Editing Extremes on Earth (section)

==Elevation==
{{See also|Lists of highest points|List of elevation extremes by region|List of elevation extremes by country}}

===Highest points===
{{comparison_of_Earth_farthest_points.svg}}
[[File:Volcán Chimborazo, "El Taita Chimborazo".jpg|thumb|The summit of [[Chimborazo]] in [[Ecuador]] is the farthest point from Earth's centre.]]
* The '''highest point on Earth's surface''' measured from [[sea level]] is the summit of [[Mount Everest]], on the border of [[Nepal]] and [[China]]. While [[Mount Everest#Surveys|measurements of its height]] vary slightly, the elevation of its peak was most recently established in 2020 by the Nepali and Chinese authorities as {{cvt|8848.86|m|ft|1}} above sea level.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/12/new-height-of-mount-everest-announced-by-china-and-nepal/|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201208113343/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/12/new-height-of-mount-everest-announced-by-china-and-nepal/|url-status= dead|archive-date= 8 December 2020|title= Mount Everest is more than two feet taller, China and Nepal announce|work=nationalgeographib.com|date= 9 February 2021}}</ref> The summit was first reached probably by Sir [[Edmund Hillary]] of [[New Zealand]] and [[Tenzing Norgay]] Sherpa of Nepal in 1953.
* The '''point farthest from Earth's centre''' is the summit of [[Chimborazo]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geology.com/records/highest-mountain-in-the-world.shtml |title=Highest Mountain in the World |work=geology.com}}</ref> in [[Ecuador]], at {{cvt|6384.4|km|mi|1}} from Earth's centre; the peak's elevation relative to sea level is {{cvt|6263.47|m|ft|0}}.{{efn|The elevation given here was established by a [[GPS]] survey in February 2016. The survey was carried out by a team from the [[Institut de recherche pour le développement|French Research Institute for Development]], working in cooperation with the [[Ecuador]]ian Military Geographic Institute.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chimborazo, el volcán de Ecuador más alto que el Everest (si se mide desde el centro de la Tierra) |publisher=[[BBC Mundo]] |date=7 April 2016 |url=http://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2016/04/160407_por_que_chimborazo_ecuador_mas_lejos_centro_tierra_que_el_everest_dgm |access-date=8 April 2016}}</ref>}} Because Earth is an [[flattening|oblate]] [[spheroid]] rather than a perfect [[spherical Earth|sphere]], it is [[equatorial bulge|wider]] at the [[equator]] and narrower toward each [[geographical pole|pole]]. Therefore, the summit of Chimborazo, which is near the Equator, is farther away from Earth's centre than the summit of Mount Everest is; the latter is {{cvt|2168|m|ft|1}} closer, at {{cvt|6382.3|km|mi|1}} from Earth's centre. [[Peru]]'s [[Huascarán]] (at {{cvt|6768|m|ft|0|disp=or}}) contends closely with Chimborazo, though the former is a mere {{cvt|10|m|ft|}} closer to the Earth's centre.
* The '''fastest point on Earth''' or, in other words, '''the point farthest from Earth's rotational axis''' is the summit of [[Cayambe (volcano)|Cayambe]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Klenke |first1=Paul |title=Distance to the Center of the Earth |url=https://www.summitpost.org/distance-to-the-center-of-the-earth/849764 |website=Summit Post |access-date=4 July 2018}}</ref> in Ecuador, which rotates around Earth's axis at a speed of {{cvt|1675.89|km/h|mph|}} and is {{cvt|6383.95|km|mi|}} from the axis. Like Chimborazo, which is the fourth-fastest peak at {{cvt|1675.47|km/h|mph|}}, Cayambe is close to the Equator and takes advantage of the oblate spheroid [[figure of Earth]]. More important, however, Cayambe's proximity to the Equator means that the majority of its distance from the Earth's centre contributes to Cayambe's distance from the Earth's axis.

====Highest geographical features====
* The '''highest volcano''' is [[Ojos del Salado]] on the [[Argentina]]–[[Chile]] border. It has the highest summit, {{cvt|6893|m|0}}, of any [[volcano]] on Earth.
* The '''highest natural lake''' is an unnamed crater lake on [[Ojos del Salado]] at {{cvt|6390|m|0}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.andes.org.uk/peak-info-6000/ojos-del-salado-info.asp |title=Andes Website – Information about Ojos del Salado volcano, a high mountain in South America and the world's highest volcano |access-date=18 January 2013}}</ref> on the Argentina side. Another candidate was [[Lhagba Pool]] on the northeast slopes of [[Mount Everest]], Tibet, at an elevation of {{cvt|6368|m|0}}, which has since dried up.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.highestlake.com/highest-lake-world.html#Lhagba |title=The Highest Lake in the World |access-date=7 September 2007 |archive-date=24 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070824054810/http://www.highestlake.com/highest-lake-world.html#Lhagba |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* The '''highest navigable lake''' is [[Lake Titicaca]], on the border of [[Bolivia]] and [[Peru]] in the [[Andes]], at {{cvt|3812|m|ft|0}}.
* The '''highest glacier''' is the [[Khumbu Glacier]] on the southwest slopes of Mount Everest in Nepal, beginning on the west side of [[Lhotse]] at an elevation of {{cvt|7600|to|8000|m|-2}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/igsoc/agl/2002/00000034/00000001/art00060?crawler=true |title=ASTER measurement of supraglacial lakes in the Mount Everest region of the Himalaya: ''The main Khumbu Glacier is about 17&nbsp;km long with elevations ranging from 4900m at the terminus to 7600m at the source''....The 7600m to 8000m elevations are also depicted on numerous detailed topographic maps |access-date=24 November 2008}}</ref>
* The '''highest river''' is disputed; one candidate from many possibilities is the [[Ating Ho]], which flows into the [[Aong Tso]] (Hagung Tso), a large lake in Tibet, and has an elevation of about {{cvt|6100|m|0}} at its source at {{Coord|32|49|30|N|81|03|45|E|type:waterbody|name=Ating Ho (source)}}. Another very large and high river is the [[Yarlung Tsangpo]] or upper [[Brahmaputra River]] in Tibet, whose main stem, the [[Maquan River]], has its source at about {{cvt|6020|m|0}} above sea level at {{Coord|30|48|59|N|82|42|45|E|type:waterbody_region:CN-54|name=Maquan River (source)}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.100gogo.com/bigben.htm |title=The Mystery of World's highest river and largest Canyon |access-date=7 September 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070921032822/http://www.100gogo.com/bigben.htm |archive-date=21 September 2007 }}</ref> Above these elevations, there are no constantly flowing rivers since the temperature is almost always below freezing.
* The '''highest island''' is one of a number of islands in the [[Orba Co]] lake in Tibet, at an elevation of {{cvt|5209|m|0}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldislandinfo.com/SUPERLATIVESV2.html |title=Island Superlatives |access-date=7 September 2007}}</ref>

====Highest points attainable by transportation====
* The '''highest point accessible'''
**'''by land vehicle''' is an elevation of {{cvt|6688|m|ft}} on [[Ojos del Salado]] in [[Chile]], which was reached by the Chilean duo of Gonzalo and Eduardo Canales Moya on 21 April 2007 with a modified [[Suzuki Samurai]], setting the high-altitude record for a four-wheeled vehicle.
** '''by road (dead end)''' is on a mining road to the summit of [[Aucanquilcha]] in [[Chile]], which reaches an elevation of {{cvt|6176|m|ft|0}}. It was once usable by 20-tonne mining trucks.<ref>{{cite journal |last=McIntyre |first=Loren |title=The High Andes |journal=National Geographic |volume=171 |issue=4 |pages=422–460 |publisher=National Geographic Society |date=April 1987 }} (includes description and photos of [[Aucanquilcha]] summit road and mine)</ref> The road is no longer usable. {{Coord|21.214|S|68.475|W|display=inline}}
** '''by road (mountain pass)''' is disputed; there are a number of competing claims for this title due to the definition of "motorable pass" (i.e. a surfaced road or one simply passable by a vehicle):
*** The '''highest [[asphalt concrete|asphalted]] road''' is the single-lane road to [[Umling La]], located {{cvt|17|km|mi}} west of [[Demchok, Ladakh|Demchok]] in [[Ladakh]], [[India]], which reaches {{cvt|5800|m|0}} ("19,300 feet" according to a [[Border Roads Organisation]] sign there that recognizes it as the "World's Highest Motorable Pass").<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 October 2017 |title=Battle for the Highest Motorable Road |url=https://www.motoroids.com/features/battle-for-the-highest-motorable-road-which-pass-takes-you-closest-to-the-stars/ |access-date=17 October 2017 |publisher=Motoroids |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |title=China Border {{!}} Umling La Pass [ World's Highest Motorable Road ] {{!}} Ep-26 {{!}} Tripura to Ladakh Ride |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpQQdyDU2EI |access-date=31 December 2022 |via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Before the asphalting of the road over Umling La, the highest asphalted road was [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]]'s [[Semo La]] pass at {{cvt|5565|m|0}}. It is used by trucks and buses regularly.<ref name="icc">{{Cite web| title = ICC – Semo Khardung| author = Assumpció Térmens| website = viewfinderpanoramas.org| publisher = Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya| date = 20 March 2006| access-date = 5 February 2017| url = http://viewfinderpanoramas.org/ICCSemoKhardung.pdf| language = en}}</ref> The [[Ticlio]] pass, on the Central Road of Peru, is the highest surfaced road in the Americas, at an elevation of {{cvt|4818|m}}.
*** The '''highest unsurfaced road''' has several different claimants. All are unsurfaced or gravel roads including [[Mana Pass]], between India and [[Tibet]], which is crossed by a gravel road reaching {{cvt|5610|m|0}}. The heavily trafficked [[Khardung La]] in Ladakh lies at {{cvt|5359|m|0}}. A possibly motorable gravel road crosses [[Marsimik La]] in Ladakh at {{cvt|5582|m|0}}.
** '''by train''' is [[Tanggula Pass]], located on the [[Qinghai–Tibet Railway|Qinghai–Tibet (Qingzang) Railway]] in the [[Tanggula Mountains]] of Qinghai/Tibet, [[China]], at {{cvt|5072|m|0}}. The [[Tanggula railway station]] is the world's highest railway station at {{cvt|5068|m|0}}. Before the Qingzang Railway was built, the highest railway ran between [[Lima]] and [[Huancayo]] in Peru, reaching {{cvt|4829|m|0}} at [[Ticlio]].<ref name="highest_railway">{{cite web |title=Destination Guides – World's highest railway, Peru – Wanderlust Travel Magazine |last=Bennett |first=Suzy |publisher=Wanderlust Magazine |url=<!-- http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/article.php?page_id=510 -->http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/magazine/articles/destinations/a-train-journey-through-the-peruvian-andes |date=October 2003 |access-date=10 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725012753/http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/magazine/articles/destinations/a-train-journey-through-the-peruvian-andes |archive-date=25 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
** '''by oceangoing vessel''' is a segment of the [[Rhine–Main–Danube Canal]] between the [[Hilpoltstein]] and [[Neumarkt (district)|Bachhausen]] locks in [[Bavaria]], Germany. The locks artificially raise the surface level of the water in the canal to {{cvt|406|m|0}} above mean sea level, higher than any other [[lock (water navigation)|lock]] system in the world, making it the highest point currently accessible by oceangoing commercial watercraft.
[[Image:La Rinconada Peru.jpg|thumb|[[La Rinconada, Peru|La Rinconada]], [[Peru]]]]
* The '''highest commercial airport''' is [[Daocheng Yading Airport]], [[Sichuan]], China, at {{cvt|4411|m|0}}.<ref name="reuters">{{cite news |title=China opens world's highest civilian airport |author=Ben Blanchard |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-airport-idUSBRE98F0AG20130916 |newspaper=Reuters |date=16 September 2013 |access-date=16 September 2013}}</ref> The proposed [[Nagqu Dagring Airport]] in Tibet, if built, will be {{cvt|25|m|0}} higher at {{cvt|4436|m}}.
* The '''highest helipad''' is Sonam, [[Siachen Glacier]], India, at a height of {{cvt|6400|m|0}} above sea level.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/south/05/20/siachen.kashmir/ |work=CNN |title=Siachen: The world's highest cold war |date=20 May 2002 |access-date=2 May 2010}}</ref>
* The '''highest permanent human settlement''' is [[La Rinconada, Peru]], {{cvt|5100|m|0}}, in the Peruvian [[Andes]].
* The '''farthest road from the Earth's centre''' is the [[Chimborazo#Huts|Road to Carrel Hut]] in the Ecuadorian [[Andes]], at an elevation of {{cvt|4850|m|0}} above sea level and a distance of {{cvt|6382.9|km|0}} from the centre of the Earth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.summitpost.org/carrel-refuge/578539 |title=Carrel refuge. |work=summitpost.org}}</ref>

===Lowest points===
====Lowest natural points====
{{See also|List of places on land with elevations below sea level}}
* The '''deepest point below the ocean's atmospheric surface''' is [[Challenger Deep]], at the bottom of the [[Mariana Trench]], {{cvt|11034|m|0}} <!--- Using figure from Mariana Trench article --->below sea level.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rain.org/ocean/ocean-studies-challenger-deep-mariana-trench.html |title=Challenger Deep – the Mariana Trench |access-date=30 July 2012 |archive-date=24 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060424000302/http://www.rain.org/ocean/ocean-studies-challenger-deep-mariana-trench.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Jacques Piccard]] and [[U.S. Navy]] Lieutenant [[Don Walsh]] first reached Challenger Deep in 1960 aboard the [[bathyscaphe]] ''[[Bathyscaphe Trieste|Trieste]]'', followed by filmmaker [[James Cameron]] in 2012 aboard ''[[Deepsea Challenger]]''. Between 2020 and 2022, [[DSV Limiting Factor|DSV ''Limiting Factor'']] made 19 dives to Challenger Deep, carrying with it 19 further visitors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fivedeeps.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/FDE-Challenger-Release-FINAL-5132019.pdf |title=Deepest Submarine Dive in History, Five Deeps Expedition Conquers Challenger Deep |work=fivedeeps.com |access-date=13 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Weinman |first=Steve |date=2022-07-15 |title=Deep-sea mapper can't get much deeper! - Divernet |url=https://divernet.com/world-dives/deep-sea-mapper-cant-get-much-deeper/ |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=divernet.com |language=en-GB}}</ref>
* The '''deepest known cave''' is in the [[Krubera Cave]] in [[Abkhazia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], with its deepest known point 2,199 ± 20 metres (7,215 ± 66&nbsp;ft) below its entrance. The record was set in 2006, and it remains one of only [[List of deepest caves|two known caves]] deeper than 2,000 meters.<ref>Dubliansky VN, Klimchuk AB, Kiselev VE, Vakhrushev BA, Kovalev YN, Melnikov VP, Ryzhkov AF, Tintilozov ZK, Chuykov VD, Churubrova ML. "Описания пещер массива Арабика - 63.Пещерная система Арабикская" [Descriptions of caves of the Arabika massif - 63.Arabikskaja cave system] (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-01-12.</ref>
* The '''lowest point on land not covered by liquid water''' is the canyon under [[Denman Glacier]] in [[Antarctica]], with the bedrock being {{cvt|3,500|m|ft}} below sea level.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50753113 |title=Denman Glacier: Deepest point on land found in Antarctica |newspaper=[[BBC News|BBC]] |author=Jonathan Amos |date=12 December 2019 |access-date=13 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Mathieu Morlighem |author2=Eric Rignot |author3=Tobias Binder |author4=Donald Blankenship |author5=Reinhard Drews |author6=Graeme Eagles |author7=Olaf Eisen |author8=Fausto Ferraccioli |author9=René Forsberg |author10=Peter Fretwell |author11=Vikram Goel |author12=Jamin S. Greenbaum |author13=Hilmar Gudmundsson |author14=Jingxue Guo |author15=Veit Helm |author16=Coen Hofstede |author17=Ian Howat |author18=Angelika Humbert |author19=Wilfried Jokat |author20=Nanna B. Karlsson |author21=Won Sang Lee |author22=Kenichi Matsuoka |author23=Romain Millan |author24=Jeremie Mouginot |author25=John Paden |author26=Frank Pattyn |author27=Jason Roberts |author28=Sebastian Rosier |author29=Antonia Ruppel |author30=Helene Seroussi |author31=Emma C. Smith |author32=Daniel Steinhage |author33=Bo Sun |author34=Michiel R. van den Broeke |author35=Tas D. van Ommen |author36=Melchior van Wessem |author37=Duncan A. Young |title=Deep glacial troughs and stabilizing ridges unveiled beneath the margins of the Antarctic ice sheet |journal=[[Nature Geoscience]] |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-019-0510-8 |doi=10.1038/s41561-019-0510-8 |date=12 December 2019 |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=132–137 |s2cid=209331991 |access-date=13 December 2019}}</ref>
[[Image:Dead Sea-14.jpg|thumb|The shore of the [[Dead Sea]] in [[Israel]]]]
* The '''lowest point on dry land''' is the shore of the [[Dead Sea]], shared by [[Israel]], [[Palestine]] and [[Jordan]], {{cvt|432.65|m|0}} below sea level. As the Dead Sea waters are receding, the water surface level drops more than {{convert|1|m|ft}} per year.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dead Sea drying: A new low-point for Earth |date=17 June 2016 |first=Kevin |last=Connolly |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-36477284 |access-date=1 October 2018}}</ref>
* The '''point on the atmospheric surface closest to the Earth's centre''' (interpreted as a natural surface of the land or sea that is accessible by a person) is the surface of the [[Arctic Ocean]] at the [[North Pole#Geographic North Pole|Geographic North Pole]] ({{cvt|6356.77|km|0|disp=or}}).
** The '''point on the surface of Earth's crust closest to the Earth's centre''' (interpreted as a land surface or sea floor) is the bottom of [[Litke Deep]], in the [[Arctic Ocean]], at {{cvt|6,351.7043|km|0}} from Earth's centre; the deep's depth relative to sea level is {{cvt|5,449|m|ft|0}}. Because Earth is an [[flattening|oblate]] [[spheroid]] rather than a perfect [[spherical Earth|sphere]], it is [[equatorial bulge|wider]] at the [[equator]] and narrower toward each [[geographical pole|pole]]. Therefore, the bottom of Litke Deep, which is near the North Pole, is closer to Earth's centre than the bottom of Challenger Deep is; the latter is {{cvt|14.7268|km|ft|1}} further, at {{cvt|6,366.4311|km|mi|1}} from Earth's centre.<ref name="ripublication.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.ripublication.com/ijome22/ijomev12n1_03.pdf |title=''Revisiting "Ocean Depth closest to the Center of the Earth"''|publisher= Arjun Tan, Department of Physics, Alabama A & M University|language=English|accessdate=18 September 2022}}</ref> [[Molloy Deep]], also in Arctic Ocean (at {{cvt|6,357.5178|km|mi|0|disp=or}}) from Earth's centre contends closely with Litke Deep, the difference from Earth's centre being just {{cvt|389|m|ft|}}.
** The '''point on the ocean surface farthest below sea level''' is located in the [[Indian Ocean]], about {{cvt|1200|km|mi}} southwest of India, the [[Indian Ocean Geoid Low]], about {{cvt|106|m|0}} below the [[global mean sea level]].<ref name="Geoid"/>

====Lowest artificial points====
* <!-- Kola borehole is drilled straight down; new borehole length records were mostly horizontal -->The '''lowest point underground''' ever reached was {{cvt|12262|m}} deep (SG-3 at the [[Kola Superdeep Borehole]], which has since been enclosed).
* The '''lowest human-sized point underground''' is {{cvt|3900|m}}<ref name="TauTonaExtended">{{cite news |title=TauTona, Anglo Gold – Mining Technology |url=http://www.mining-technology.com/projects/tautona_goldmine/ |publisher=SPG Media Group PLC |date=1 January 2009 |access-date=2 March 2009}}</ref> below ground at the [[TauTona Mine]], [[Carletonville]], South Africa.
* The '''lowest (from sea level) artificially made point with open sky''' may be the [[Hambach surface mine]], Germany, which reaches a depth of {{cvt|293|m}} below sea level.
* The '''lowest (from surface) artificially made point with open sky''' may be the [[Bingham Canyon Open Pit Copper Mine]], [[Utah]], United States, at a depth of {{cvt|1200|m}} below surface level.
* The '''lowest point underwater''' is the {{cvt|10685|m}}-deep (as measured from the [[subsea]] [[wellhead]]) [[oil well|oil and gas well]] drilled on the [[Tiber Oil Field]] in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. The [[wellhead]] of this well is an additional {{cvt|1259|m}} underwater, for a total distance of {{cvt|11944|m}} as measured from sea level.<ref name="Transocean Release">{{cite web|url=http://www.deepwater.com/fw/main/IDeepwater-Horizon-i-Drills-Worlds-Deepest-Oil-and-Gas-Well-419C151.html |title=Transocean's Ultra-Deepwater Semisubmersible Rig Deepwater Horizon Drills World's Deepest Oil and Gas Well |publisher=Transocean |access-date=7 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100426171257/http://www.deepwater.com/fw/main/IDeepwater-Horizon-i-Drills-Worlds-Deepest-Oil-and-Gas-Well-419C151.html |archive-date=26 April 2010}}</ref> {{Coord|28.736667|N|88.386944|W|display=inline}}

====Lowest points attainable by transportation====
* The '''lowest point accessible''':
** '''by road''', excluding roads in mines, is any of the roads alongside the [[Dead Sea]] in [[Israel]], [[Palestine]] and [[Jordan]], which are the lowest on Earth at {{cvt|418|m|0}} below sea level.
*** The '''lowest undersea highway tunnel''' is the [[Ryfast]] tunnel in [[Norway]], at {{cvt|292|m|0}} below sea level.
** '''by train''', excluding tracks in mines, is located in the [[Seikan Tunnel]] in [[Japan]], at {{cvt|240|m|0}} below sea level. For comparison, the undersea [[Channel Tunnel]] between England and France reaches a depth of {{cvt|115|m|0}} below sea level.
** '''by ship''', is located in the [[Indian Ocean]], about {{cvt|1200|km|mi}} southwest of India, the [[Indian Ocean Geoid Low]], about {{cvt|106|m|0}} below the [[global mean sea level]].<ref name="Geoid">{{cite journal |last1=Sreejith |first1=K.M. |last2=Rajesh |first2=S. |last3=Majumdar |first3=T.J. |last4=Srinivasa Rao |first4=G. |last5=Radhakrishna |first5=M. |last6=Krishna |first6=K.S. |last7=Rajawat |first7=A.S. |title=High-resolution residual geoid and gravity anomaly data of the northern Indian Ocean – An input to geological understanding |journal=Journal of Asian Earth Sciences |date=January 2013 |volume=62 |pages=616–626 |doi=10.1016/j.jseaes.2012.11.010|bibcode=2013JAESc..62..616S }}</ref>
** Some mines have roads accessible from outside or rail tracks, located more than two thousand metres below sea level, for example in some [[South Africa]]n gold mines.
* The '''lowest [[railroad station]]''' was formerly the Japanese [[Yoshioka-Kaitei Station]], at {{cvt|150|m|0}} below sea level, but it closed in 2014. The lowest railroad station not inside a tunnel is {{cvt|120|m|0}} below sea level, at [[Beit She'an railway station]] in [[Israel]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2020}}
* The '''[[List of lowest airports|lowest airfield]]''' is the [[Bar Yehuda Airfield]], near [[Masada]], [[Israel]], at {{cvt|378|m|0}} below sea level.
* The '''lowest international airport''' is [[Atyrau Airport]], near [[Atyrau]], [[Kazakhstan]], at {{cvt|22|m|0}} below sea level, in the basin of the [[Caspian Sea]].
* The '''lowest major city''' is [[Baku]], [[Azerbaijan]], located {{cvt|28|m}} below sea level, which makes it the lowest-lying national capital in the world and also the largest city in the world located below sea level.

===Table of extreme elevations and air temperatures by continent===
{{See also|List of elevation extremes by region|List of weather records}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:bottom;" | '''Continent'''
| colspan="3" | '''[[Elevation]] (height [[Above mean sea level|above]]/below [[sea level]])'''{{Ref|A|A}}
| colspan="2" | '''[[Temperature|Air temperature]] (recorded)'''<ref name="WMO">[http://wmo.asu.edu/ Global Weather & Climate Extremes] World Meteorological Organization</ref>{{Ref|B|B}}
|-
| colspan="2" | '''Highest'''
| '''Lowest'''
| '''Highest'''
| '''Lowest'''
|-
| [[Africa]] || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|5893|m|abbr=in|0}}<br />[[Kilimanjaro]], [[Tanzania]]<ref>The Kilimanjaro 2008 Precise Height Measurement Expedition. ''[http://www.fig.net/pub/fig2009/papers/ts08c/ts08c_fernandes_teamkili2008_3438.pdf Precise Determination of the Orthometric Height of Mt. Kilimanjaro]''</ref> || style="text-align:left;" | [[Image:Kilimanjaro01.jpg|right|100px]] || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|−155|m|abbr=in|0}}<br />[[Lake Assal (Djibouti)|Lake Assal]], [[Djibouti]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Harter |first=Pascale |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9254468.stm |title=A life of constant thirst beside Djibouti's Lake Assal |work=BBC News |date=4 December 2010 |access-date=25 June 2013}}</ref> || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|55|C}} (disputed<ref name="temp" />)<br />[[Kebili]], [[French Tunisia]]<br />7 July 1931{{Ref|C|C}}|| style="text-align:left;" |{{convert|-23.9|C}}<br />[[Ifrane]], [[French Morocco]]<br />11 February 1935
|-
| [[Antarctica]] || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|4892|m|abbr=in|0}}<br />[[Vinson Massif]]<ref name=gnismtv>{{cite gnis|id=18890|type=antarid|name=Mount Vinson|access-date=9 January 2013}}</ref> || style="text-align:left;" | [[Image:Vinson Massif from space.jpg|right|100px]] || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|-50|m|abbr=in|0}}<ref>[http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/soe/display_indicator.cfm?soe_id=62 Indicator 62 - Water levels of Deep Lake, Vestfold Hills] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705115923/http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/soe/display_indicator.cfm?soe_id=62 |date=5 July 2009 }}, Australian Antarctic Data Centre. Retrieved 15 January 2010.</ref><br />Deep Lake, [[Vestfold Hills]]<br />(compare the [[#Deepest ice|deepest ice]] section below) || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|20.75|C}}<br />[[Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station]]<br />9 February 2020 || style="text-align:left;" | '''{{convert|−89.2|C}}<br />[[Vostok Station]]'''<br />'''21 July 1983'''
|-
| rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:center;" | [[Asia]] || rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:center; text-align:left;" | '''{{convert|8848.86|m|abbr=in|0}}<br />[[Mount Everest]], [[Tibet]]–[[Nepal]] Border <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9428163 |title=The 'Highest' Spot on Earth? |website=NPR.org |access-date=25 June 2013}}</ref>''' || rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:center; text-align:left;" | [[Image:Everest, Himalayas.jpg|right|100px]] || rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:center; text-align:left;" | '''{{convert|−424|m|abbr=in|0}}<br />[[Dead Sea]], [[Israel]]–[[Jordan]]–[[Palestine]]'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.extremescience.com/dead-sea.htm |title=Lowest Elevation: Dead Sea |publisher=Extremescience.com |access-date=25 June 2013}}</ref> || style="vertical-align:center; text-align:left;" | {{convert|54|C}} <!--(disputed?!) rather: 53.9°C / 129°F Mitribah, Kuwait, on July 21, 2016--><br />[[Tirat Zvi]], [[Israel]] (then in the [[Mandatory Palestine|British Mandate of Palestine]])<br />21 June 1942|| style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|−67.7|C}}<small> Measured</small><br />[[Oymyakon]], [[Siberia]], [[Soviet Union]]<br />6 February 1933<ref name="Stepanova">{{cite web|author=N.A. Stepanova |title=On the Lowest Temperatures on Earth|url=http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/086/mwr-086-01-0006.pdf |publisher=Docs.lib.noaa.gov
|access-date=10 March 2015}}</ref><ref>Weather Underground - Christopher C. Burt - The Coldest Places on Earth https://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/the-coldest-places-on-earth</ref>
|-
| style="vertical-align:center; text-align:left;" | {{convert|54|C}} <!--(disputed?!)--><br />[[Ahvaz]] Airport, [[Iran]]<br />29 June 2017<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/Weather/iran-ahvaz-hottest-temperature-ever-recorded-world-record-extreme-death-valley-california-a7815771.html |title=Temperatures in Iranian city of Ahvaz hit 129.2F (54C), near hottest on Earth in modern measurements |publisher=independent.com |date=30 June 2017 |access-date=30 June 2017}}</ref>
| style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|−71.2|C}}<small> Extrapolated</small><br />[[Oymyakon]], [[Siberia]], [[Soviet Union]]<br />26 January 1926<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/05/0512_040512_tvoymyakon.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040517011512/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/05/0512_040512_tvoymyakon.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 May 2004 |title=Life Is a Chilling Challenge in Subzero Siberia from the National Geographic |publisher=News.nationalgeographic.com |date=28 October 2010 |access-date=25 June 2013}}</ref>
|-
| [[Europe]] || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|5642|m|abbr=in|0}}<br />[[Mount Elbrus]], [[Russian Federation]]<ref>[http://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=10381 Mount Elbrus] at peakbagger.com</ref> || style="text-align:left;" | [[Image:Mount Elbrus May 2008.jpg|right|100px]] || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|−28|m|abbr=in|0}}<br />[[Caspian Sea]] shore, [[Russian Federation]]<ref>{{cite book|author1=Paul A Tucci|author2=Mathew Todd Rosenberg|title=The Handy Geography Answer Book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AzUpZd_D1cUC&pg=PA9|year=2009|publisher=Visible Ink Press|isbn=978-1-57859-272-2|page=9}}</ref> || style="text-align:left;" | 48.8&nbsp;°C
(119.8&nbsp;°F)
[[Floridia]], [[Italy]]<br>
11 August 2021
| style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|−58.1|C}}<br />[[Ust-Shchuger]], [[Soviet Union]]<br />31 December 1978
|-
| style="vertical-align:center;" | [[North America]] || style="vertical-align:center; text-align:left;" | {{convert|6190.5|m|abbr=in|0}}<br />[[Denali]] (federally designated as Mount McKinley), [[Alaska]], [[United States]]<ref name=ADN>{{cite press release | url=http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/usgs_top_story/new-elevation-for-nations-highest-peak/?from=title | publisher=USGS | title=New Elevation for Nation's Highest Peak | author1=Mark Newell | author2=Blaine Horner | date=2 September 2015 |access-date=26 September 2015}}</ref> || style="vertical-align:center; text-align:left;" | [[Image:Denali Mt McKinley.jpg|right|100px]] || style="vertical-align:center; text-align:left;" | {{convert|−85|m|abbr=in}}<br />[[Badwater Basin]], [[California]], [[United States]]<ref name=NED>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/usgs-national-elevation-dataset-ned-1-meter-downloadable-data-collection-from-the-national-map-|title=USGS National Elevation Dataset (NED) 1 meter Downloadable Data Collection from The National Map 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) - National Geospatial Data Asset (NGDA) National Elevation Data Set (NED)|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=21 September 2015|access-date=22 September 2015|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325085854/https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/usgs-national-elevation-dataset-ned-1-meter-downloadable-data-collection-from-the-national-map-|url-status=dead}}</ref> || style="vertical-align:center; text-align:left;" | '''{{convert|134.1|F|1|order=flip}}<br />[[Furnace Creek, California|Furnace Creek]] (then named [[Furnace Creek, California#History|Greenland Ranch]]), [[Death Valley]], [[California]], [[United States]]<br />10 July 1913'''{{Ref|C|C}} (<small>[[List of weather records#Highest temperatures ever recorded|disputed while still official]], but up to 54.4&nbsp;°C (129.9&nbsp;°F)<ref name="temp">{{cite web|url=https://bnonews.com/index.php/2021/07/temperature-reaches-130f-at-death-valley-california/|title=Temperature reaches 130&nbsp;°F (54.4&nbsp;°C) at California's Death Valley|date=10 July 2021}}</ref> has also been recorded there in 2020 and 2021, not yet verified by WMO; and {{convert|54.0|C|F}} which is verified.</small>) <!-- The WMO has stated they stand by the 1913 record pending any future investigations. --> || style="text-align:left;" | -69.6&nbsp;°C (-93.3&nbsp;°F)
[[Summit Camp]], [[Greenland]]<br />22 December 1991
|-
| [[Oceania]] || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|4884|m|abbr=in|0}}<br />[[Puncak Jaya]] (Carstensz Pyramid), [[Indonesia]]<br>(compare [[Mount Wilhelm]], [[Aoraki / Mount Cook]] and [[Mount Kosciuszko]])<ref>[http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=11360 Carstensz Pyramid, Indonesia] at peakbagger.com</ref> || style="text-align:left;" | [[Image:Puncak Jaya icecap 1972.jpg|right|100px]] || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|−15|m|abbr=in|0}}<br />[[Lake Eyre]], [[South Australia]], Australia<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/au.htm |title=Oceaina |publisher=Worldatlas.com |access-date=25 June 2013}}</ref> || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|50.7|C}}<br/>[[Oodnadatta, South Australia|Oodnadatta]], [[South Australia]], Australia<br/>2 January 1960{{Ref|G|G}}
{{convert|50.7|C}}<br/>''[[Onslow, Western Australia]],'' Australia

13 January 2022<ref>{{Cite news|date=13 January 2022|title=Australia equals hottest day on record at 50.7C|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-59977193|access-date=23 January 2022}}</ref>
| style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|−25.6|C}}<br>[[Ranfurly, New Zealand|Ranfurly]], [[Otago]], [[New Zealand]]<br>17 July 1903
|-
| [[South America]] || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|6962|m|abbr=in|0}}<br />[[Aconcagua]], [[Mendoza Province|Mendoza]], [[Argentina]]<ref>[http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=8594 Aconcagua, Argentina] at peakbagger.com</ref> || style="text-align:left;" | [[Image:Aconcagua heli 3.jpg|right|100px]] || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|−105|m|abbr=in|0}}<br />[[Laguna del Carbón]], [[Argentina]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geography.about.com/od/learnabouttheearth/a/extremes_2.htm |title=Lowest Points on Land |publisher=Geography.about.com |date=20 June 2013 |access-date=25 June 2013 |archive-date=15 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515142205/http://geography.about.com/od/learnabouttheearth/a/extremes_2.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|48.9|C}}<br />[[Rivadavia, Salta|Rivadavia]], [[Salta Province]], [[Argentina]]<br />11 December 1905 || style="text-align:left;" | {{convert|−32.8|C}}<br />[[Sarmiento, Chubut|Sarmiento]], [[Chubut Province]], [[Argentina]]<br /> 1 June 1907
|-
| colspan="6" style="text-align:left;" |
<div style="font-size:99%;">
:A.{{Note|A}} Height above sea level is the usual choice of definition for elevation. The point farthest away from the centre of the Earth, however, is [[Chimborazo]] in [[Ecuador]] ({{convert|6267|m|abbr=in|0}}). This is due to the Earth's [[oblate spheroid]] shape, with points near the [[Equator]] being farther out from the centre than those at the poles.
:B.{{Note|B}} All temperatures from the [[World Meteorological Organization]] unless noted.
:C.{{Note|C}} The former record of {{Convert|57.7|C}} recorded at [[Al 'Aziziyah]], [[Libya]] on 13 September 1922 was ruled no longer valid by the WMO due to mistakes made in the recording process.<ref>{{cite web|author=PWMU |url=https://www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr_956_en.html |title=Ninety-year-old World temperature record in El Azizia (Libya) is invalid Improved data strengthens Climate knowledge |publisher=Wmo.int |access-date=25 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406053728/http://www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr_956_en.html |archive-date=6 April 2016 }}</ref> The 1913 reading is, however, [[List of weather records#Highest temperatures ever recorded|itself controversial]], and a measurement of {{Convert|54.0|C}} at Furnace Creek on 30 June 2013 is undisputed, especially since the same or almost the same temperature has been recorded several times in the 21st century in the same and other places.
:E.{{Note|E}} Temperatures greater than {{convert|50|C}} in Spain and [[Portugal]] were recorded in 1881, but the standard with which they were measured and the accuracy of the thermometers used are unknown; therefore, they are not considered official. Unconfirmed reports also indicate that a set of Spanish stations may have hit {{convert|48.0|C}} during the [[2003 European heat wave|2003 heat wave]].<ref>[http://wmo.asu.edu/europe-highest-temperature Europe: Highest Temperature] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629061515/http://wmo.asu.edu/europe-highest-temperature |date=29 June 2009 }} WMO</ref>
:F.{{Note|F}} Greenland is considered by the World Meteorological Organization to be part of WMO region 6 (Europe).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wmo.asu.edu/western-hemisphere-lowest-temperature |title=Western Hemisphere: Lowest Temperature |publisher=Wmo.asu.edu |date=9 January 1954 |access-date=25 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518042137/http://wmo.asu.edu/western-hemisphere-lowest-temperature |archive-date=18 May 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://wmo.asu.edu/content/north-america-excluding-greenland-lowest-temperature |title=WMO Region IV (North America): Lowest Temperature |publisher=Wmo.asu.edu |access-date=29 March 2020}}</ref>
:G.{{Note|G}} A temperature of {{convert|53.1|C}} was recorded in [[Cloncurry, Queensland|Cloncurry]], [[Queensland]] on 16 January 1889 under non-standard exposure conditions and is therefore not considered official.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2003/s1015670.htm|title=Queensland to bake on Christmas Day|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|work=[[AM (ABC Radio)|AM]]|date=24 December 2003|access-date=25 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091104034004/http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2003/s1015670.htm|archive-date=4 November 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Trewin|first=Blair|date=December 1997|title=Another look at Australia's record high temperature|journal=Australian Meteorological Magazine|volume=46|issue=4|pages=251–256|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jshess/docs/1997/trewin.pdf}}</ref></div>
|}