Extreme points of the Commonwealth of Nations
Encyclopedia
This is a list of the extreme points of the Commonwealth of Nations — the points that are farther north
, south
, east
or west
, or higher or lower in altitude than any other location.
. Cape Columbia
, on Ellesmere Island
, in the territory of Nunavut
lies at 83°08″41′N. Nunavat is a full part of Canada, which is an active member of the Commonwealth, making its position as the northern-most point uncontroversial.
The southern-most point in the Commonwealth depends on whether the Antarctic claims of three of the Commonwealth's members – Australia
, New Zealand
, and the United Kingdom
– are counted. If so, the southern-most point is the South Pole
(by definition, 90°S), where those three claims (and those of other, non-Commonwealth, countries) meet. However, these claims are generally not recognised, except by some or all other claimants to Antarctica. If Antarctic claims are not included, Thule Island
, in the British overseas territory of South Sandwich Islands, lies farthest south, at 59°27″00′S. These, still, are overseas territories of a Commonwealth member. Including only integral parts of members, the most southern point is Jacquemart Island
, New Zealand
, at 52°37″10′S.
), the eastern-most and western-most points in the Commonwealth are the same, as the 180th meridian
goes through three Fiji
an islands, as well as New Zealand's Antarctic Ross Dependency
. The three Fijian islands are Vanua Levu
(far eastern peninsula, near Nambouono), Taveuni
(centre of the island), and Rabi
(western tip). However, Fiji is currently suspended from the Commonwealth. Thus, including only active members (and excluding the Ross Dependency), Tuvalu contains the most western and eastern points.
Using the International Date Line yields different results for the most eastern-most and western-most points, as it is drawn such that all Commonwealth members lie either to the west or east of it – and not across it – to simplify administration. In this case, the western-most point is on Banaba Island
, in Kiribati
, at 169°32'13"E. The eastern-most point is on Niue
, a state free association
with New Zealand, at 169°52'11"W. Including only territories that are themselves directly members of the Commonwealth, the western-most point would be on Vatoa
, Fiji, at 178°15'W. Excluding suspended Fiji as well, it is Nukulaelae
, Tuvalu
, at 179°51'E.
, which lies at 35°52″57′N 76°30″48′E, on the border between Pakistan
and China
. At 8611 metres (28,251 ft), it is the world’s second-tallest mountain. The most-prominent peak in the Commonwealth is Kilimanjaro, which has a prominence
of 5885 metres (19,308 ft), making it the fourth-most prominent peak in the world. The result is significantly different (K2 is only the 22nd-most prominent peak in the world), due to the proximity of Mount Everest
to K2.
The lowest point in the Commonwealth by altitude below sea level is the shore of Lake Eyre
, which lies at 28°22″S 137°22″E, in Australia
. It lies approximately 15 metres (49.2 ft) below sea level.
North
North is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.North is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the top side of a map is north....
, south
South
South is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.South is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to east and west.By convention, the bottom side of a map is south....
, east
East
East is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the right side of a map is east....
or west
West
West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
, or higher or lower in altitude than any other location.
Latitude
The northern-most point in the Commonwealth is in the far north of CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Cape Columbia
Cape Columbia
Cape Columbia is the northernmost point of land of Canada, located on Ellesmere Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut. It marks the westernmost coastal point of Lincoln Sea in the Arctic Ocean...
, on Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island
Ellesmere Island is part of the Qikiqtaaluk Region of the Canadian territory of Nunavut. Lying within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, it is considered part of the Queen Elizabeth Islands, with Cape Columbia being the most northerly point of land in Canada...
, in the territory of Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
lies at 83°08″41′N. Nunavat is a full part of Canada, which is an active member of the Commonwealth, making its position as the northern-most point uncontroversial.
The southern-most point in the Commonwealth depends on whether the Antarctic claims of three of the Commonwealth's members – Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
– are counted. If so, the southern-most point is the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
(by definition, 90°S), where those three claims (and those of other, non-Commonwealth, countries) meet. However, these claims are generally not recognised, except by some or all other claimants to Antarctica. If Antarctic claims are not included, Thule Island
Thule Island
Thule Island, also called Morrell Island, is one of the southernmost of the South Sandwich Islands, part of the grouping known as Southern Thule. It is named, on account of its remote location, after the mythical land of Thule, said by ancient geographers to lie at the extreme end of the earth...
, in the British overseas territory of South Sandwich Islands, lies farthest south, at 59°27″00′S. These, still, are overseas territories of a Commonwealth member. Including only integral parts of members, the most southern point is Jacquemart Island
Jacquemart Island
Jacquemart Island, one of the islets surrounding Campbell Island in New Zealand, lies south of Campbell Island and is the southernmost island of New Zealand....
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, at 52°37″10′S.
Longitude
Using lines of longitude (rather than the International Date LineInternational Date Line
The International Date Line is a generally north-south imaginary line on the surface of the Earth, passing through the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that designates the place where each calendar day begins...
), the eastern-most and western-most points in the Commonwealth are the same, as the 180th meridian
180th meridian
The 180th meridian or antimeridian is the meridian which is 180° east or west of the Prime Meridian passing through the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. It is common to both east longitude and west longitude. It is used as the basis for the International Date Line because it for the most part passes...
goes through three Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
an islands, as well as New Zealand's Antarctic Ross Dependency
Ross Dependency
The Ross Dependency is a region of Antarctica defined by a sector originating at the South Pole, passing along longitudes 160° east to 150° west, and terminating at latitude 60° south...
. The three Fijian islands are Vanua Levu
Vanua Levu
Vanua Levu , formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located 64 kilometres to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of 5,587.1 km² and a population of some 130,000.- Geography :...
(far eastern peninsula, near Nambouono), Taveuni
Taveuni
Taveuni is the third-largest island in Fiji, after Vanua Levu and Viti Levu, with a total land area of 435 square kilometers . The cigar-shaped island, a massive shield volcano which rises from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, is situated 6.5 kilometers to the east of Vanua Levu, across the...
(centre of the island), and Rabi
Rabi Island
Rabi is a volcanic island in northern Fiji. It is an outlier to Taveuni , in the Vanua Levu Group. It covers an area of 66.3 square kilometers, reaching a maximum altitude of 463 meters and has a shoreline of 46.2 kilometers...
(western tip). However, Fiji is currently suspended from the Commonwealth. Thus, including only active members (and excluding the Ross Dependency), Tuvalu contains the most western and eastern points.
Using the International Date Line yields different results for the most eastern-most and western-most points, as it is drawn such that all Commonwealth members lie either to the west or east of it – and not across it – to simplify administration. In this case, the western-most point is on Banaba Island
Banaba Island
Banaba Island , an island in the Pacific Ocean, is a solitary raised coral island west of the Gilbert Island chain and 300 km east of Nauru. It is part of the Republic of Kiribati. It has an area of 6.5 km², and the highest point on the island is also the highest point in Kiribati, at 81...
, in Kiribati
Kiribati
Kiribati , officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The permanent population exceeds just over 100,000 , and is composed of 32 atolls and one raised coral island, dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres, straddling the...
, at 169°32'13"E. The eastern-most point is on Niue
Niue
Niue , is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. It is commonly known as the "Rock of Polynesia", and inhabitants of the island call it "the Rock" for short. Niue is northeast of New Zealand in a triangle between Tonga to the southwest, the Samoas to the northwest, and the Cook Islands to...
, a state free association
Associated state
An associated state is the minor partner in a formal, free relationship between a political territory with a degree of statehood and a nation, for which no other specific term, such as protectorate, is adopted...
with New Zealand, at 169°52'11"W. Including only territories that are themselves directly members of the Commonwealth, the western-most point would be on Vatoa
Vatoa
Vatoa is an outlier of Fiji's Lau Group.Vatoa was the only island of present-day Fiji visited by James Cook. The island was sighted on 2 July 1774...
, Fiji, at 178°15'W. Excluding suspended Fiji as well, it is Nukulaelae
Nukulaelae
Nukulaelae is an atoll that is part of the nation of Tuvalu, and has a population of 393. It has the form of an oval and consists of at least 15 islets...
, Tuvalu
Tuvalu
Tuvalu , formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its nearest neighbours are Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa and Fiji. It comprises four reef islands and five true atolls...
, at 179°51'E.
Altitude
The highest point in the Commonwealth by altitude above sea level is the summit of K2K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
, which lies at 35°52″57′N 76°30″48′E, on the border between Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. At 8611 metres (28,251 ft), it is the world’s second-tallest mountain. The most-prominent peak in the Commonwealth is Kilimanjaro, which has a prominence
Topographic prominence
In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...
of 5885 metres (19,308 ft), making it the fourth-most prominent peak in the world. The result is significantly different (K2 is only the 22nd-most prominent peak in the world), due to the proximity of Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
to K2.
The lowest point in the Commonwealth by altitude below sea level is the shore of Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia and 18th largest in the world...
, which lies at 28°22″S 137°22″E, in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It lies approximately 15 metres (49.2 ft) below sea level.
See also
- Extreme points of Earth
- Extreme points of the European UnionExtreme points of the European UnionThis is a list of the extreme points of the European Union — the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location.-In Europe:* North: Nuorgam, Finland...
- List of countries by northernmost point
- List of countries by southernmost point
- List of countries by easternmost point
- List of countries by westernmost point
- List of countries by highest point
- List of countries by lowest point