, south of [[Cape Horn]], [[South America]].
** The '''longest continuous east–west distance at sea between two continents''' is {{cvt|15409|km}} along the latitude 18°39'12"N, from the coast of [[Hainan]], China ({{Coord|18|39|12|N|110|15|9|E}}) across the [[Pacific Ocean]] to the coast of [[Michoacán]], [[Mexico]] ({{Coord|18|39|12|N|103|42|6|W}}).

====Along constant longitude====
* The '''longest continuous north–south distance on land''' is {{cvt|7590|km}} along the meridian 99°1'30"E, from the northern tip of Siberia in the Russian Federation ({{Coord|76|13|6|N|99|1|30|E}}), through Mongolia, China, and [[Myanmar]], to a point on the south coast of [[Thailand]] ({{Coord|7|53|24|N|99|1|30|E}}).
** The longest in Africa is {{cvt|7417|km}} along the meridian 20°12'E, from the north coast of [[Libya]] ({{Coord|32|19|0|N|20|12|0|E}}), through [[Chad]], [[Central African Republic]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Angola]], [[Namibia]], and [[Botswana]], to the south coast of [[South Africa]] ({{Coord|34|41|30|S|20|12|0|E}}).
** The longest in South America is the length {{cvt|7098|km}} along the meridian 70°2'W, from the north coast of [[Venezuela]] ({{Coord|11|30|30|N|70|2|0|W}}), through [[Colombia]], [[Ecuador]], [[Peru]], and [[Chile]], to the southern tip of [[Argentina]] ({{Coord|52|33|30|S|70|2|0|W}}).
** The longest in North America is {{cvt|5813|km}} along the meridian 97°52'30"W, from northern [[Canada]] ({{Coord|68|21|0|N|97|52|30|W}}), through the [[United States]], to southern Mexico ({{Coord|16|1|0|N|97|52|30|W}}).
* The '''longest continuous north–south distance at sea''' is {{cvt|15986|km}} along the meridian 34°45'45"W, from the coast of Eastern Greenland ({{Coord|66|23|45|N|34|45|45|W}}) across the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the [[Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf]], on the coast of Antarctica ({{Coord|77|37|0|S|34|45|45|W}}). The longest in the Pacific Ocean is {{cvt|15883|km}} along the meridian 172°8'30"W, from the coast of Siberia ({{Coord|64|45|0|N|172|8|30|W}}) to the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica ({{Coord|78|20|0|S|172|8|30|W}}).
* The '''meridian that crosses the greatest total distance on land''' (disregarding intervening bodies of water) is still to be determined. It is likely located in the vicinity of 22°E, which is the longest integer meridian that fits that criterion, crossing a total of {{cvt|13035|km}} of land through Europe ({{cvt|3370|km|disp=or}}), Africa ({{cvt|7458|km|disp=or}}), and Antarctica ({{cvt|2207|km|disp=or}}).{{efn|By comparison, the meridian that passes through the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] in Egypt (31°08'3.69"E) is {{cvt|855|km}} shorter.}} More than 65% of this meridian's length is located on land. The next six longest integer meridians by total distance over land are, in order:
** 23°E: {{cvt|12953|km}} through Europe ({{cvt|3325|km|disp=or}}), Africa ({{cvt|7415|km|disp=or}}), and Antarctica ({{cvt|2214|km|disp=or}})
** 27°E: {{cvt|12943|km}} through Europe ({{cvt|3254|km|disp=or}}), Asia ({{cvt|246|km|disp=or}}), Africa ({{cvt|7223|km|disp=or}}), and Antarctica ({{cvt|2221|km|disp=or}})
** 25°E: {{cvt|12875|km}} through Europe ({{cvt|3344|km|disp=or}}), Africa ({{cvt|7327|km|disp=or}}), and Antarctica ({{cvt|2204|km|disp=or}})
** 26°E: {{cvt|12858|km}} through Europe ({{cvt|3404|km|disp=or}}), Africa ({{cvt|7258|km|disp=or}}), and Antarctica ({{cvt|2196|km|disp=or}})
** 24°E: {{cvt|12794|km}} through Europe ({{cvt|3263|km|disp=or}}), Africa ({{cvt|7346|km|disp=or}}), and Antarctica ({{cvt|2185|km|disp=or}})
** 28°E: {{cvt|12778|km}} through Europe ({{cvt|3039|km|disp=or}}), Asia ({{cvt|388|km|disp=or}}), and Africa ({{cvt|7117|km|disp=or}})

====Along any geodesic====
These are the longest [[geodesic|straight lines]]{{efn|A geodesic is defined as the shortest route between any two points on the surface of the Earth, as measured along the surface of the Earth (rather than through the Earth's interior); they are "straight lines" only in the sense that they are plotted on an idealized two-dimensional surface of the three-dimensional Earth, neglecting changes in surface elevation. On an idealized spherical model of the Earth, geodesics are equivalent to [[great-circle distance]]s measured along the arcs of [[great circle]]s.}} that can be drawn between any two points on the surface of the Earth and remain exclusively over land or water; the points need not lie on the same line of latitude or longitude.
* The '''longest continuous straight-line ([[great circle]]) path over land''' is {{cvt|13588|km}} long and spans between the West African coast near [[Greenville, Liberia|Greenville]], [[Liberia]] ({{Coord|5|2|51.59|N|9|7|23.26|W}}) and a peninsula about {{cvt|100|km|mi|sigfig=1}} northeast of [[Wenzhou]], China ({{Coord|28|17|7.68|N|121|38|17.31|E}}), passing over the [[Suez Canal]].<ref>[http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=5%B02%26%238242%3B51.59%26%238243%3BN+9%B07%26%238242%3B23.26%26%238243%3BW+-+28%B017%26%238242%3B7.68%26%238243%3BN+121%B038%26%238242%3B17.31%26%238243%3BE%0D%0A&MS=bm&DU=mi (Map from gcmap)]</ref>
** The longest continuous straight-line land distance solely within continental [[Africa]] is {{cvt|8,402|km}}, along a line that begins just east of [[Tangier]], [[Morocco]], and ends {{cvt|100|km|mi|sigfig=1}} east of [[Port Elizabeth]], [[South Africa]]. This line passes through Morocco, [[Algeria]], [[Mali]], [[Niger]], [[Nigeria]], [[Cameroon]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Gabon]], [[Republic of the Congo]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Angola]], [[Namibia]], [[Botswana]], and South Africa.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}
** The longest continuous straight-line land distance solely within continental [[Asia]] is {{cvt|10,152|km}}, along a line that begins on the [[India]]n coast near [[Kanyakumari]] and ends at the [[Bering Sea]] coast of the [[Chukchi Peninsula]] in [[Russia]]. This line passes through India, [[Nepal]], [[China]], [[Mongolia]], and Russia.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}
** The longest continuous straight-line land distance solely within continental [[Europe]] (defining the [[Ural Mountains]] as the border between Europe and Asia) is {{cvt|5,325|km}}, along a line that begins at [[Cape St. Vincent]], [[Portugal]], and ends at the Urals, near the town of [[Perm, Russia]]. This line passes through Portugal, [[Spain]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Poland]], [[Lithuania]], [[Belarus]], and Russia.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}
** The longest continuous straight-line land distance solely within continental [[North America]] is {{cvt|7,602|km}}, along a line that begins at [[Point Hope, Alaska]], [[United States]], and ends {{cvt|34|km}} southwest of the town of [[Salina Cruz]], [[Mexico]]. This line passes through [[Alaska]], [[Canada]], [[Contiguous United States|the contiguous United States]], and Mexico.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}
** The longest continuous straight-line land distance solely within continental [[South America]] is {{cvt|7,248|km}}, along a line that begins {{cvt|10|km}} northeast of [[Puerto Cumarebo]], [[Venezuela]], and ends {{cvt|80|km}} south of the town of [[Punta Arenas]], [[Chile]]. This line passes through Venezuela, [[Colombia]], [[Brazil]], [[Peru]], Chile, and [[Argentina]].{{citation needed|date=June 2019}}
** The longest continuous straight-line land distance solely within continental [[Australia (continent)|Australia]] is {{cvt|4,026|km}}, along a line that begins at the southern end of [[Cape Range National Park]] in [[Western Australia]] and ends at the town of [[Byron Bay]] in [[New South Wales]].<ref>[https://geodesyapps.ga.gov.au/distance (Geoscience Australia)]</ref> 
* There are several possible candidates for the '''longest continuous straight-line distance in any direction at sea''', as there are many possible ways to travel along a great circle for more than the [[antipodes|antipodic]] length of {{cvt|19840|km}}. Some examples of such routes would be:
** From the south coast of [[Balochistan, Pakistan|Balochistan]] province somewhere near Port of [[Karachi, Pakistan|Karachi]], [[Pakistan]] ({{Coord|25|25|N|66|25|E}}) across the [[Arabian Sea]], southwest through the Indian Ocean, near [[Comoros]], passing Namaete Canyon, near the South African coast, across the South Atlantic Ocean, then west across [[Cape Horn]], then northwest across the Pacific Ocean, near [[Easter Island]], passing the [[Antipodes|antipodal point]] near [[Emlilia]] island, through the South [[Bering Sea]] and ending somewhere on the northeast coast of [[Kamchatka]], near [[Ossora]] ({{Coord|59 |38 |N|163|24|E}}). This route is {{cvt|32040|km}} long.<ref>[http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=25%B025%27N+66%B025%27E+-+59%B038%27S+16%B036%27W+-+25%B025%27S+113%B035%27W+-+59%B038%27N+163%B024%27E%0D%0A (Map from gcmap)]</ref> This route was confirmed to be the longest (at about {{cvt|32090|km|mi|disp=or}}) given map data at a {{cvt|1.8|km|mi}} level of resolution.<ref name="ChabukswarMukherjee">{{cite arXiv| last1 = Chabukswar | first1 = Rohan| last2 = Mukherjee| first2 = Kushal| title = Longest Straight Line Paths on Water or Land on the Earth| date = 9 April 2018|class= math.HO| eprint=1804.07389}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.science.org/content/article/ocean-path-will-take-you-longest-straight-line-journey-earth |title=This ocean path will take you on the longest straight-line journey on Earth|author=David Shultz |date= 30 April 2018|publisher=Science Magazine}}</ref>{{efn|The "longest continuous straight-line distance in any direction at sea" from Karachi to Kamchatka was [[Special:Contributions/Muh1974|originally added to Wikipedia by user Muh1974 on 21 January 2010]] and then confirmed by Chabukswar and Mukherjee in 2018.<ref name="ChabukswarMukherjee"/> The source of this discovery before 2010 is unknown {{as of|2022 |8 |lc= y}}.}}
** From the south coast of [[Hormozgan]] province, [[Iran]] ({{Coord|25|35|N|58|22|E}}) across the [[Gulf of Oman]], southeast across the Arabian Sea, passing south of [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]], near the Antarctic coast, then northeast across the South Pacific Ocean, passing the [[Antipodes|antipodal point]] and ending on the southwest coast of [[Mexico]] somewhere near [[Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas]] ({{Coord|17|57|N|101|57|W}}). This route is {{cvt|25267|km}} long.<ref>[http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=25%B035%27N+58%B022%27E+-+17%B057%27S+78%B003%27E+-+25%B035%27S+121%B038%27W+-+17%B057%27N+101%B057%27W (Map from gcmap)]</ref>
** From [[Invercargill]], New Zealand ({{Coord|46|37|S|168|59|E}}) across [[Cape Horn]], then off the coast of [[Brazil]] close to [[Recife]], passing north of [[Cape Verde]], passing the [[antipodes|antipodal point]] and ending somewhere on the southwest coast of [[Ireland]] ({{Coord|52|09|N|6|34|W}}). This route is {{cvt|20701|km}} long.<ref>[http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=46%B037%27S+168%B059%27E+-+52%B009%27S+173%B026%27E+-+46%B037%27N+11%B001%27W+-+52%B009%27N+6%B034%27W%0D%0A (Map from gcmap)]</ref>

====Along any diameter (straight line passing through the centre of the Earth)====
As distinct from geodesic lines, which appear straight only when projected onto the spheroidal surface of the Earth (i.e. arcs of great circles), [[Line (geometry)|straight lines]] passing through the Earth's centre can be constructed through the interior of the Earth between almost any two points on the surface of the Earth (some extreme topographical situations such as overhanging cliffs being the rare exceptions{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}). A line projected from the summit of [[Cayambe (volcano)|Cayambe]] in [[Ecuador]] (see [[#Highest_points|highest points]]) through the axial centre of the Earth to its [[antipodes|antipode]] on the island of [[Sumatra]] results in the longest [[diameter]] that can be produced anywhere through the Earth. As the variable circumference of the Earth approaches {{convert|25000|mi|order=flip}}, such a maximum "diameter" or "antipodal" line would be on the order of {{convert|8000|mi|order=flip}} long.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}