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Superlatives of the World – Biggest, Longest, Highest, Deepest (2025 Updated) GK Notes

 

Superlatives of the World – Complete GK Notes (2025 Updated)

Introduction

“Superlatives of the world” are the biggest, longest, highest, deepest, fastest, etc., across geography, nature, infrastructure, and culture. These facts are frequent in SSC, UPSC, Railways, Banking, Defence, and school GK. The list below is organized by topic for quick revision.

Earth & Geography

  • Largest ocean – Pacific Ocean

  • Smallest ocean – Arctic Ocean

  • Largest continent – Asia

  • Smallest continent (landmass) – Australia

  • Largest country (area) – Russia

  • Most populous country – India

  • Smallest country – Vatican City

  • Largest peninsula – Arabian Peninsula

  • Largest bay – Bay of Bengal

  • Largest gulf – Gulf of Mexico

  • Longest coastline (country) – Canada

  • Highest mountain (sea level) – Mount Everest, 8,848.86 m

  • Tallest mountain from base – Mauna Kea (~10,210 m from ocean floor)

  • Highest volcano – Ojos del Salado (Chile/Argentina), 6,893 m

  • Longest mountain range (land) – Andes

  • Longest mountain system (overall) – Mid-Oceanic Ridge

Rivers, Lakes & Waterfalls

  • Longest river – Nile (~6,650 km)
    (Note: Amazon is often cited as longer by some studies, but it is unquestionably the largest by discharge and basin.)

  • Largest river by discharge – Amazon

  • Largest delta – Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (Sundarbans)

  • Largest lake (overall area) – Caspian Sea (endoreic)

  • Largest freshwater lake by area – Lake Superior

  • Largest freshwater lake by volume – Lake Baikal

  • Deepest lake – Lake Baikal (max depth ~1,642 m)

  • Longest freshwater lake – Lake Tanganyika (~673 km)

  • Highest lake (natural, permanent) – Ojos del Salado crater lake (~6,390 m)

  • Highest navigable lake – Lake Titicaca (Peru/Bolivia), 3,812 m

  • Highest waterfall – Angel Falls (Venezuela), 979 m (807 m uninterrupted drop)

  • Widest waterfall – Khone Phapheng (Laos), up to ~10.7 km in wet season

  • Largest waterfall by flow – Inga Falls (DR Congo)

  • Largest coral reef system – Great Barrier Reef (Australia)

Deserts & Climate Extremes

  • Largest desert (overall) – Antarctica (cold desert)

  • Largest hot desert – Sahara

  • Driest place (long-term) – Atacama Desert (Chile/Peru)

  • Hottest recorded air temperature – 56.7°C, Death Valley (USA, 1913)

  • Coldest recorded air temperature (ground station) – −89.2°C, Vostok Station (Antarctica, 1983)

  • Wettest place by annual rainfall – Mawsynram (India)

Human Settlements & Places

  • Highest permanent settlement (large) – La Rinconada (Peru), ~5,100 m

  • Lowest land point – Dead Sea shore (~−430 m)

  • Highest motorable pass/road – Umling La (India), ~5,798 m

  • Highest civilian airport – Daocheng Yading (China), 4,411 m

  • Largest city proper (population) – Shanghai (est.)

  • Largest metro area (population) – Greater Tokyo Area (est.)

Infrastructure & Transport

  • Tallest building – Burj Khalifa (UAE), 828 m

  • Longest bridge (overall length) – Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge (China), ~164.8 km (rail viaduct)

  • Longest sea-crossing bridge – Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge, ~55 km

  • Highest bridge (deck height) – Duge Bridge/Beipanjiang (China), ~565 m

  • Longest suspension-bridge span – 1915 Çanakkale Bridge (Türkiye), main span 2,023 m

  • Longest rail tunnel – Gotthard Base Tunnel (Switzerland), 57.1 km

  • Longest road tunnel – Lærdal Tunnel (Norway), 24.51 km

  • Largest hydroelectric station (installed capacity) – Three Gorges Dam (China), 22,500 MW

  • Largest airport by area – King Fahd International (Dammam, Saudi Arabia)

  • Longest railway line – Trans-Siberian Railway (~9,289 km)

  • Longest highway system – Pan-American Highway (~30,000 km)

  • Longest railway platform – Hubballi (India), ~1,507 m

Culture, Sports & Institutions

  • Largest sports stadium (seating capacity) – Narendra Modi Stadium (India), ~132,000

  • Largest library – Library of Congress (USA)

  • Largest museum (gallery space) – The Louvre (France)

  • Largest museum complex – Smithsonian Institution (USA)

  • Largest temple complex (area) – Angkor Wat (Cambodia)

  • Largest mosque – Masjid al-Haram (Mecca)

  • Largest church (interior area) – St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican City)

Nature & Wildlife Superlatives

  • Largest animal – Blue whale

  • Largest land animal – African bush elephant

  • Tallest animal – Giraffe

  • Fastest land animal – Cheetah

  • Fastest bird (dive) – Peregrine falcon

  • Largest living structure – Great Barrier Reef

  • Longest cave system – Mammoth Cave (USA), 680+ km surveyed

Oceans & Depths

  • Deepest ocean point – Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench (~10,900+ m)

  • Greatest tidal range – Bay of Fundy (Canada)

Quick Exam Pointers

  • Everest = the highest peak; Mauna Kea = the tallest from base

  • Nile vs Amazon: Nile longest (traditional), Amazon biggest (discharge)

  • Caspian = largest lake; Superior = largest freshwater (area); Baikal = deepest & largest volume

  • Sahara is the largest hot desert; Antarctica is the largest overall

  • Burj Khalifa tallest building; 1915 Çanakkale longest suspension span

  • Three Gorges = largest hydropower station; Hubballi = longest rail platform

Conclusion

These world superlatives are classic GK favorites. Focus on “highest vs largest vs longest” distinctions, and remember exceptions (e.g., Antarctica vs Sahara; Nile vs Amazon; Everest vs Mauna Kea).

FAQs

Q1. Which is the largest lake in the world?
A. Caspian Sea (overall); Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake by area.
Q2. Which is the deepest point in the oceans?
A. Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench.
Q3. Which is the tallest building in the world?
A. Burj Khalifa, 828 m.
Q4. Which is the largest desert?
A. Antarctica (overall); the Sahara is the largest hot desert.
Q5. Which is the longest river?
A. Nile by most references; Amazon is the largest by discharge.