We have gone through the debate of the highest peaks in the world all of which are in the same region of the world, the Himalayas. But what about the other landmasses and continents of the world? Most of you may not know, but different landmasses and continents are at a different height from the center of the Earth. That is because Earth is not a perfectly round planet and even its slightly elliptical shape is not entirely symmetrical. Because of that reason Planet Earth has a bulge on one side of it around the equator which can make certain points higher than other even though they may lower the sea level. Consider this; Mount Everest is the undisputed highest point from the sea level with 29,029 feet. However, Mount Chimborazo which is the second highest peak in South America and the highest inactive volcano in the world with an elevation of 20,702 ft. from the sea level is actually the highest point on Earth because the Earth’s bulge is the highest at that point while the Earth’s bulge is lowest near the Himalayas. For that reason, we are now curious about the highest points of elevation all over the Earth and to do that, we visit the highest points from sea level on each continent and see where they rank amongst each other based on their highest points.

7. Australia

Australia’s highest peak ranks 7th among all of the other highest points on the Earth on other continents. Mount Kosciuszko is the highest point of elevation in Australia and the highest Summit in the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains in National Park. It has an elevation of 7,310 ft. Above the sea level.

6. Antarctica

Near the Ronne Ice Shelf at the base of the Antarctic Peninsula, lies the highest Mountain, Vinson Massif, in the continent which is also the highest point in this landmass. It has an elevation of 16,050 feet and ranks 6th among the highest points on Earth in each continent. It is also the most isolated top in the world.

5. Europe

Mount Elbrus constitutes as the 10th most prominent peak in the world when only the highest peak of an individual mountain range is considered. It is located in the Caucuses region of Russia with an elevation of 18,510 feet and is the highest elevation point in Europe.

4. Africa

The maximum elevation point from the sea level in Africa is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. From its base, it goes up around 4,900 meters and then a further 5,895 meters (19,341 feet) which is its actual elevation from the sea level.

3. North America

The highest point in North America is a mountain that has been shrouded in naming controversy. It is now called Denali while it was called Mount McKinley from 1917 to 2015, August 2015 when the U.S Department of Interior changed its official name back to Denali. It has an elevation of 20,310 feet from sea level.

2. South America

Even though Mount Chimborazo is the highest point from the center of the Earth, it is still not the highest elevation point in South America, although it was mistaken as such for a very long time. Aconcagua is the highest elevation point here with 22,841 feet from sea level. Some fascinating facts about Aconcagua are that it is not only the highest mountain outside of Asia but also the highest elevation point in the Western Hemisphere as well as the Southern Hemisphere. It is also the second most isolated mountain peak in the world.

Highest Points on the Earth

1. Asia

Asia has the highest peaks in the world, and all of them are in the Himalayan region. Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world with 29,029 feet which is not only the highest elevation point on Earth from the sea level but also at the altitude of 26,500 feet, after which there isn’t enough oxygen to sustain human life.