The World's Largest Eco - Systems & Terrains
Shown below are seven lists containing the world's largest eco - systems and natural terrains. The lists include;
The World's Tallest Mountains
The World's Largest Volcanoes
The World's Longest Mountain Ranges
Some Mountain Ranges And Their Highest Peaks
The World's Largest Deserts
The World's Largest Islands
The World's Largest Eco - Systems & Natural Terrains
For a list of the world's largest bodies of water visit our page -
The worlds largest bodies of water.
THE WORLD'S TALLEST MOUNTAINS
Mount Everest- Himalayas Mountain Range - Nepal - 8,646 meters.
K2 - Karakoram Mountain Range - China - Pakistan - 8,611 meters.
Kangchenjunga - Himalayas Mountain Range - India / Nepal - 8,598 meters.
Aconcagua - Andes Mountain Range - Argentina - 6,960 meters.
Ojos del Salado - Andes Mountain Range - Argentina / Chile - 6,908 meters.
Chimborazo - Andes Mountain Range - Ecuador - 6,310 meters.
Mount McKinley - Alaska Mountain Range - United States - 6,194 meters.
Kilimanjaro - Tanzania - 5,895 meters.
Elbrus - Caucacus Mountain Range - Russia - 5,642 meters.
Kirinyaga / Mount Kenya - Kenya - 5,199 meters.
THE WORLD'S LARGEST VOLCANOES
The world's largest volcano is Mauna Lao in Hawaii, at 4,169 metres above sea level, with that distance again also situated below sea level.
The world's tallest above ground volcano is Ojos de Salada in Chile, at 6,893 metres high.
The world's tallest free standing mountain, that is a mountain which is not part of a mountain range, is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at 5,895 meters high.
THE WORLD'S LARGEST MOUNTAIN RANGES
The longest mountain range on earth is the Oceanic Ridge System, situated on the sea floor of all of the world's five oceans, which in total measures 80.000 kilometers long with it's longest continuous ridge measuring over 65,000 kilometers long.
The world's longest mountain range is the Andes situated on the continent of South America which is 7,242 kilometers long.
The world's highest mountain range is the Himalayas with it's highest peak, Mount Everest situated in Nepal, attaining a height of 8,646 meters high.
SOME MOUNTAIN RANGES AND THEIR HIGHEST PEAKS
The Andes Mountains - South America - 7, 000 km long - Mount Aconcagua - 6,962 meters high.
The Rocky Mountains - Canada, USA, Mexico - 4,830 km long - Mount Elbert (USA) 4,400 meters high.
The Great Dividing Range - Australia - 3,500 km long - Mount Kosciusko - 3,500 meters high.
The Atlas Mountains - North Africa - 2,500 km long - Toubkal - 4,167 meters high.
The Urals - Russian Federation - 2,500 km long - Mount Narodnaya - 1,895 meters high.
The Appalachians - USA - 2,400 km long - Mount Mitchell - 6,684 meters high.
The Himalayas - Asia - 2,400 km long - Mount Everest - 8,848 meters high.
The Western Ghats - India - 1,600 km long - Anamudi - 2,696 meters high.
The Serra Do Mar - Brazil - 1,500 km long - Pico Tira Chapeu - 2,132 meters high.
The Alps - Europe - 1,200 km long - Mont Blanc - 4,810 meters high.
The Eastern Ghats - India - 1,131 km long - Arma Konda - 1,680 meters high.
The Caucasus Mountains - Russian Federation - 1,100 km long - Mount Elbrus - 5,642 meters high.
The Pontic Mountains - Turkey - 976 km long - Kackar Dagi - 3,937 meters high.
The Hindu Kush - Central Asia - 800 km long - Tirich Mir - 7,690 meters high.
The Alaska Range - USA - 650 km long - Mount McKinley - 6,190 meters high.
The Sierra Nevada - USA - 640 km long - Mount Whitney - 4,421 meters high.
The Baetic Cordillera - Spain - 580 km long - Mount Mulhacen - 3,481 meters high.
The Taurus Mountains - Turkey - 560 km long - Mount Demirkazik - 3,756 meters high.
The Karakoram Mountains - Asia - 500 km long - K2 - 8,611 meters high.
The St Elias Mountains - Canada - 480 km long - Mount Logan - 5,959 meters high.
The Southern Alps - New Zealand - 450 km long - Mount Cook - 3,754 meters high.
THE WORLD'S LARGEST DESERTS
The world's largest desert is a high altitude desert which covers an entire continent. This desert is of course Antarctica which covers an overall area of 14,000, 000 square kilometers.
The world's largest 'hot' desert, or low latitude desert, however is the Sahara Desert which covers an overall area of 9,400,000 square kilometers and is situated within the borders of the African countries of Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan and Tunisia.
The Sahara's highest elevation is located at the peak of the Emi Koussy, a 3,415 meter high sheild volcano located in the Tibetsi Mountain Range of Chad, and it's lowest elevation is located along the Qattarra Depression, an endhoreic basin located in Egypt, which lies at - 133 meters below sea level.
The desert's most arid region is the Tanezrouft Desert, a barren plain located along the borders of Algeria, Niger and Mali, which is located at an elevation of 310 meters above sea level and often receives temperatures of up to 52 degrees celcius / 125 degrees farenheit and little or no rain.
Other land forms which make up the Sahara Desert are vast tracts of up to 180 meter high sand dunes, the Adrar des Iforas Mountains, the Aïr Mountains, the Ahaggar Mountains, the Saharan Atlas Mountains, the Tibesti Mountains and the Red Sea Hills, the Eastern, the Libyan, the Nubian, the Tanezrouft and Tenere deserts and the Bahariya, Ghardaïa, Kufra, Timimoun, and Siwa oases. These oases are fed by underground springs, or aquifers, which are fed by the River Nile, of which a part also passes through the Sahara.
The word Sahara comes from the Arabic language and means desert.
The world's other largest deserts are;
The Arabian Desert - Asia - 900,00. sq km.
The Kalahari Desert - Africa - 360,000 sq km.
The Great Victoria Desert - Australia - 250,000. sq km.
The Syrian Desert - Asia - 200,000 sq km.
The Thar Desert - Asia - 200,000. sq km.
The Chihuahuan Desert - South America - 175,000. sq km.
The Great Sandy Desert - Australia - 150,000.sq km.
The Soworan Desert - Central America - 120,000. sq km.
The Gibson Desert - Australia - 60,000. sq km.
THE WORLD'S LARGEST ISLANDS
Australia - 7,617,930 sq km. Officially the largest single landmass on earth that is completely surrounded by water, but as it is positioned on it's own continental plate it is classified as the world's smallest continent rather than the largest island.
Greenland - 2,175,600 sq km - Geographically part of North America as it is positioned on the North American Plate, but politically part of Europe, as it is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
New Guinea - 792,500 sq km - Oceania - Pacific Ocean.
Borneo - 725,500 sq km - Indonesia / Brunei / Malaysia - South China Sea.
Madagascar - 587,000 sq km - Africa - Indian Ocean.
Baffin Island - 507,500 sq km - Canada - Arctic Ocean.
Sumatra - 427,300 sq km - Indonesia - Indian Ocean / South China Sea.
Honshu - 227,400 sq km - Japan - Pacific Ocean.
Great Britain - 218,100 sq km - Europe - Atlantic Ocean.
Vancouver / Victoria Island - 217,300 sq km - Canada - Pacific Ocean.
Ellesmere Island - 196,836 sq km - Canada - Arctic Ocean.
THE WORLD'S LARGEST ECO - SYSTEMS & NATURAL TERRAINS
Archipelago - (Largest area covered) - 2 million sq km (25,000 islands) - The Malay Archipelago, Pacific Ocean.
Archipelago - (Greatest number of islands) - 36,500 islands - The Canadian Arctic Archipelago, Arctic Ocean.
Atoll - 12,000 sq km - Great Chagos Bank, Indian Ocean.
Boreal / Coniferous Forest - 2,156,900 sq km - The combined Scandinavian, Canadian and Russian Taigas situated within the Arctic Circle.
Bogland (Peat Bog) - 900,000 sq km - The Western Siberian lowlands of Russia.
Broad leaf Forest - 3,100 sq km - Central Savai'i Rain Forest, Samoa.
Canyon - 446 km long x 29 km wide x 1,800 meters deep - The Grand Canyon, Arizona, U.S.A.
Cave - (Natural single passage) - 80 metres x 80 metres - The Son Doong Cave, Phong Nha Bang National Park, Vietnam.
Cave System - 630 km of natural passageways - The Flint Ridge Cave System, Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, U.S.A.
Cold Water Geyser - 64 metres high - Andernach, Germany.
Coral Reef - 2,900 reefs and 900 islands, stretching for 2,600 km - Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.
Desert - 3,320,000 sq km - The Sahara Desert, North Africa.
Drainage Basin (River Watershed) - 7,050,000 square kilometers - The River Amazon basin in south America.
Endorheic Sea - 371,000 sq km - The Caspian Sea, Asia.
Estuary - 236,000 sq km - Outlet for the North American Great Lakes - Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada.
Fjord - Covers an overall area of 38,000 sq km - Scoresby Sund / Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland.
Flood Plain - 1,093,400 sq km - The River Ganges Basin which covers parts of northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Tibet, with annual flooding every June - September.
Freshwater Lake - 31, 700 sq km - Lake Superior on the Canadian / U.S border.
Glacier - 100 kilometers wide by 400 kilometers long - The Lambert Glacier, East Antarctica.
Grassland (Savannah / Steppe) - 40,000 hectares. The Daurian Steppe, Mongolia.
Gorge - Approximately 2,420 meters deep - The Kaligan Daki Gorge, Nepal.
Hot Spring (Geothermal Geyser) - 90 metres high - The Steamboat Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, U.S.A.
Inter - Tidal Mudflat - 10,000 sq km - The Wadden Sea, situated along the coast of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.
Island - 2,175,600 sq km - Greenland.
Lagoon - 120,000 sq meters - The Crystal Lagoon, Sharm El Sheik, Egypt.
Mangrove Forest (Swamp) - 10,000 sq km - Sunderbans Tidal Mangrove Swamp, Bangladesh.
Marine Park - 1.1 million sq km - Cook Islands Marine Park, south Pacific Ocean.
Marine Protected Area - 544, 000 sq km - The Chagos Islands (MPA) Indian Ocean.
Marshland (fresh water) - 53,000 sq km - The Pantanel, Brazil.
Moorland - 178,000 hectares - The Sumapaz Paramo, Colombia.
Mountain Lake - 8,372 square kilometers - Lake Titicaca located in the Andes Mountains along the Peru / Bolivia border.
National Park - 972,000 sq km - The North East Greenland National Park, Greenland.
Natural Sinkhole (Area Of Quicksand) - 80 km by 120 km - The Qattara Depression, Cairo, Egypt.
Oasis (Wadi) - 22,000 sq km - River Nile delta, Egypt.
Ocean - 155, 556, 651 sq km - The Pacific Ocean.
Ocean Bank (Oceanic Plateau) - 280,000 sq km - Grand Banks, Newfoundland, Canada.
Peninsula - 1,250,000 sq km - The Arabian Peninsula, Asia.
Polar Ice Cap - 1,700,000 sq km x 3 m thick - Greenland.
River - 6,695 km - The River Nile in Africa.
River Watershed (Drainage Basin) - 7,0505,000 square kilometers - The River Amazon basin in South America.
Salt Flats - 10.582 sq km - Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia.
Salt Marsh - 250,000 sq km - Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada.
Sand Bar - 35 km - Farewell Spit, South Island, New Zealand.
Sand Dune (Highest) - 1,176 m high - Cerro Blanco, Sechura Desert, Nazca, Peru.
Sand Dune (Longest) - 200 km long x 300 metres high - Rub al Khali, Saudi Arabia.
Sand Island - 1,840 sq km - Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia.
Swampland - 53,000 sq km - Vasyugan Swamp, Siberia, Russia.
Tidal Bore - 9.4 m high x 321.8 km long - Hangzhou Bay, East China Sea coast of China.
Tidal Capacity - Highest amount of incoming sea water - 115 billion tonnes - Bay of Fundy, Atlantic coast of Canada.
Tidal Range - Between 3.5 metres and 16 metres - Bay of Fundy, Atlantic coast of Canada.
Tidal Flats (Wetlands) - 1000 sq km - Hiroshima Bay, Seto Inland Sea, Japan.
Tropical Lake - 68,800 sq km - Lake Victoria, Africa.
Tropical Rainforest (Jungle) - 4,100,000 sq km - The Amazon, South America.
Volcanic Island - 102,828 sq km - Iceland.
Waterfall (Tallest) The world's tallest waterfall is Angel Falls in Venezuela at 979 meters tall.
Waterfall (Widest) The world's widest waterfall is the Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwe / Zambia border at 1609.344 meters wide.
Whirlpool / Maelstrom - 10 m x 5 m whirlpools created by 400 million tonnes of seawater at a speed of 40 km/h or 22 knots an hour - Saltstraumen, Bodo, Norway.
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