Incredible Superlatives of the World 2025

Mon Apr 21, 2025

Geography & Nature

  • Highest Mountain: Mount Everest, Nepal/Tibet – 8,848.86 meters (29,031.7 feet)
  • Longest Mountain Range (above sea level): The Andes, approximately 7,500 kilometres along South America.
  • Longest River: Nile River, Africa – Approximately 6,650 km (4,130 miles)
  • Largest Desert (Non-Polar): Sahara Desert, Africa – Approximately 9.2 million sq km (3.6 million sq miles)
  • Deepest Ocean: Pacific Ocean – Mariana Trench, Depth – 11,034 meters (36,201 feet)
  • Largest Ocean: Pacific Ocean – Covering over 63 million square miles
  • Largest Lake: Caspian Sea – 371,000 sq km (143,000 sq miles)
  • Hottest Place: Death Valley, California, USA – Record high temperature of 56.7°C (134°F)
  • Largest Island: Greenland (excluding continents) – 2.166 million sq km (836,331 sq miles)
  • Longest Coastline: Canada – Approximately 202,080 km (125,567 miles)
  • Deepest Lake: Lake Baikal, Russia – 1,642 meters (5,387 feet) deep
  • Largest Coral Reef System: Great Barrier Reef, Australia – Over 2,300 km (1,429 miles) long
  • Largest Rainforest: Amazon Rainforest, South America – Covers over 5.5 million sq km (2.1 million sq miles)
  • Largest Waterfall (By Volume): Inga Falls, Congo River, Africa – Approximately 25,060 cubic meters per second
  • Largest Archipelago: Indonesia – Comprising over 17,000 islands
  • Smallest Country by Area: Vatican City – 44 hectares (110 acres)
  • Highest Waterfall: Angel Falls, Venezuela – 979 meters (3,212 feet)
  • Coldest Inhabited Place: Oymyakon, Russia – Winter temperatures drop to -50°C (-58°F) and below
  • Largest Glacier: Lambert Glacier, Antarctica – Approximately 100 km wide, 400 km long
  • Largest Wetland: Pantanal, spread across Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay.
  • Largest Rainforest: Amazon Rainforest, spanning 5.5 million square kilometres.
  • Largest Bay: Hudson Bay, Canada.
  • Largest Volcano: Mauna Loa in Hawaii, with a volume of over 75,000 cubic kilometres.
  • Driest Place: Atacama Desert, Chile, with almost no rainfall.

Human-Made Structures

  • Tallest Building: Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE – 828 meters (2,717 feet)
  • Longest Bridge: Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge, China – 164.8 km (102.4 miles)
  • Largest Dam: Three Gorges Dam, China – 2,335 meters (7,660 feet) long, 185 meters (607 feet) high
  • Largest Religious Monument: Angkor Wat, Cambodia – Covers an area of 162.6 hectares (402 acres)
  • Tallest Tower: Tokyo Skytree, Japan – 634 meters (2,080 feet)
  • Longest Tunnel: Gotthard Base Tunnel, Switzerland – 57.1 km (35.5 miles) in length
  • Largest Airport: King Fahd International Airport, Saudi Arabia – Covers approximately 780 sq km (301 sq miles)
  • Largest Stadium: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India – Capacity of around 132,000 spectators
  • Largest Palace (By Area): The Forbidden City, Beijing, China – Covers 720,000 sq meters (178 acres)
  • Largest Shopping Mall: The Dubai Mall, UAE – Over 1.1 million sq meters (12 million sq feet) of retail space
  • Longest Wall: Great Wall of China – Stretches over 21,196 km (13,171 miles)
  • Largest Hotel: First World Hotel, Malaysia – Over 7,351 rooms
  • Tallest Statue: Statue of Unity, India – 182 meters (597 feet)
  • Largest Temple Complex: Akshardham Temple, Delhi, India – Covers 100 acres, including gardens and cultural exhibits

Human Achievement & Records

  • Most Populous Country: China – Over 1.4 billion people
  • Largest Economy by GDP: United States – GDP of over $25 trillion
  • Most Spoken Language: English – Over 1.5 billion speakers globally
  • Most Widely Practised Religion: Christianity – Over 2.3 billion adherents worldwide
  • Most Visited City: Bangkok, Thailand – Attracting over 22 million international visitors annually
  • Richest Person: Elon Musk (subject to change) – Net worth exceeding $200 billion
  • Most Populous City: Tokyo, Japan – Over 37 million residents in the metropolitan area
  • Oldest Continuous Civilisation: China – Over 4,000 years of recorded history
  • Largest Armed Forces: People’s Liberation Army, China – Over 2 million active personnel
  • Largest Democracy: India – With over 900 million eligible voters
  • Most Diverse Language: Papua New Guinea – Over 850 languages spoken
  • Largest Number of World Heritage Sites: Italy – 58 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
  • Largest Wine Producer: Italy – Produces over 47 million hectoliters annually
  • Largest Employer: United States Department of Defence – Employs over 2.9 million people, including military and civilian staff
  • Largest Sports Event: FIFA World Cup – Attracts billions of viewers worldwide

Science & Technology (General Knowledge 2024)

  • Largest Space Station: International Space Station (ISS) – Orbiting 400 km (248 miles) above Earth, spanning 109 meters end-to-end
  • Fastest Supercomputer: Frontier (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA) – Capable of performing over 1 quintillion calculations per second (1 exaflop)
  • Most Downloaded App: TikTok – Over 3 billion downloads globally
  • Longest Human Lifespan: Jeanne Calment, France – Lived to be 122 years and 164 days old (1875-1997)
  • Largest Artificial Island: Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE – Extends over 5 km into the Persian Gulf
  • Most Expensive Painting: Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci – Sold for $450.3 million in 2017
  • Largest Space Telescope: James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – The JWST, launched by NASA, ESA, and the CSA, offers unparalleled resolution and sensitivity across infrared wavelengths, revealing distant galaxies, exoplanets, and early cosmic structures.
  • Most Advanced AI Model: GPT-4 by OpenAI – GPT-4 builds on its predecessors with improved language capabilities, higher reasoning skills, and multimodal support, making it a versatile tool for applications in fields from healthcare to finance.
  • Most Powerful Battery: QuantumScape Solid-State Battery – QuantumScape’s battery technology achieves a high energy density using a ceramic electrolyte, addressing issues like safety and capacity for electric vehicles, making it a leader in battery innovation.
  • Fastest Satellite Internet: Starlink V2 Mini – SpaceX’s Starlink V2 Mini satellites offer faster speeds and greater bandwidth, improving global internet connectivity, especially in remote regions.
  • Biggest Solar Farm: Bhadla Solar Park, India – Spanning over 14,000 acres in Rajasthan, Bhadla Solar Park boasts a total capacity of 2,245 MW, supplying renewable energy to millions in India.
  • Largest Offshore Wind Farm: Dogger Bank Wind Farm, North Sea – Located off the coast of the UK, Dogger Bank will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm upon completion, with a capacity of 3.6 GW—enough to power 6 million homes.
  • Tallest Wooden Skyscraper: Ascent MKE, Milwaukee – Ascent MKE stands 284 feet tall and showcases sustainable building practices with its timber construction, demonstrating how skyscrapers can be eco-friendly without sacrificing height.
  • Highest-Resolution Quantum Microscope: Quantum Atomic Force Microscope – This microscope can capture atomic-level detail, allowing scientists to study molecular structures and interactions with unprecedented precision, advancing materials science and nanotechnology.
  • Most Energy-Dense Solid-State Battery: Solid Power Battery – Solid Power’s solid-state battery features lithium-metal technology, significantly increasing energy density, which could allow for longer ranges in electric vehicles.
  • Fastest Supercomputer: Frontier, Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Frontier, with a processing power of over 1 exaflop, leads the world in supercomputing speed, aiding complex simulations in physics, biology, and climate science.
  • Longest-Range Electric Car: Lucid Air Sapphire – The Lucid Air Sapphire offers an industry-leading range of over 500 miles on a single charge, making it the longest-range electric vehicle on the market.
  • Most Efficient Solar Panel: HJT-Tandem Cells – Heterojunction (HJT)-Tandem solar cells reach efficiencies above 30%, combining silicon and perovskite layers for enhanced light absorption, setting a new benchmark in solar energy technology.
  • Highest Precision Weather Forecast Model: AI-Driven ClimateNet – ClimateNet utilises AI and high-resolution data to provide localised, real-time weather forecasts, enhancing accuracy in predicting extreme weather events.
  • Most Comprehensive Cancer Genomics Project: Cancer Genome Atlas – This extensive project maps the genomic alterations across various cancer types, providing critical insights for personalised medicine and targeted treatments.

Quick Revision: List of Superlatives of the World 2025

ContinentSmallest – Australia

Largest – Asia
CountryLargest (in area) – Russia

Largest (in population) – China
Mountain RangeLongest – Andes (South America)

Highest—Himalayas
PeakHighest—Mount Everest (Nepal) (8848 m)
DesertLargest Hot Desert – Sahara, Africa

Largest Cold Desert – Gobi (Mongolia)
RiverLongest—Nile (6690 km)

Busiest—Rhine (Germany)

Largest (by water volume)—Amazon (South America)
BasinLargest – Amazon
GorgeLargest – Grand Canyon, on the Colorado River, USA
WaterfallHighest – Salto Angel Falls (Venezuela)
DeltaLargest – Sundarbans, India
GulfLongest – Gulf of Mexico
IslandLargest – Greenland (renamed Kalaallit Nunaat)
BayLargest – Hudson Bay, Canada
PeninsulaLargest—Arabia
VolcanoLargest – Mauna Loa (Hawaii Islands)

Highest – Ojos del Salado, Andes, Argentine-Chile (6885 m)
Sea (Inland)Largest—Mediterranean
OceanDeepest and Biggest—The Pacific
LakeDeepest—Baikal (Siberia)

Highest—Titicaca (Bolivia)

Largest (Fresh Water)—Lake Superior, USA

Largest (Artificial)—Lake Kariba (between Zambia and Zimbabwe)
Sea PortLargest— Shanghai (China)
AirportLargest—King Fahd International Airport, Saudi Arabia (by area)

Highest—Daocheng Yading Airport, Garzi, Tibet (China)
AirlinerLargest— Airbus A380
DamTallest – Jinping-I Dam (China)

Longest – Hirakud Dam (Odisha), India

Biggest (Water storage capacity) – Kariba Dam, Zimbabwe

Largest (Concrete) – Grand Coulee Dam (USA)
CoralLargest – The Great Barrier Reef (Australia)
Cruise ShipsLargest – Royal Caribbean
CanalLongest – Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal
AnimalMost Intelligent – Chimpanzee

Fastest – Cheetah
ArchipelagoLargest (area) – Malay Archipelago

Largest (number) – Norway Archipelago
Asteroid Impact ZoneLargest – Australia
Nation with boundaryLongest – Canada
DomeLargest – World Peace Monument Dome (Pune)
PlateauLargest – Pamir Plateau (Asia)
Motorable RoadHighest – Umling La, Road Ladakh (19300 Ft)
Country Sharing borders with othersMaximum – China (14)
Country with population DensityHighest – Macau
BirdLargest – Ostrich

Largest (Sea) – Albatross

Fastest – Needle-tailed swift

Smallest – Hummingbird
MammalLargest – Blue whale

Smallest – Bumblebee bat
ParkLargest - National Park, Greenland
RailwayLongest – Trans-Siberian Railway
Railway PlatformLongest – Gorakhpur, India

Largest – Grand Central Terminal, New York (USA)
TunnelLongest and Largest (Canal) – Le Rove Tunnel (South of France)

Longest (Railway) – Gotthard Base Tunnel (Switzerland)
BridgeLongest – Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge (Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway)
BuildingTallest – Burj Khalifa, Dubai (828 m)
Minar (Free-standing)Tallest – Great Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco
StatueTallest – Statue of Unity (Gujarat, India)
TowerTallest – Tokyo Sky Free, Tokyo (Japan)
TempleLargest – Angkor Vat (Cambodia)
ChurchLargest – Basilica of St Peter, Vatican City, Rome (Italy)
MosqueLargest – Masjid at Haram (Mecca)
Gurudwara
MuseumBiggest – Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC
PlaceColdest – Verkhoyansk (Siberia), Temperature – 85°C

Hottest – Al-Aziziyah (Libya, Africa), 136°F

Driest – Atacama Desert, Chile (South America)
StadiumLargest – Strahov Stadium in Prague (the Czech Republic)
WallLongest – Great Wall of China
Capital CityHighest – La Paz (Bolivia)
CityHighest – Wen Chuan (Tibet, China)

Largest (in population) – Tokyo

Biggest (in area) – Hulunbuir, China
DayLongest—21st June (in the Northern hemisphere)

Shortest—22nd December (in the Southern hemisphere)
SubstanceHardest—Wurtzite boron nitride
MetalLightest—Lithium

Heaviest—Osmium

Costliest—Californium 252 ($27 million per gram)
DiamondLargest—The Cullinan (over 1.5 lb)
Largest (Mine)Kimberley (South Africa)
Melting PointHighest—Tungsten, 34100°C
GasLightest – Hydrogen

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