Going To Extremes: The World's Tallest, Coldest, Deepest, And Most Obscure Places

The world is full of amazing highs and lows. But there are three different ways to determine them. Mount Everest is the highest point above sea level. Mauna Kea is the largest mountain from base to peak. Chimborazo, while shorter than Everest, is the furthest point from the planet's center due to the bulging of the planet at the equator. However you choose to define them, a trip to see them is an unforgettable adventure. 

Mount Everest in the Himalayas is the highest point above sea level, at 29,029 feet, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Chimborazo, a mountain in Ecuador, is the furthest point from the center of the Earth. The mountain is 20,564 feet above sea level, but is farther from the planet's core due to the bulging of the planet at the Equator.

Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii is the tallest mountain from base to peak at 35,500. A significant portion of the mountain is below sea level, according to NOAA.

The Dead Sea, bordering Jordan, West Bank and Israel, has the lowest elevation at -1,360 feet, according to the National Park Service.

Death Valley in California has the record for highest recorded temperature at 134 degrees Fahrenheit on July 10, 1913, according to the National Park Service.

High Ridge in the East Antarctic Plateau is the coldest spot on Earth, according to NASA. Temperatures can reach 133.6 degrees Fahrenheit below 0. 

As of 2016, Tokyo is the most populated city in the world, with 38.1 million according to the World Economic Forum.

China is the world's most populated country, with 1.4 billion people. 

Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench, is the deepest point in the ocean at 36,200 feet, according to NOAA.

Chile's Atacama Desert is the driest place on the planet, according to NASA.

The wettest place on Earth is Mawsynram in India, according to NASA. The area receives an average of 11.87 meters of rainfall a year.

Cotopaxi in the Andes is the highest active volcano in world, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Nauru is the world's smallest independent country, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest waterfall in the world at 979 meters, according to the National Geographic Society.

The Iguazu Falls in Argentina are the largest waterfall system in the world, according to the CIA World Factbook.

The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest, according to NASA.

The Nile River in northeastern Africa is the longest river in the world at 4,132 miles, according to the USGS.

Russia's Lake Baikal is the deepest and oldest lake in the world, and the largest freshwater lake by volume. It is believed to hold one fifth of the world's fresh water, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Landscape Arch in Arches National Park in Utah is the largest natural arch in the world, spanning 290 feet, according to the Utah Geological Survey.

The largest country in the world in terms of area is Russia, at 16.4 million square kilometers, according to the CIA World Factbook

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world at 828 meters, or more than 160 stories.

The largest hot desert in the world is the Sahara, according to NASA.

Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is the longest cave system in the world, with more than 400 miles of explored cave, according to the National Park Service.

Damascus, the capital of Syria, is considered to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, according to UNESCO. It was founded in the third millennium B.C.

The Megalithic Temples of Malta were built between the 4th and 3rd millenniums B.C. and are among the oldest buildings still standing, according to UNESCO.

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is the densest city in the world, with 44,500 people per square kilometer, according to the World Economic Forum.

A network of honey mushrooms in Mahleur National Forest in Oregon is the largest known living organism in the world, covering 2,385 acres, according to the USDA.

You can find bristlecone pine trees in the Inyo National Forest in California. One of these trees is over 5,000 years old, making it the oldest living organism on the planet, according to the USDA.

The largest plateau in the world is the Tibetan Plateau, which is in Tibet, China and India, according to the National Geographic Society.

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is the largest coral reef system at 1,429 miles long, according to the NOAA. It's a natural wonder people should have on their bucket lists because it wil be gone...eventually.