25 of Earth’s Most Incredible Extremes

Although as far as planets are concerned Earth is relatively moderate with regards to its climate and geography (good thing too!), there are places even in our own world that may surprise you with their level of extremeness. Whether it’s the coldest place on Earth or the deepest trench in the sea, get ready to have your mind blown by 25 of Earth’s most incredible extremes!



25 Hottest Inhabited Place – Dallol, Ethiopia



With an average daily temperature of 34.4 °C (93.9 °F), it should come as no surprise that these days the city little more than a ghost town.

24 Deepest Cave – Krubera Cave

Found in Abkhazia, the Krubera Cave is the only known cave on Earth deeper than 2000 meters.

23 Highest Point – Mount Everest

Reached by roughly 3,000 climbers since the 1950s, its summit elevation is 8,848 m (29,029 ft) above sea level.

22 Point Farthest From The Earth’s Center – Chimborazo, Ecuador

Although the peak of Mount Everest is the highest point above sea level, because Earth bulges at its equator due to its rotation, the summit of Chimborazo in Ecuador is actually the point on Earth farthest from it’s center.

21 Most Remote Island – Bouvet Island

This small uninhabited Norwegian island in the South Atlantic Ocean is almost 1,000 miles from Antarctica and nearly 1,500 miles from South Africa.

20 Most Remote Continental Point – Antarctic Pole Of Inaccessibility

A pole of inaccessibility is the point on a continent that is farthest from any ocean. Of the seven continents Antarctica’s is the most remote and yes that is a statue of Lenin you see there.

19 Flattest Place – Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Formed out of several dried up lake beds, the world’s largest salt flat is 4,086 sq mi (10,582 sq km).

18 Highest Navigable Lake – Lake Titicaca

At an elevation of 3,812 m (12,507 ft) this lake on the border of Peru and Bolivia is also the largest in South America.

17 Lowest Point On Dry Land – Shore of the Dead Sea

418 m (1,371 ft) below sea level this point is shared by Israel, Jordan, and the West Bank.

16 Longest Mountain Range – The Andes, South America

Stretching for nearly 5000 miles this range extends through 7 South American countries.

15 Deepest Artificial Hole – Kola superdeep borehole

With the intent of quite literally digging until they could dig no more, Russian scientists manage to reach a depth of 12,262 metres (40,230 ft) or about a third of the way through the Baltic continental crust.

14 Rainiest Place – Chocó, Colombia

This region in Colombia receives 11,770 cm (463.4 inches, or 38 ft, 6 inches) of rain per year making it the world’s rainiest lowland.

13 Driest Place – Atacama Desert, Chile

It is so dry here that between October 1903 to January 1918 not a single drop of rain fell on the desert town of Arica which is the longest rainless period ever recorded.

12 Most Populous Landlocked Country – Ethiopia

Not only is it home to the hottest inhabited place on Earth, it is also home to over 70 million people without a coastline, more than any other landlocked nation.

11 Greatest Vertical Drop – Mount Thor, Canada

At 1,250 m (4,101 ft), with an average angle of 105 degrees, this drop makes Thor a favorite among climbers.

10 Coldest Inhabited Place – Oymkyakon, Russia

With sub zero temperatures for 7 months out of the year, this town of 400 people suffers long and brutally cold winters.

9 Windiest Place – Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica

With winds that regularly exceed 240 kilometres (150 mi) per hour and an average annual wind speed of 80 kilometres (50 mi) per hour, Commonwealth Bay is the windiest spot on Earth.


8 Higest Waterfall – Angel Falls, Venezuela

With a height of 3,211 feet this waterfall is the largest in the world. In fact, it’s so high that water evaporates before it even reaches the ground!

7 Highest Mountain Pass – Marsimik La, India

At 5,582 metres (18,314 ft) this pass in northern India is often considered to be the highest navigable road in the world.


6 Largest Freshwater Lake – Lake Superior

The largest body of freshwater in the world is found between the United States and Canada with a size of 31,820 square miles.

5 Longest Coastline of any Country – Canada

With a coastline that stretches for 151,019 miles, if you were to walk its entire length at a pace of 20 km per day the journey would take you 33 years to complete.


4 Largest Gorge – Grand Canyon, United States

Nearly 220 miles long and more than a mile deep, the Colorado River is responsible for carving out the world’s largest gorge.

3 Longest Glacier – Lambert-Fisher, Antarctica

Stretching for over 100 miles, this is by far the longest ice flow in the world.

2 Shortest River – Roe River, Montana

With everyone always talking about the longest river in the world no one ever mentions anything about which one is the shortest. Well, no more. The Roe River that flows between Giant Springs and the Missouri River has been named by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the shortest river on Earth at only 200 feet long.

1 Lowest Point – Challenger Deep

Located at the bottom of the Marianas Trench 10,911 m (35,797 ft) below sea level only three people have ever reached the bottom.

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