Published on: 2026-06-22
Unusual Geography and Earth Science
Which of the following places is actually the highest point on Earth if you measure from the center of the planet instead of sea level?
Correct
Because the Earth is not a perfect sphere but a fat oblate spheroid that bulges at the equator, Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador gets a huge boost. It sits so close to the equatorial bulge that its peak is about 2,133 meters further from the core than Everest. Poor Mount Everest is the tallest from sea level, but it loses the space race to Chimborazo. Mauna Kea is technically the tallest mountain from base to peak if you consider its submarine foundation, but it still does not reach the center distance of the equatorial winner. Kilimanjaro is impressive, but it is just not tall enough to compete with the planetary bulge effect.