Geography & Earth
Countries, landscapes, oceans and the physical shape of the planet — ranked by the numbers that define them.
47 lists in this topic.
Top 10 Biggest Submarine Classes of All Time by Submerged Displacement
The ten largest submarine classes ever commissioned, ranked by submerged displacement, from the 48,000-tonne Soviet Typhoon down to China's Type 094.
climateTop 10 Hottest Air Temperatures Ever Recorded on Earth
The ten highest officially recorded air temperatures on Earth, one per country, from Death Valley's 56.7 °C in 1913 down to Mexicali's 52.0 °C.
maritimeTop 10 Countries by Exclusive Economic Zone Area in the World
The ten countries with the largest exclusive economic zones, where scattered overseas islands let France, New Zealand and the UK claim more ocean than giants like Canada and Brazil.
geographyTop 10 Busiest Airports by Air Cargo Tonnage in the World
Hong Kong moved 5.07 million tonnes of freight in 2025 to stay the world's busiest cargo airport, while Memphis — the long-time champion — fell to sixth after the steepest drop in the top ten.
natureTop 10 Deepest Lakes in the World by Maximum Depth
Lake Baikal bottoms out at 1,642 meters — here are the ten deepest lakes on Earth, ranked by maximum depth.
geographyTop 10 Highest Mountains in the World
The ten highest summits on Earth, ranked by surveyed elevation above sea level.
geographyTop 10 Most Populous Countries in the World
India leads with 1.43 billion people — ranked by the U.S. Census Bureau's mid-2026 population estimates.
geographyTop 10 Tallest Buildings in the World
The ten tallest completed buildings on Earth, ranked by CTBUH architectural height — from the 828-metre Burj Khalifa to Beijing's China Zun.
geographyTop 10 Tallest Waterfalls in the World
Ranked by total vertical drop, from Venezuela's 979-meter Angel Falls to Hawaii's sea-cliff cascades — the tallest curtains of falling water on Earth.
climateTop 10 Most Intense Atlantic Hurricanes by Minimum Central Pressure
Ranked by the lowest barometric pressure ever measured in their eye — the meteorologist's yardstick for hurricane strength, led by Wilma's 882 millibars.
maritimeTop 10 Largest Aircraft Carriers in the World by Full-Load Displacement
The ten largest aircraft carrier classes in commission, ranked by full-load displacement in tonnes.
maritimeTop 10 Largest Superyachts in the World by Length Overall
The ten longest private motor yachts afloat, ranked by length overall in metres.
geographyTop 10 Countries with the Most Islands
Sweden, Norway, and Finland claim the most islands of any countries on Earth — though definitions vary widely, and the vast majority of their islands are uninhabited.
geographyTop 10 Countries with the Most Lakes
Canada holds nearly two-thirds of the world's lakes, with 879,800 — more than the rest of the top nine countries combined — followed by Russia and the United States.
geographyTop 10 Most Populated Cities in the United States
New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago lead the nation, while Sun Belt cities — Houston, San Antonio, and Fort Worth — continue their rapid growth, based on 2025 Census estimates.
geographyTop 10 Countries by Total Forest Area (sq km)
Russia has the largest forest area of any country, covering over 8.1 million square kilometers, followed by Brazil and Canada.
geographyTop 10 Countries with the Most UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 2026
Italy leads the world with 61 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, followed by China with 60 and Germany with 55, as of March 2026.
geographyTop 10 Largest Archipelagos in the World by Number of Islands
The Archipelago Sea in Finland contains over 50,000 islands, making it the largest archipelago in the world by island count, followed by the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
geographyTop 10 Most Densely Populated Countries and Territories in the World
Macau leads the world with nearly 22,000 people per square kilometer, followed by Monaco and Singapore, in a ranking dominated by city-states and small island territories.
geographyTop 10 Largest Gulfs and Bays in the World by Area
The largest gulfs and bays in the world, ranked by surface area — from the Bay of Bengal to the Bay of Fundy.
geographyTop 10 Most Visited Countries by International Tourists
The world's most-visited countries ranked by international tourist arrivals in 2025, per the UN World Tourism Organization.
geographyTop 10 Longest Straits in the World
From the 1,600 km Mozambique Channel to the ice-choked Denmark Strait, these are the ten longest straits on Earth — the narrow waterways that link oceans, steer global trade, and separate continents.
geographyTop 10 Largest National Parks in the World
The ten largest national parks on Earth by land area, from Greenland's vast wilderness to the diverse landscapes of Africa and North America.
geographyTop 10 Largest Glacier Complexes in the World
The ten largest glacier complexes on Earth by area, from the Antarctic Peninsula's 80,852 km² ice cover to the Southern Patagonian Icefield — ranked by total area, excluding the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.
geographyTop 10 Deepest Canyons in the World
The ten deepest canyons and gorges on Earth, from the Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet to the Grand Canyon in the United States — ranked by maximum depth from rim to river.
geographyTop 10 Largest Peninsulas in the World by Area
The ten largest landmasses that are almost islands, from the Arabian Peninsula at 3.2 million km² to the volcanic Kamchatka Peninsula.
geographyTop 10 Longest Cave Systems in the World
The ten longest cave systems on Earth by documented passage length, from Kentucky's Mammoth Cave at 685 km to a 218-km network in Spain.
geographyTop 10 Largest Caves in the World by Volume
The ten largest known caves in the world, ranked by volume from Vietnam's colossal Son Doong Cave to China's Shuanghedong Cave Network.
geographyTop 10 Largest Seas in the World
The ten largest seas on Earth by total surface area, from the vast Philippine Sea down to the Sea of Okhotsk.
geographyTop 10 Rivers by Discharge in the World
The ten largest rivers in the world by water volume, from the Amazon to the Mekong, ranked by average discharge.
geographyTop 10 Largest Waterfalls by Flow Rate
The world's largest waterfalls ranked by average annual flow rate, measured in cubic metres per second — from the thundering Niagara to the vast cascades of the Congo River.
geographyTop 10 Deepest Points in the World's Oceans
The Mariana Trench's Challenger Deep plunges 10,994 metres below sea level — the deepest known point in any ocean on Earth.
geographyTop 10 Largest Lakes by Volume in the World
The ten largest lakes on Earth ranked by water volume, from the Caspian Sea to Great Bear Lake.
geographyTop 10 Longest Mountain Ranges in the World
The ten longest above-water mountain ranges on Earth, ranked by approximate length from end to end.
geographyTop 10 Countries by Coastline Length
The ten countries with the longest coastlines in the world, ranked by total shoreline length — from Canada's staggering 202,080 km down to Chile's 6,435 km.
geographyTop 10 Highest Mountains in the United States
The 10 highest mountain peaks in the United States, ranked by elevation above sea level — all located in Alaska.
geographyTop 10 Deepest Ocean Trenches
The deepest points in Earth's oceans, ranked by maximum recorded depth.
geographyTop 10 Highest Waterfalls by Height
The tallest waterfalls on Earth, ranked by their total vertical drop.
geographyTop 10 Largest Deserts by Area
The world's largest deserts by area, including the two polar deserts that dwarf the Sahara.
geographyTop 10 Largest U.S. National Parks by Area
The biggest U.S. national parks by acreage, led by Alaska's vast wilderness parks and followed by the largest parks in the lower 48.
geographyTop 10 Largest U.S. States by Area
The ten biggest U.S. states by total land-and-water area, from Alaska's continent-scale footprint to Wyoming's wide-open basin and range.
geographyTop 10 Longest Rivers
The ten longest river systems on Earth, ranked by total length from most distant headwater to mouth.
geographyTop 10 Most Populous Cities
Under the UN's newly harmonised 2025 methodology, Jakarta has overtaken Tokyo as the world's most populous urban agglomeration — and nine of the top ten are in Asia.
geographyTop 10 Tallest Volcanoes
The ten highest volcanic mountains on Earth, ranked by summit elevation above sea level — every one of them in the high Andes of South America.
geographyTop 10 Largest Islands
The ten biggest islands on Earth by land area, from ice-capped Greenland down to the far-northern Ellesmere Island.
geographyTop 10 Largest Lakes by Area
The 10 biggest lakes on Earth ranked by surface area, from the vast Caspian Sea to Canada's Great Slave Lake.
geographyTop 10 Largest Countries by Area
The ten biggest sovereign nations on Earth ranked by total area, from Russia's continent-spanning expanse down to Algeria's Saharan bulk.