The topographic isolation of a summit is the minimum distance to a point of equal elevation, representing a radius of dominance in which the peak is the highest point. It can be calculated for small hills and islands as well as for major mountain peaks and can even be calculated for submarine summits. Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, has an undefined isolation, since there are no higher points to reference.[1]
Because topographic isolation can be difficult to determine, a common approximation is the distance to a peak called the nearest higher neighbour (NHN).[2]
The following sortable table lists Earth's 40 most topographically isolated summits.
Rank | Summit | Landmass | Country | Elevation | Prominence | Isolation | Nearest higher neighbour |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mount Everest | Eurasia | Nepal China |
8848 m 29,029 ft |
8848 m 29,029 ft |
n/a | n/a |
2 | Aconcagua | South America | Argentina (Mendoza) | 6962 m 22,841 ft |
6962 m 22,841 ft |
16,520 km 10,265 mi |
Tirich Mir (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan) |
3 | Denali | North America | United States (Alaska) | 6194 m 20,320 ft |
6149 m 20,174 ft |
7,450 km 4,629 mi |
Yanamax (Xinjiang, China) |
4 | Kilimanjaro | Africa | Tanzania | 5895 m 19,341 ft |
5885 m 19,308 ft |
5,510 km 3,424 mi |
Kuh-e Shashgal (Afghanistan) |
5 | Puncak Jaya | New Guinea | Indonesia (Papua) | 4884 m 16,024 ft |
4884 m 16,024 ft |
5,262 km 3,269 mi |
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yunnan, China) |
6 | Vinson Massif | Antarctica | Antarctica | 4892 m 16,050 ft |
4892 m 16,050 ft |
4,861 km 3,020 mi |
Risco Plateado (Mendoza, Argentina) |
7 | Mont Orohena | Tahiti | French Polynesia | 2241 m 7,352 ft |
2241 m 7,352 ft |
4,128 km 2,565 mi |
Mount Ngauruhoe (New Zealand) |
8 | Mauna Kea | Hawai'i | United States (Hawai'i) | 4205 m 13,796 ft |
4205 m 13,796 ft |
3,947 km 2,453 mi |
Mount Shasta (California, US) |
9 | Gunnbjørn Fjeld | Greenland | Greenland | 3694 m 12,119 ft |
3694 m 12,119 ft |
3,254 km 2,022 mi |
The Eiger (Canton of Bern, Switzerland) |
10 | Aoraki / Mount Cook | South Island | New Zealand | 3754 m 12,316 ft |
3754 m 12,316 ft |
3,140 km 1,951 mi |
Mount Adam (Victoria Land, Antarctica) |
11 | Thabana Ntlenyana | Africa | Lesotho | 3482 m 11,424 ft |
2390 m 7,841 ft |
3,003 km 1,866 mi |
Mount Meru (Tanzania) |
12 | Maunga Terevaka | Easter Island | Chile | 506 m 1,660 ft |
506 m 1,660 ft |
2,836 km 1,762 mi |
Cerro de Los Inocentes (Alejandro Selkirk Island, Chile) |
13 | Mont Blanc | Eurasia | France Italy |
4809 m 15,778 ft |
4696 m 15,407 ft |
2,813 km 1,748 mi |
Kukurtlu DomeKarachay-Cherkessia, Russia) | (
14 | Piton des Neiges | Réunion | France | 3071 m 10,075 ft |
3071 m 10,075 ft |
2,767 km 1,720 mi |
Giant's Castle (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) |
15 | Klyuchevskaya Sopka | Eurasia | Russia (Kamchatka) | 4750 m 15,584 ft |
4649 m 15,253 ft |
2,748 km 1,708 mi |
Mount Foraker (Alaska, US) |
16 | Pico de Orizaba | North America | Mexico (Puebla) | 5636 m 18,491 ft |
4922 m 16,148 ft |
2,690 km 1,672 mi |
Pico Cristóbal Colón (Magdalena Department, Colombia) |
17 | Queen Mary's Peak | Tristan da Cunha | Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | 2060 m 6,759 ft |
2060 m 6,759 ft |
2,665 km 1,656 mi |
Mount Paget (South Georgia Island, UK) |
18 | Mount Whitney | North America | United States (California) | 4421 m 14,505 ft |
3072 m 10,080 ft |
2,649 km 1,646 mi |
Nevado de Toluca (State of Mexico, Mexico) |
19 | Gunung Kinabalu | Borneo | Malaysia (Sabah) | 4095 m 13,435 ft |
4095 m 13,435 ft |
2,538 km 1,577 mi |
Ngga Pilimsit (Papua, Indonesia) |
20 | Mount Elbrus | Eurasia | Russia (Kabardino-Balkaria) | 5642 m 18,510 ft |
4741 m 15,554 ft |
2,473 km 1,536 mi |
Pik Agasis (Tajikistan) |
21 | Pico da Bandeira | South America | Brazil (Espírito Santo) | 2897 m 9,505 ft |
2647 m 8,684 ft |
2,393 km 1,487 mi |
Cerro Naranjos | (Bolivia)
22 | Mont Cameroun | Africa | Cameroon | 4040 m 13,255 ft |
3901 m 12,799 ft |
2,338 km 1,453 mi |
Mikeno (Democratic Republic of the Congo) |
23 | Mount Paget | South Georgia | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | 2915 m 9,564 ft |
2915 m 9,564 ft |
2,269 km 1,410 mi |
Welch Mountains (Palmer Land, Antarctica) |
24 | Mauga Silisili | Savai'i | Samoa | 1858 m 6,096 ft |
1858 m 6,096 ft |
2,245 km 1,395 mi |
Tabwemasana (Vanuatu) |
25 | Nevado Huascarán | South America | Peru | 6746 m 22,133 ft |
2776 m 9,108 ft |
2,196 km 1,365 mi |
Tres Cruces (Chile/Argentina border) |
26 | Anamudi | Eurasia | India (Kerala) | 2695 m 8,842 ft |
2480 m 8,136 ft |
2,115 km 1,314 mi |
Machapuchare (Nepal) |
27 | Jebel Toubkal | Africa | Morocco | 4167 m 13,671 ft |
3755 m 12,320 ft |
2,078 km 1,291 mi |
Picco Luigi Amedeo (Italy) |
28 | Mount Fuji | Honshu | Japan (Chūbu) | 3776 m 12,388 ft |
3776 m 12,388 ft |
2,077 km 1,291 mi |
Xueshan (Taiwan) |
29 | Emi Koussi | Africa | Chad | 3445 m 11,302 ft |
2934 m 9,626 ft |
2,001 km 1,243 mi |
Mount Cameroon (Cameroon) |
30 | Mawson Peak | Heard Island | Australia (Heard and McDonald Islands) | 2745 m 9,006 ft |
2745 m 9,006 ft |
1,922 km 1,194 mi |
Mount McMaster (Enderby Land, Antarctica) |
31 | Mount Mitchell | North America | United States (North Carolina) | 2037 m 6,684 ft |
1857 m 6,091 ft |
1,913 km 1,189 mi |
Lone Butte (Colorado, US) |
32 | Gunung Kerinci | Sumatra | Indonesia (West Sumatra) | 3805 m 12,484 ft |
3805 m 12,484 ft |
1,905 km 1,184 mi |
Gunung Kinabalu (Sabah, Malaysia) |
33 | Joe's Hill | Kiritimati | Kiribati | 13 m 43 ft |
13 m 43 ft |
1,903 km 1,182 mi |
Puu Ki (Hawaii, US) |
34 | Agrihan High Point | Agrihan | Northern Mariana Islands | 965 m 3,166 ft |
965 m 3,166 ft |
1,902 km 1,182 mi |
Mount Amagi (Chūbu, Japan) |
35 | Mount Kosciuszko | Australia | Australia (New South Wales) | 2228 m 7,310 ft |
2228 m 7,310 ft |
1,895 km 1,177 mi |
Tutoko (New Zealand) |
36 | Olavtoppen | Bouvet Island | Bouvet Island | 780 m 2,559 ft |
780 m 2,559 ft |
1,856 km 1,153 mi |
Edinburgh Peak (Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean) |
37 | Mascarin Peak | Marion Island | South Africa (Prince Edward Islands) | 1230 m 4,035 ft |
1230 m 4,035 ft |
1,848 km 1,148 mi |
Cockscomb (Eastern Cape, South Africa) |
38 | Green Mountain | Ascension Island | Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | 859 m 2,818 ft |
859 m 2,818 ft |
1,842 km 1,145 mi |
Mount Richard-Molard (Ivory Coast/Guinea border) |
39 | Gora Narodnaya | Eurasia | Russia (Khanty-Mansi) | 1895 m 6,217 ft |
1772 m 5,814 ft |
1,836 km 1,141 mi |
Kattotjåkkå (Sweden) |
40 | Yushan | Taiwan | Taiwan | 3952 m 12,966 ft |
3952 m 12,966 ft |
1,815 km 1,128 mi |
Peak 4030 (Yunnan, China) |