Extreme points of the Americas

Summary

This is a list of the extreme points of The Americas, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location on the continent. The continent's southernmost point is often said to be Cape Horn, which is the southernmost point of the Chilean islands. The Americas cross 134° of longitude east to west and 124° of latitude north to south.

The Americas including islands edit

  • Northernmost point — Kaffeklubben Island, Greenland 83°40′N 29°50′W / 83.667°N 29.833°W / 83.667; -29.833 (Kaffeklubben Island)
  • Southernmost point — Southern Thule, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 59°25′16″S 27°13′50″W / 59.42111°S 27.23056°W / -59.42111; -27.23056 (Kaffeklubben Island)
  • Easternmost point — Nordostrundingen, Greenland 81°26′25″N 11°29′22″W / 81.44028°N 11.48944°W / 81.44028; -11.48944 (Nordostrundingen)
  • Westernmost point — Cape Wrangell on Attu Island, Alaska, United States 52°55′28″N 172°28′22″E / 52.92444°N 172.47278°E / 52.92444; 172.47278 (Cape Wrangell)[note 1]

The continental Americas edit

  • Northernmost point — Murchison Promontory, Nunavut, Canada 71°58′N 94°57′W / 71.967°N 94.950°W / 71.967; -94.950 (Murchison Promontory)
  • Southernmost point — Cape Froward, Magallanes, Chile 53°56′S 71°20′W / 53.933°S 71.333°W / -53.933; -71.333 (Cape Froward)
  • Easternmost point — Ponta do Seixas, Paraíba, Brazil 7°8′55″S 34°47′49″W / 7.14861°S 34.79694°W / -7.14861; -34.79694 (Ponta do Seixas)
  • Westernmost point — Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, United States 65°35′47″N 168°5′5″W / 65.59639°N 168.08472°W / 65.59639; -168.08472 (Cape Prince of Wales)

Highest points edit

Lowest points edit

  • Laguna del Carbón, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina 49°34′34″S 68°21′5″W / 49.57611°S 68.35139°W / -49.57611; -68.35139 (Laguna del Carbón) — lowest surface point of the Americas, the Western Hemisphere, and the Southern Hemisphere at −105 m (−344 feet).
  • Badwater Basin, Death Valley, California, United States 36°14′23″N 116°50′5″W / 36.23972°N 116.83472°W / 36.23972; -116.83472 (Badwater Basin) — lowest surface point of North America at −85.0 m (−279 feet).[6]
  • Furnace Creek Airport, California, United States 36°27′50″N 116°52′53″W / 36.46389°N 116.88139°W / 36.46389; -116.88139 (Furnace Creek Airport) — lowest airfield of the Americas at −64 m (−210 feet).
  • Furnace Creek, California, United States[note 6] 36°27′29″N 116°52′15″W / 36.45806°N 116.87083°W / 36.45806; -116.87083 (Furnace Creek, California) — lowest settlement of the Americas at −58 m (−190 feet).
  • Calipatria, California, United States 33°07′32″N 115°30′51″W / 33.12556°N 115.51417°W / 33.12556; -115.51417 (Calipatria, California) — lowest city of the Americas at −56 m (−184 feet).
  • Lago Enriquillo, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola 18°30′N 71°35′W / 18.500°N 71.583°W / 18.500; -71.583 (Lago Enriquillo) — lowest surface point on any ocean island on Earth at −27 m (−89 feet).
  • New Orleans, Louisiana, United States 29°58′N 90°03′W / 29.967°N 90.050°W / 29.967; -90.050 (New Orleans, Louisiana) — lowest city of the Americas with an average elevation of −0.5 m (−1.6 feet).
  • Isthmus of Rivas, Rivas, Nicaragua 12°1′N 86°27′W / 12.017°N 86.450°W / 12.017; -86.450 (Isthmus of Rivas) — lowest pass between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (on the Continental Divide of the Americas) at 47 m (154 feet).
  • Great Slave Lake bottom, Northwest Territories, Canada 61°40′N 114°00′W / 61.667°N 114.000°W / 61.667; -114.000 (Great Slave Lake) — lowest fresh water point of the Americas at −458 m (−1,503 feet).

Inland points edit

Islands edit

  • Island of Greenland 68°55′10″N 29°53′55″W / 68.91944°N 29.89861°W / 68.91944; -29.89861 (Island of Greenland) — most extensive island on Earth at 2,130,800 km2 (822,700 square miles) and tallest island of Western Hemisphere at 3,694 m (12,119 feet).
  • Island of Cuba 21°30′N 80°0′W / 21.500°N 80.000°W / 21.500; -80.000 (Island of Cuba) — most extensive island of the Caribbean at 104,556 km2 (40,369 square miles).
  • Hispaniola 19°1′23″N 70°59′53″W / 19.02306°N 70.99806°W / 19.02306; -70.99806 (Hispaniola) — tallest island of the Caribbean at 3,175 m (10,417 feet) and second most extensive island of the Caribbean at 76,480 km2 (29,529 square miles).
  • Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada 45°46′N 82°12′W / 45.767°N 82.200°W / 45.767; -82.200 (Manitoulin Island) — most extensive lake island on Earth at 2,766 km2 (1,068 square miles).

Lakes edit

  • Lake Superior, Canada and the United States 47°45′N 87°30′W / 47.750°N 87.500°W / 47.750; -87.500 (Lake Superior) — most voluminous lake in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere at 11,600 km3 (2,780 cubic miles).
  • Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada 61°40′N 114°00′W / 61.667°N 114.000°W / 61.667; -114.000 (Great Slave Lake) — deepest lake in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere at 614 m (2,014 feet).
  • Lake Michigan–Huron, Canada and the United States 45°49′N 84°45′W / 45.817°N 84.750°W / 45.817; -84.750 (Lake Michigan–Huron) — most extensive lake in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere and the most extensive fresh water lake on Earth at 117,702 km2 (45,445 square miles).
  • Nettilling Lake on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada 66°30′N 70°50′W / 66.500°N 70.833°W / 66.500; -70.833 (Nettilling Lake) — most extensive lake on any island on Earth at 5,066 km2 (1,956 square miles).
  • Lake Manitou on Manitoulin Island in Lake Michigan–Huron, Ontario, Canada 45°46′42″N 81°59′30″W / 45.77833°N 81.99167°W / 45.77833; -81.99167 (Lake Manitou) — most extensive lake on an island in a lake on Earth at 104 km2 (40 square miles).

Rivers edit

  • Amazon Basin of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela 0°10′S 49°0′W / 0.167°S 49.000°W / -0.167; -49.000 (Amazon River) — most extensive river basin on Earth at 7,050,000 km2 (2,722,000 square miles).
  • Mississippi Basin of Canada and the United States 29°9′4″N 89°15′12″W / 29.15111°N 89.25333°W / 29.15111; -89.25333 (Mississippi River) — most extensive river basin of North America at 3,225,000 km2 (1,245,000 square miles).
  • Amazon River of Peru, Colombia, and Brazil 0°10′S 49°0′W / 0.167°S 49.000°W / -0.167; -49.000 (Amazon River) — longest river in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere at 6,992 km (4,345 miles) and the most profuse river on Earth with an average discharge of 209,000 m3/s (7,400,000 cubic feet per second).
  • Mississippi-Missouri-Jefferson River System of the United States 29°9′4″N 89°15′12″W / 29.15111°N 89.25333°W / 29.15111; -89.25333 (Mississippi-Missouri-Jefferson River System) — longest river system of North America at 6,352 km (3,947 miles).
  • Paraná River of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay 19°13′21″S 46°10′28″W / 19.22250°S 46.17444°W / -19.22250; -46.17444 — the second most extensive river on the Americas, at 4,880 km (3,030 miles).
  • Missouri River of the United States 38°48′49″N 90°07′11″W / 38.81361°N 90.11972°W / 38.81361; -90.11972 (Missouri River) — longest river of North America at 3,767 km (2,341 miles).
  • Mississippi River of the United States 29°9′4″N 89°15′12″W / 29.15111°N 89.25333°W / 29.15111; -89.25333 (Mississippi River) — longest Gulf of Mexico main stem river at 3,544 km (2,202 miles).
  • Yukon River of Canada and the United States 62°35′55″N 164°47′40″W / 62.59861°N 164.79444°W / 62.59861; -164.79444 (Yukon River) — longest Bering Sea main stem river at 3,185 km (1,979 miles).
  • Nelson River of Manitoba, Canada 57°5′5″N 92°30′8″W / 57.08472°N 92.50222°W / 57.08472; -92.50222 (Nelson River) — longest Hudson Bay main stem river at 2,575 km (1,600 miles).)
  • Colorado River of the United States and Mexico 31°48′57″N 114°48′22″W / 31.81583°N 114.80611°W / 31.81583; -114.80611 (Colorado River) — longest Gulf of California main stem river at 2,330 km (1,448 miles).
  • Columbia River of Canada and the United States 46°14′39″N 124°3′29″W / 46.24417°N 124.05806°W / 46.24417; -124.05806 (Columbia River) — longest eastern Pacific Ocean main stem river at 2,000 km (1,243 miles).

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ According to the International Date Line
  2. ^ The summit of Aconcagua is the highest summit of Andes, Argentina, South America, and all of the Americas. Mount Aconcagua is the second most prominent summit on Earth.
  3. ^ Volcán Tajumulco is the highest point of the Republic of Guatemala and all of Central America. Volcán Tajumulco is the southernmost and easternmost 4000 m (13,123-foot) summit of North America
  4. ^ Gunnbjørn Fjeld is the highest point on the Island of Greenland, Kalaallit Nunaat, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the entire Arctic
  5. ^ Pico Duarte is the highest point on the Island of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic, and all the islands of the Caribbean Sea
  6. ^ Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, United States set the world record for the highest reliably reported ambient air temperature of 134°F (56.7°C) on July 10, 1913. This record has been eclipsed only once by a questionable reading of 136°F (57.8°C) recorded in 'Aziziya, Libya, on September 13, 1922.

References edit

  1. ^ "Aconcagua". Summits of the World. peakbagger.com. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  2. ^ Mark Newell; Blaine Horner (September 2, 2015). "New Elevation for Nation's Highest Peak" (Press release). USGS. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
  3. ^ "Volcán Tajumulco". Summits of the World. peakbagger.com. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  4. ^ "Gunnbjørn Fjeld". Summits of the World. peakbagger.com. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  5. ^ "Pico Duarte". Summits of the World. peakbagger.com. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  6. ^ "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)". United States Geological Survey. September 21, 2015. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2015.

External links edit