World Superlatives| Category | Geography & Natural Records |
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| Scope | Global |
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| Subject | Largest, Tallest, Fastest, Smallest world records |
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| Last updated | 2024 |
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World Superlatives refers to a compiled list of geographical, biological, architectural, and natural records representing the largest, tallest, smallest, fastest, and longest known entities on Earth.
| # |
Category |
Record Holder |
Notes
|
| 1 |
Largest Bird |
Ostrich |
Flightless bird native to Africa
|
| 2 |
Largest Continent |
Asia |
Covers approximately 44.58 million km²
|
| 3 |
Largest Country (Area) |
Russia |
17.1 million km²
|
| 4 |
Largest Country (Population) |
China |
Over 1.4 billion people
|
| 5 |
Largest Desert (World) |
Sahara, Africa |
Approximately 9.2 million km²
|
| 6 |
Largest Delta |
Sundarbans, India |
World's largest mangrove forest
|
| 7 |
Largest Diamond |
Cullinan Diamond |
Found in South Africa; 3,106.75 carats
|
| 8 |
Largest Lake (Artificial) |
Lake Mead (Boulder) |
Created by Hoover Dam, USA
|
| 9 |
Largest Lake (Saltwater) |
Caspian Sea |
Technically a lake
|
| 10 |
Largest Lake (Freshwater) |
Lake Superior |
Part of the Great Lakes, North America
|
| 11 |
Largest Mosque |
Masjid al-Haram, Mecca, Saudi Arabia |
Capacity: 4,000,000
|
| 12 |
Largest Park |
Northeast Greenland National Park |
Established 1974
|
| 13 |
Largest Palace |
Louvre Palace, France |
2,615,630 sq ft
|
| 14 |
Largest Island |
Greenland |
Area: 2.166 million km²
|
| 15 |
Largest Sea Bird |
Wandering Albatross |
Longest wingspan of any bird
|
| 16 |
Largest Volcano |
Mauna Loa, Hawaii |
World's largest active volcano
|
| 17 |
Largest Mammal |
Blue Whale |
Heaviest animal ever known
|
| 18 |
Largest Church |
Basilica of St. Peter, Vatican City, Rome, Italy |
—
|
| 19 |
Largest Temple |
Angkor Wat, Cambodia |
Largest religious monument in the world
|
| 20 |
Largest State (India) |
Rajasthan |
Area: 342,239 km²
|
| 21 |
Largest City (Population) |
Tokyo, Japan |
Over 37 million in metro area
|
| 22 |
Largest Democracy |
India |
Over 950 million registered voters
|
| 23 |
Largest Peninsula |
Arabian Peninsula |
~3.2 million km²
|
| 24 |
Largest Planet |
Jupiter |
Diameter: ~139,820 km
|
| 25 |
Largest Ocean |
Pacific Ocean |
Deepest and biggest ocean
|
| 26 |
Largest Gulf |
Gulf of Mexico |
~1.6 million km²
|
| 27 |
Largest River Basin |
Amazon Basin |
~7 million km²
|
| 28 |
Largest Archipelago |
Indonesia |
Over 17,000 islands
|
| 29 |
Largest Land Animal |
African bush elephant |
Up to 7 tonnes
|
| 30 |
Largest Sea (Inland) |
Caspian Sea |
Bordered by 5 countries
|
| 31 |
Largest Museum |
The Louvre, Paris |
73,000 m² (783,000 sq ft)
|
| # |
Category |
Record Holder |
Notes
|
| 1 |
Tallest Building |
Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE |
828 metres
|
| 2 |
Tallest Animal (Land) |
Giraffe |
Up to 5.5 m tall
|
| 3 |
Tallest Statue |
Statue of Unity, India |
182 metres
|
| 4 |
Tallest Tower |
Tokyo Skytree, Japan |
634 metres
|
| 5 |
Tallest Monument |
Gateway Arch, USA |
192 metres
|
| 6 |
Tallest Minaret (Free-standing) |
Qutb Minar, Delhi |
72.5 metres
|
| 7 |
Highest Mountain Peak |
Mount Everest, Nepal |
8,848.86 metres
|
| 8 |
Highest Mountain Range |
Himalayas |
Contains 14 peaks above 8,000 m
|
| 9 |
Highest Waterfall |
Angel Falls, Venezuela |
979 metres
|
| 10 |
Highest Lake |
Lake Titicaca, South America |
3,812 m above sea level
|
| 11 |
Highest City |
Wenchuan, Tibet, China |
—
|
| 12 |
Highest Plateau |
Pamir |
"Roof of the World"
|
| 13 |
Highest Capital City |
La Paz, Bolivia |
3,640 m above sea level
|
| 14 |
Highest Active Geyser |
Giant Geyser, Yellowstone, USA |
60 m (200 ft)
|
| 15 |
Highest Volcano |
Ojas del Salado, Andes, Argentina–Chile |
6,893 m
|
| 16 |
Highest Straight Dam |
Bhakra Dam, India |
226 metres
|
| # |
Category |
Record Holder |
Notes
|
| 1 |
Longest River |
Nile, Africa |
6,690 km; Amazon (6,570 km)
|
| 2 |
Longest Animal |
Blue Whale |
Recorded length: 106 ft; weight: 195 tons
|
| 3 |
Longest Epic |
Mahabharata |
Ancient Indian Sanskrit epic
|
| 4 |
Longest Wall |
Great Wall of China |
Over 21,000 km
|
| 5 |
Longest Big Ship Canal |
Suez Canal |
Links Red Sea & Mediterranean Sea
|
| 6 |
Longest Tunnel (Road) |
Lærdal Tunnel, Norway |
24.5 km
|
| 7 |
Longest Railway |
Trans-Siberian Railway |
9,289 km
|
| 8 |
Longest Bridge (Railway) |
Lower Zambezi Bridge, Africa |
—
|
| 9 |
Longest Mountain Range |
Andes, South America |
7,000 km
|
| 10 |
Longest Canal (India) |
Indira Gandhi Canal |
649 km
|
| 11 |
Longest Road (India) |
Grand Trunk Road |
Connects Bangladesh to Afghanistan
|
| 12 |
Longest Railway Platform |
Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India |
1,366.33 m
|
| 13 |
Longest River in Volume |
Amazon River, Brazil |
209,000 m³/s discharge
|
| 14 |
Longest River Dam |
Hirakud Dam, Odisha, India |
25.8 km
|
| 15 |
Longest Life Span (Animal) |
Giant Tortoise |
190 to 200 years
|
| 16 |
Longest Poisonous Snake |
King Cobra |
Up to 5.5 m
|
| 17 |
Longest Strait |
Tartar Strait |
Separates Sakhalin from Russia
|
| 18 |
Longest Corridor |
Ramanathaswamy Temple Corridor |
5,000 feet (1,524 m)
|
| 19 |
Longest Day |
June 21 (Northern Hemisphere) |
Summer Solstice
|
| 20 |
Longest Rail Tunnel (Deep) |
Seikan Tunnel, Japan |
53.85 km
|
| # |
Category |
Record Holder |
Notes
|
| 1 |
Smallest Bird |
Hummingbird |
Bee hummingbird: ~5–6 cm
|
| 2 |
Smallest Continent |
Australia |
7.7 million km²
|
| 3 |
Smallest Country |
Vatican City |
0.44 km²
|
| 4 |
Smallest Planet |
Mercury |
Diameter: 4,879 km
|
| 5 |
Nearest Planet (to Sun) |
Mercury |
57.9 million km from Sun
|
| 6 |
Shortest Day |
December 22 (Northern Hemisphere) |
Winter Solstice
|
| 7 |
Lightest Metal |
Lithium |
Density: 0.534 g/cm³
|
| 8 |
Lightest Gas |
Hydrogen |
Lightest chemical element
|
| 9 |
Hardest Substance |
Diamond |
10 on Mohs scale
|
| Category |
Record Holder |
Notes
|
| Costliest City |
Singapore / Zurich, Switzerland |
—
|
| Brightest Star |
Sirius |
Also called Alpha Canis Majoris
|
| Lowest Body of Water |
Dead Sea |
−430 m below sea level
|
| Driest Place |
Atacama Desert, South America |
Receives < 1 mm rain/year
|
| Coldest Place |
Vostok, Antarctica |
Recorded −89.2°C
|
| Brightest/Hottest Planet |
Venus |
Surface temp ~465°C
|
| Farthest Planet (from Sun) |
Neptune |
~4.5 billion km from Sun
|
| Wingless Bird |
Kiwi |
Native to New Zealand
|
| Most Intelligent Animal |
Chimpanzee |
—
|
| Slowest Animal |
Snail |
0.05 km/h
|
| Largest Gorge |
Grand Canyon, USA |
446 km long
|
