Earth’s Extreme Elevations: From Highest Peaks to Lowest Depths in 2025

Earth’s Remarkable Elevation Range

From the highest of highs (8,849 meters/29,031 feet above sea level) to the lowest of lows (414 meters/1,358 feet below sea level), the surface of the Earth exhibits an impressive range of elevations. These extremes showcase our planet’s dramatic topographical diversity and the ongoing forces that shape our world.

The Highest Point: Mount Everest

Mount Everest, located on the border of Nepal and China, stands as Earth’s highest point above sea level. The peak’s elevation was most recently established in 2020 by Nepali and Chinese authorities as 8,848.86 metres (29,031.7 ft) above sea level.

Interestingly, Earth is not a perfect sphere but is thicker at the Equator due to centrifugal force from the planet’s rotation. Because of this, the highest point above Earth’s center is actually the peak of Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo, located just one degree south of the Equator. The summit of Chimborazo is 6,268 meters above sea level, but due to Earth’s bulge, its summit is over 2,072 meters farther from the center of the Earth than Everest’s peak.

The Lowest Point: The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea, known as Al-Baḥr Al-Mayyit in Arabic or Yam HaMelaẖ in Hebrew, marks the lowest point on Earth’s surface at 414 meters (1,358 feet) below sea level. This hypersaline lake is situated within the Judean Desert and is shared between Israel (Western half) and Jordan (Eastern half).

The Dead Sea lies in the Great Rift Valley along a transform fault similar to California’s San Andreas Fault. Both sides of the fault are moving northward, with the eastern side moving slightly faster at about 5 millimeters per year. Scientists suggest the Dead Sea is a “drop down basin” that formed when an isolated chunk of basalt detached and dropped down approximately 4 million years ago, causing the basin to become deeper while maintaining its other dimensions.

Global Significance

Earth features at least 108 mountains with elevations of 7,200 meters or greater above sea level, with 14 of these exceeding 8,000 meters. The vast majority of these mountains are part of either the Himalayas or the Karakoram mountain ranges, located on the edge of the Indian Plate and Eurasian Plate in China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. These extreme elevations continue to attract scientists, adventurers, and researchers, helping us better understand our planet’s geological processes and history.