Highest and Lowest Points
See also: Extremes on Earth, Extreme points of Earth, and Seven SummitsThe following table lists the seven continents with their highest and lowest points on land, sorted in decreasing highest points.
| Continent | Highest point | Elevation (m) | Elevation (ft) | Country or territory containing highest point | Lowest point | Elevation (m) | Elevation (ft) | Country or territory containing lowest point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | Mount Everest | 8,848 | 29,029 | China and Nepal | Dead Sea | -422 | −1,384.5 | Israel, Jordan and Palestine |
| South America | Aconcagua | 6,960 | 22,830 | Argentina | Laguna del Carbón | -105 | −344.5 | Argentina |
| North America | Mount McKinley | 6,198 | 20,335 | United States | Death Valley † | -86 | −282.2 | United States |
| Africa | Mount Kilimanjaro | 5,895 | 19,341 | Tanzania | Lake Assal | -155 | −508.5 | Djibouti |
| Europe | Mount Elbrus | 5,633 | 18,481 | Russia | Caspian Sea | -28 | −91.9 | Russia |
| Antarctica | Vinson Massif | 4,892 | 16,050 | Antarctica | Deep Lake, Vestfold Hills † | -50 | −164.0 | Antarctica |
| Australia | Puncak Jaya | 4,884 | 16,024 | Indonesia (Papua) | Lake Eyre | -15 | −49.2 | Australia |
† The lowest exposed points are given for North America and Antarctica. The lowest non-submarine bedrock elevations in these continents are the trough beneath Jakobshavn Isbræ (−1,512 metres (−4,960.6 ft)) and Bentley Subglacial Trench (−2,540 metres (−8,333.3 ft)), but these are covered by kilometers of ice.
Some sources list the Kuma-Manych Depression (a remnant of the Paratethys) as the geological border between Europe and Asia. This would place the Caucasus outside of Europe, thus making Mont Blanc (elevation 4810 m) in the Graian Alps the highest point in Europe - the lowest point would still be the shore of the Caspian Sea.
Read more about this topic: Continent
Famous quotes containing the words highest, lowest and/or points:
“There are some things which a man never speaks of, which are much finer kept silent about. To the highest communications we only lend a silent ear.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“All womankind, from the highest to the lowest ... love jokes; the difficulty is to know how they choose to have them cut; and there is no knowing that, but by trying, as we do with our artillery in the field, by raising or letting down their breeches, till we hit the mark.”
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“The dominant metaphor of conceptual relativism, that of differing points of view, seems to betray an underlying paradox. Different points of view make sense, but only if there is a common co-ordinate system on which to plot them; yet the existence of a common system belies the claim of dramatic incomparability.”
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