World Land Areas and Elevations
Updated September 9, 2022 |
Infoplease Staff
The following table lists the approximate land area, highest elevation, and lowest elevation of the world's continents, including Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America, according to the World Atlas.
| Area | Approximate land area sq. km | Approximate land area sq. mi. | Percentage of total land area | Elevation, feet and meters | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest | Lowest | ||||
| WORLD | 148,647,000 | 57,393,000 | 100.0% | Mt. Everest, Tibet-Nepal, 29,035 ft. (8,850 m)1 | Dead Sea, Israel-Jordan, 1,349 ft. below sea level (–411 m) |
| AFRICA | 30,065,000 | 11,608,000 | 20.2 | Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, 19,340 ft. (5,895 m) | Lake Assal, Djibouti, 512 ft. below sea level (–156 m) |
| ANTARCTICA | 13,209,000 | 5,100,000 | 8.9 | Vinson Massif, Ellsworth Mts., 16,066 ft. (4,897 m) | Lowest land point hidden within Bentley Subglacial Trench2 |
| ASIA (includes the Middle East) | 44,579,000 | 17,212,000 | 30.0 | Mt. Everest, Tibet-Nepal, 29,035 ft. (8,850 m) | Dead Sea, Israel-Jordan, 1,349 ft. below sea level (–411 m) |
| AUSTRALIA (includes Oceania) | 8,112,000 | 3,132,000 | 5.3 | Mt. Kosciusko, Australia, 7,310 ft. (2,228 m) | Lake Eyre, Australia, 52 ft. below sea level (–12 m) |
| EUROPE (the Ural Mountains in Russia form the boundary between Europe and Asia) | 9,938,000 | 3,837,000 | 6.7 | Mt. Elbrus, Russia/Georgia, 18,510 ft. (5,642 m) | Caspian Sea, Russia/Kazakhstan 92 ft. below sea level (–28 m) |
| NORTH AMERICA (includes Central America and the Caribbean) | 24,474,000 | 9,449,000 | 16.5 | Mt. McKinley, Alaska, 20,320 ft. (6,194 m) | Death Valley, Calif., 282 ft. below sea level (–86 m) |
| SOUTH AMERICA | 17,819,000 | 6,879,000 | 12.0 | Mt. Aconcagua, Argentina, 22,834 ft. (6,960 m) | Valdes Peninsula, Argentina 131 ft. below sea level (–40 m) |
1. The 1954 elevation of Everest, 29,028 ft. (8,848 m) was revised on Nov. 11, 1999, and now stands at 29,035 ft. (8,850 m).
2. Bentley Subglacial Trench itself (ice, not land) is –8,327 ft. below sea level (–2,538 m).
Source: WorldAtlas.com.
| Continental Drift and Plate-Tectonics Theory | World Geography | Polar Regions |
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