Joyce A. Quinn - Earths Landscape: An Encyclopedia of the Worlds Geographic Features

Joyce A. Quinn retired from California State University Fresno as professor emerita after 21 years of teaching a variety of courses in physical geography and mapping techniques. She earned an MA from the University of Colorado and a PhD from Arizona State University, specializing in the effect of climate on the distribution of plants. She has traveled extensively throughout North America, Latin America, Europe, northern and southern Africa, Uzbekistan, Nepal, China, Southeast Asia, Micronesia, and elsewhere. She is a member of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America.

Susan L. Woodward is professor emerita of geography in the Department of Geospatial Science at Radford University, Virginia. Primarily a biogeographer, she received a PhD in geography from UCLA in 1976. For many years she taught undergraduate classes on physical geography as well as on the geography of South America and of Middle America. She has traveled widely in South America and Africa, always with a trained eye focused on natural landscapes.

The Highest, Lowest, Biggest, Deepest Places: Top Tens and Other Global Comparisons

Note: Multiple sources were consulted to compile the following information; however, only a single source, if it provided most or all of the data, is cited. Actual figures vary from source to source, commonly as a consequence of exactly what is being measured, rounding, and the measuring techniques and instruments used. Scientists are continually updating data as discoveries are made or measurement methods are improved. We have made every effort to use the most current figures in individual entries in the encyclopedia and to adjust appendix data from outside sources to reflect these updates. Differences are usually not enough to alter rankings.

Global Dimensions

Land Area of Continents

Surface Area of Oceans

Largest Seas, by Surface Area

Deepest Point in Each Ocean

Ten Largest Islands

Ten Highest Mountains (elevation above sea level)

The Seven Summits: Highest Peaks on Each Continent (elevation above sea level)

Lowest Point on Each Continent*

Ten Longest Rivers*

Ten Largest Lakes, by Surface Area

Ten Largest Lakes, by Volume

Ten Largest Saline (Endorheic) Lakes, by Area

Ten Deepest Lakes (by Maximum Depth)

Ten Oldest Lakes

Ten Tallest Waterfalls

Ten Largest Waterfalls, by Average Volume

Ten Largest Waterfalls, by Width

Ten Deepest Caves (total vertical extent)

Ten Longest Known Caves

Ten Largest Drainage Basins (Watersheds)

Ten Largest Rivers, by Discharge

The 34 Terrestrial Biodiversity Hotspots Currently Recognized by Conservation International

Megadiverse Countries

Seventeen countries harbor more than 70 percent of Earths species:

Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, the United States, and Venezuela.

Source: Department of the Environment, Australian Government. n.d. Megadiverse Countries. http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/biodiversity/biodiversity-conservation/biodiversity-hotspots

Opposing Viewpoints: Issues Related to Natural Features

Issue/Key Question

Should U.S. national parks be left to wilderness or be developed so that more visitors could be accommodated more comfortably?