Extreme points of the Americas explained

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

• Northernmost point - Kaffeklubben Island, Greenland 83.6667°N -79°W
• Southernmost point - Southern Thule, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands -59.4211°N -27.2306°W
• Easternmost point - Nordostrundingen, Greenland 81.4403°N -11.4894°W
• Westernmost point - Cape Wrangell on Attu Island, Alaska, United States 52.9244°N 172.4728°W^[1]

The continental Americas

• Northernmost point - Murchison Promontory, Nunavut, Canada 71.9667°N -151°W
• Southernmost point - Cape Froward, Magallanes, Chile -53.9333°N -91°W
• Easternmost point - Ponta do Seixas, Paraíba, Brazil -7.1486°N -34.7969°W
• Westernmost point - Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, United States 65.5964°N -168.0847°W

Highest points

• Aconcagua,^{[2] [3]} Mendoza Province, Argentina -32.6533°N -70.0111°W — highest summit of the Americas, the Western Hemisphere, and the Southern Hemisphere at 6961m (22,838feet).
• Ojos del Salado, Chile and Argentina -27.1096°N -68.5423°W — highest volcano summit on Earth and second highest summit of the Americas, the Western Hemisphere, and the Southern Hemisphere at 6893m (22,615feet).
• Denali,^[4] Alaska, United States 63.0694°N -151.0072°W — highest summit of North America at 6190.5m (20,310feet).
• Volcán Tajumulco,^{[5] [6]} San Marcos, Guatemala 15.0436°N -91.9033°W — highest summit of Central America at 4220m (13,850feet).
• Gunnbjørn Fjeld,^{[7] [8]} Sermersooq, Island of Greenland, Greenland 68.9194°N -29.8986°W — highest island summit of the Americas and the Western Hemisphere and highest summit of the entire Arctic at 3694m (12,119feet).
• Pico Duarte,^{[9] [10]} Dominican Republic, Hispaniola 19.0231°N -70.9981°W — highest summit of the Caribbean at 3175m (10,417feet).

Lowest points

• Laguna del Carbón, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina -49.5761°N -68.3514°W — lowest surface point of the Americas, the Western Hemisphere, and the Southern Hemisphere at -105m (-344feet).
• Badwater Basin, Death Valley, California, United States 36.2397°N -116.8347°W — lowest surface point of North America at -85m (-279feet).^[11]
• Furnace Creek Airport, California, United States 36.4639°N -116.8814°W — lowest airfield of the Americas at -64m (-210feet).
• Furnace Creek, California, United States^[12] 36.4581°N -116.8708°W — lowest settlement of the Americas at -58m (-190feet).
• Calipatria, California, United States 33.1256°N -115.5142°W — lowest city of the Americas at -56m (-184feet).
• Lago Enriquillo, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola 18.5°N -106°W — lowest surface point on any ocean island on Earth at -27m (-89feet).
• New Orleans, Louisiana, United States 29.9667°N -93°W — lowest city of the Americas with an average elevation of -0.5m (-01.6feet).
• Isthmus of Rivas, Rivas, Nicaragua 12.0167°N -113°W — lowest pass between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (on the Continental Divide of the Americas) at 47m (154feet).
• Great Slave Lake bottom, Northwest Territories, Canada 61.6667°N -114°W — lowest fresh water point of the Americas at -458m (-1,503feet).

Inland points

• The continental pole of inaccessibility of the Americas is located at 43.3667°N -159°W, about eleven miles southeast of the town of Kyle on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Bennett County, South Dakota, United States, 1650km (1,030miles) from the nearest coastlines.
• The South American pole of inaccessibility is located at -14.05°N -107°W, near Arenápolis, Brazil, 1519km (944miles) from the nearest coastlines.

Islands

• Island of Greenland 68.9194°N -29.8986°W — most extensive island on Earth at 2130800km2 and tallest island of Western Hemisphere at 3694m (12,119feet).
• Island of Cuba 21.5°N -80°W — most extensive island of the Caribbean at 104556km2.
• Hispaniola 19.0231°N -70.9981°W — tallest island of the Caribbean at 3175m (10,417feet) and second most extensive island of the Caribbean at 76480km2.
• Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada 45.7667°N -94°W — most extensive lake island on Earth at 2766km2.

Lakes

• Lake Superior, Canada and the United States 47.75°N -117°W — most voluminous lake in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere at 11600km3.
• Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada 61.6667°N -114°W — deepest lake in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere at 614m (2,014feet).
• Lake Michigan–Huron, Canada and the United States 45.8167°N -129°W — most extensive lake in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere and the most extensive fresh water lake on Earth at 117702km2.
• Nettilling Lake on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada 66.5°N -120°W — most extensive lake on any island on Earth at 5066km2.
• Lake Manitou on Manitoulin Island in Lake Michigan–Huron, Ontario, Canada 45.7783°N -81.9917°W — most extensive lake on an island in a lake on Earth at 104km2.

Rivers

• Amazon Basin of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela -0.1667°N -49°W — most extensive river basin on Earth at 7050000km2.
• Mississippi Basin of Canada and the United States 29.1511°N -89.2533°W — most extensive river basin of North America at 3225000km2.
• Amazon River of Peru, Colombia, and Brazil -0.1667°N -49°W — longest river in the Americas and the Western Hemisphere at 6992km (4,345miles) and the most profuse river on Earth with an average discharge of 209000m3/s.
• Mississippi-Missouri-Jefferson River System of the United States 29.1511°N -89.2533°W — longest river system of North America at 6352km (3,947miles).
• Paraná River of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay -19.2225°N -46.1744°W — the second most extensive river on the Americas, at 4880km (3,030miles).
• Missouri River of the United States 38.8136°N -90.1197°W — longest river of North America at 3767km (2,341miles).
• Mississippi River of the United States 29.1511°N -89.2533°W — longest Gulf of Mexico main stem river at 3544km (2,202miles).
• Yukon River of Canada and the United States 62.5986°N -164.7944°W — longest Bering Sea main stem river at 3185km (1,979miles).
• Nelson River of Manitoba, Canada 57.0847°N -92.5022°W — longest Hudson Bay main stem river at 2575km (1,600miles).)
• Colorado River of the United States and Mexico 31.8158°N -114.8061°W — longest Gulf of California main stem river at 2330km (1,450miles).
• Columbia River of Canada and the United States 46.2442°N -124.0581°W — longest eastern Pacific Ocean main stem river at 2000km (1,000miles).

See also

• Geography of the Americas
  • Geography of North America
  • Geography of South America
• Extreme points of the Earth
  • Extreme points of the Americas
    • Extreme points of North America
      • Extreme points of Central America
      • Extreme points of the Caribbean
    • Extreme points of South America

Notes and References

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. Web site: Aconcagua. Summits of the World. peakbagger.com. September 8, 2012.
4. New Elevation for Nation's Highest Peak . USGS . Mark Newell . Blaine Horner . September 2, 2015 . September 26, 2015.
5. [Volcán Tajumulco]
6. Web site: Volcán Tajumulco. Summits of the World. peakbagger.com. January 11, 2010.
7. [Gunnbjørn Fjeld]
8. Web site: Gunnbjørn Fjeld. Summits of the World. peakbagger.com. September 8, 2012.
9. [Pico Duarte]
10. Web site: Pico Duarte. Summits of the World. peakbagger.com. January 2, 2010.
11. Web site: 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. September 22, 2015. March 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190325085854/https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/usgs-national-elevation-dataset-ned-1-meter-downloadable-data-collection-from-the-national-map-. dead.
12. [Furnace Creek, California|Furnace Creek]