What is the most distant point from an ocean? Where is the highest permanent human settlement located, or the lowest commercial airport? And what is the greatest vertical drop found anywhere?
Our world is a place of extremes, a planet of mind-boggling contrast that puzzles and amazes us in equal measure. And it's always full of surprises! So, do you know the answers to the questions above?
The highest point accessible by land vehicle is an elevation of 6,688 m (21,942 ft) on Ojos del Salado in Chile, currently a high-altitude record for a four-wheeled vehicle.
Furthermore, with a summit of 6,983 m (22, 615 ft), Ojos del Salado on the Argentine-Chile border is the highest of any volcano on Earth. The unnamed crater lake on Ojos del Salado is also the highest natural lake.
The farthest point on Earth (the point furthest from the axis of Earth) is the summit of Cayambe, in Ecuador. This also means its summit rotates the fastest as Earth spins.
The westernmost and easternmost points on Earth can be found anywhere along the 180th meridian (which divides the earth into the Western and Eastern Hemispheres) in Siberia (including Wrangle Island, pictured).
The easternmost point on land is Caroline Island in the Pacific Ocean. It's also known for being the first place on Earth to receive sunlight during much of the year.
Southernmost continental point of land outside Antarctica
The southernmost continental point of land outside Antarctica is Cape Froward, located in the Magallanes Region of Chile, along the north shore of the Magellan Strait.
Mount Thor in Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada boasts the greatest purely vertical drop. Its summit elevation is 1,675 m (5,495 ft).
This is the Trango Towers group in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The highest point in the group is the summit of Great Trango Tower at 6,286 m (20,623 ft), the east face of which features the world's greatest near-vertical drop.
