From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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
The continental Americas
Highest points
Aconcagua ,
[note 2]
[1]
Mendoza Province ,
Argentina
32°39′12″S 70°0′40″W / 32.65333°S 70.01111°W / -32.65333; -70.01111 (Aconcagua ) — highest summit of the Americas, the
Western Hemisphere , and the
Southern Hemisphere at 6,961 m (22,838 feet).
Ojos del Salado ,
Chile and Argentina
27°06′34.6″S 68°32′32.1″W / 27.109611°S 68.542250°W / -27.109611; -68.542250 (Ojos del Salado ) — highest
volcano summit on Earth and second highest summit of the Americas, the Western Hemisphere, and the Southern Hemisphere at 6,893 m (22,615 feet).
Denali (
Mount McKinley ),
[2]
Alaska ,
United States
63°4′10″N 151°0′26″W / 63.06944°N 151.00722°W / 63.06944; -151.00722 (Mount McKinley ) — highest summit of
North America at 6,190.5 m (20,310 feet).
Volcán Tajumulco ,
[note 3]
[3]
San Marcos ,
Guatemala
15°2′37″N 91°54′12″W / 15.04361°N 91.90333°W / 15.04361; -91.90333 (Volcán Tajumulco ) — highest summit of
Central America at 4,220 m (13,850 feet).
Gunnbjørn Fjeld ,
[note 4]
[4]
Sermersooq ,
Island of Greenland ,
Greenland
68°55′10″N 29°53′55″W / 68.91944°N 29.89861°W / 68.91944; -29.89861 (Gunnbjørn Fjeld ) — highest island summit of the Americas and the Western Hemisphere and highest summit of the entire
Arctic at 3,694 m (12,119 feet).
Pico Duarte ,
[note 5]
[5]
Dominican Republic ,
Hispaniola
19°1′23″N 70°59′53″W / 19.02306°N 70.99806°W / 19.02306; -70.99806 (Pico Duarte ) — highest summit of the
Caribbean at 3,175 m (10,417 feet).
Lowest points
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
The continental
pole of inaccessibility of the Americas is located at
43°22′N 101°58′W / 43.367°N 101.967°W / 43.367; -101.967 (North American pole of inaccessibility ) , about eleven miles southeast of the town of
Kyle on the
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in
Bennett County, South Dakota ,
United States , 1,650 km (1,025 miles) from the nearest coastlines.
The
South American pole of inaccessibility is located at
14°03′S 56°51′W / 14.050°S 56.850°W / -14.050; -56.850 (South American pole of inaccessibility ) , near
Arenápolis ,
Brazil , 1,519 km (944 miles) from the nearest coastlines.
Islands
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
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
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
Notes
^ According to the
International Date Line
^ 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.
^
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
^
Gunnbjørn Fjeld is the highest point on the
Island of Greenland ,
Kalaallit Nunaat , the
Kingdom of Denmark , and the entire
Arctic
^
Pico Duarte is the highest point on the
Island of Hispaniola , the
Dominican Republic , and all the islands of the
Caribbean Sea
^
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
External links
Sovereign states Dependencies and other territories