World Superlatives: Biggest, Smallest, Longest, Highest & Others

CategoryRecord/Description
Tallest TowerBurj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE – 2,716.5 ft
Longest and Deepest Rail TunnelGothard Tunnel, Switzerland – 57.09 km
Longest and Largest Canal TunnelLe Rove Tunnel, South France
Longest Road TunnelLaerdal, Norway – 24.51 km
Highest VolcanoOjos del Salado, Andes, Argentine-Chile – 6,885 m
Largest VolcanoMauna Loa, Hawaii
Longest WallGreat Wall of China – 1,500 miles
Highest WaterfallAngel Falls, Venezuela
Longest StraitStrait of Malacca
Broadest StraitDavis Straits, Greenland and Battin Island, Canada
Narrowest StraitChaliks – 45 yards (between Greek mainland and Euboea)
Largest GulfGulf of Mexico, Shoreline – 2,100 miles
Largest ArchipelagoMalay Archipelago, Indonesia
Tallest Active GeyserSteamboat Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, U.S.A – 300 ft
Largest River BasinAmazon Basin – 2,720,000 sq. miles
World’s Rainiest SpotMawsynram, Meghalaya, India – 11,873 mm
Lightest GasHydrogen
Lightest MetalLithium
Highest Melting PointTungsten – 3422°C
Hardest Substance (synthetic)Wurtzite boron nitride
Hardest Substance (comes from meteorites)Lonsdaleite
Hardest Natural SubstanceDiamond
Largest Diamond-producing MineAikhal, Russia
Longest AnimalBlue Whale – 106 ft, 195 tons
Longest Life-span of an Animal190 to 200 years (Giant tortoise)
Largest Land AnimalAfrican Bush Elephant
Fastest AnimalCheetah – 70 mph
Longest Jump AnimalKangaroo
Longest Wind Spread BirdSooty Albatross
Fastest DogPersian Greyhound – 43 mph
Longest Poisonous SnakeKing Cobra
Biggest FlowerRafflesia arnoldii, Java
Largest ChurchBasilica of St. Peter, Vatican City, Rome, Italy
Largest TempleAngkor Wat, Cambodia
Largest River in VolumeAmazon, Brazil
Longest CorridorRamnathswami Temple’s Corridor, Rameshwaram – 5,000 feet
Highest Straight Gravity DamBhakhra Dam, India
Highest Capital CityLa Paz, Bolivia
Largest Asian DesertGobi, Mongolia
Largest DemocracyIndia
Largest Neck AnimalGiraffe
Largest Animal of the Cat FamilyLion
Most Intelligent AnimalChimpanzee
Bird that never makes its nestCuckoo
Wingless BirdKiwi
Reptile that changes its coloursChameleon
Largest MammalBlue Whale
Smallest CountryVatican City
Smallest CityVatican City
Country with Lowest Population DensityAntarctica
Country with Highest Population DensitySingapore
Least Populated CityVatican City
Country with Longest BorderCanada
Country with Maximum Adjoining BordersChina (13 Countries)
Shortest RiverRoe River – 201 feet (61 meters long)
Largest Cricket StadiumNarendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Tallest Animal (On land)Giraffe
Biggest BellTsar Bell, Moscow
Fastest BirdPeregrine Falcon – 322 km/hr
Largest BirdOstrich
Smallest BirdBee Hummingbird
Longest Bridge (Railway)Dan Yang–Jinshan Grand Bridge, Beijing, China
Tallest BuildingBurj Khalifa, Dubai (U.A.E)
Tallest Residential Building432 Park Avenue, New York (US)
Biggest Cinema HouseRoxy, New York
Highest CityWen Zhuan, Tibet, China – 16,732 ft
Largest City (in population)Tokyo (3,712,600, Est. population in 2011)
Biggest City (in area)New York – 8,683 sq. km
Largest ContinentAsia
Smallest ContinentAustralia
Largest Country (in population)China
Largest Country (in area)Russia
Largest Coral FormationThe Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Largest DamThe Three Gorges Dam, China
Longest DayJune 21 (in the Northern Hemisphere)
Shortest DayDec. 22 (in the Northern Hemisphere)
Largest DeltaSundarbans, India – 8,000 sq. miles
Largest Desert (world)Sahara, Africa – 8,400,000 sq. km
Largest DiamondThe Cullinan (over 1.5 lb.)
Longest EpicThe Mahabharata
Largest IslandGreenland (renamed Kalaallit Nunaat)
Largest Lake (Artificial)Lake Volta, Ghana
Deepest LakeBaikal, Siberia, Russia – 5,314 ft (1,637 m)
Highest LakeTiticaca, Bolivia – 12,645 ft above sea level
Largest Lake (Fresh water)Lake Superior, U.S.A
Largest Lake (Salt water)Caspian Sea – 371,000 sq. km
Largest MosqueMasjid-al-Haram, Mecca, Saudi Arabia – 356,800 sq. m
Biggest LibraryNational Kiev Library, Moscow and Library of the Congress, Washington
Highest Mountain Peak (world)Everest, Nepal – 29,035 ft (8,850 m)
Highest Mountain RangeHimalayas
Longest Mountain RangeAndes, South America – about 7,000 km
Biggest MuseumLouvre, Paris
Tallest Minaret (Free standing)Qutub Minar, Delhi – 238 ft
Deepest and Biggest OceanThe Pacific
Largest PalaceImperial Palace (Gugong), Beijing, China
Largest ParkNortheast Greenland National Park, Greenland
Largest PeninsulaArabia – 3,250,000 sq. km
Coldest Place or RegionEast Antarctic Plateau – (-93.2°C)
Driest PlaceAtacama Desert, South America
Largest PlanetJupiter
Brightest and Hottest PlanetVenus
Farthest Planet (from the Sun)Neptune
Nearest Planet (to the Sun)Mercury
Smallest PlanetMercury
Highest PlateauPamir, Tibet
Longest Platform (Railway)Gorakhpur, U.P, India – 1,366.33 m
Largest Platform (Railway)Grand Central Terminal, New York, U.S.A
Largest PortPort of Shanghai, China
Busiest PortPort of Shanghai, China
Longest RailwayTrans-Siberian Railway – 5,772 miles long
Longest RiverNile (6,690 km), Amazon (6,570 km)
Longest River DamHirakud Dam, Odisha, India – 15.8 miles
Largest Sea-birdAlbatross
Largest Sea (inland)Caspian Sea – 143,200 sq. miles
Brightest StarSirius A (also called Dog-Star)
Tallest StatueStatue of Unity – 182 m, Sidhubet, near Sardar Sarovar Dam, Gujarat, India
Tallest Statue (bronze)Bronze Statue of Lord Buddha, Tokyo, Japan
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