Extreme points of North America

North America

This is a list of the extreme points of North America: the points that are highest and lowest, and farther north, south, east or west than any other location on the continent. Some of these points are debatable, given the varying definitions of North America.

Including islands

• Northernmost Point — Kaffeklubben Island, Greenland (83°40'N). Although politically part of the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland is geologically part of the North American plate. If Greenland is excluded, North America's northernmost point is Cape Columbia, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada (83°08' N, 74°13'W).
• Southernmost Point — Cocos Island, Costa Rica (5°30'N)
• Westernmost Point — The westernmost point depends on the definition of 'west'. If following the International Date Line, it would be Attu Island, Alaska, United States (173°11'E). However, if the border between east and west is defined by the 180th meridian, the westernmost point is Amatignak Island (179°06'31" W), as Attu would thus belong in the eastern hemisphere.
• Easternmost Point — Nordostrundingen, Greenland (12°08'W). If Greenland is excluded then the easternmost point is Cape Spear, Newfoundland, Canada (52C37'W). 47°31.48′N 52°37.12′W. If one uses the official definition of longitude it is Semisopochnoi Island, Alaska, since the state technically stretches into the eastern hemisphere (Semisopochnoi is closest to 180th meridian "on the lefthand side").

Mainland

• Northernmost Point — Murchison Promontory on Boothia Peninsula, Nunavut, Canada (71°58'N)
• Southernmost Point — Punta Mariato, Panama (7°10'28.75"N 80°53'12.18"W the southern curve, not the southern border)
• Westernmost Point — Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, United States (168°05'W)
• Easternmost Point — Cape St Charles, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (55°38'W) 52°13.07′N 55°37.25′W

Altitude extremes

• Highest Point — Mount McKinley (Denali), Alaska, United States (20,320 feet / 6,194 meters above sea level)
• Lowest Point — Death Valley, California, United States (282 feet / 86 meters below sea level)

Other

The geographic center lies near Rugby, North Dakota, at 48.17°N 100.17°W / 48.17; -100.17 (Geographic Center North America).

The continental pole of inaccessibility is in southwest South Dakota between Kyle and Allen, located 1650 km (1024 mi) from the nearest coastline at 43.36°N 101.97°W / 43.36; -101.97 (Pole of Inaccessibility North America).

Extreme points of North American countries

• Extreme points of Canada
• Extreme points of Greenland
• Extreme points of Mexico
• Extreme points of the United States

See also

• Geography of North America
• Extreme points of Earth