Mountain Peaks in the United States Higher Than 14,000 Feet NameStateHeight (ft.) Mt. McKinleyAlaska20,320 Mt. St. EliasAlaska18,008 Mt. ForakerAlaska17,400 Mt. BonaAlaska16,500 Mt. BlackburnAlaska16,390 Mt. SanfordAlaska16,237 Mt. VancouverAlaska15,979 South ButtressAlaska15,885 Mt. ChurchillAlaska15,638 Mt. FairweatherAlaska15,300 Mt. HubbardAlaska14,950 Mt. BearAlaska14,831 East ButtressAlaska14,730 Mt. HunterAlaska14,573 Browne TowerAlaska14,530 Mt. AlverstoneAlaska14,500 Mt. WhitneyCalif.14,4941 University PeakAlaska14,470 Mt. ElbertColo.14,433 Mt. MassiveColo.14,421 Mt. HarvardColo.14,420 Mt. RainierWash.14,410 Mt. WilliamsonCalif.14,370 La Plata PeakColo.14,361 Blanca PeakColo.14,345 Uncompahgre PeakColo.14,309 Crestone PeakColo.14,294 Mt. LincolnColo.14,286 Grays PeakColo.14,270 Mt. AnteroColo.14,269 Torreys PeakColo.14,267 Castle PeakColo.14,265 Quandary PeakColo.14,265 Mt. EvansColo.14,264 Longs PeakColo.14,255 Mt. WilsonColo.14,246 White Mtn.Calif.14,246 North PalisadeCalif.14,242 Mt. CameronColo.14,238 Mt. ShavanoColo.14,229 Crestone NeedleColo.14,197 Mt. BelfordColo.14,197 Mt. PrincetonColo.14,197 Mt. YaleColo.14,196 Mt. BrossColo.14,172 Kit Carson Mtn.Colo.14,165 Mt. WrangellAlaska14,163 Mt. SillCalif.14,162 Mt. ShastaCalif.14,162 El Diente PeakColo.14,159 Point SuccessWash.14,158 Maroon PeakColo.14,156 Tabeguache Mtn.Colo.14,155 Mt. OxfordColo.14,153 Mt. SneffelsColo.14,150 Mt. DemocratColo.14,148 Capitol PeakColo.14,130 Liberty CapWash.14,112 Pikes PeakColo.14,110 Snowmass Mtn.Colo.14,092 Mt. RussellCalif.14,088 Mt. EolusColo.14,083 Windom PeakColo.14,082 Mt. ColumbiaColo.14,073 Mt. AugustaAlaska14,070 Missouri Mtn.Colo.14,067 Humboldt PeakColo.14,064 Mt. BierstadtColo.14,060 Sunlight PeakColo.14,059 Split Mtn.Calif.14,058 Handies PeakColo.14,048 Culebra PeakColo.14,047 Mt. LindseyColo.14,042 Ellingwood PointColo.14,042 Middle PalisadeCalif.14,040 Little Bear PeakColo.14,037 Mt. ShermanColo.14,036 Redcloud PeakColo.14,034 Mt. LangleyCalif.14,027 Conundrum PeakColo.14,022 Mt. TyndallCalif.14,019 Pyramid PeakColo.14,018 Wilson PeakColo.14,017 Wetterhorn PeakColo.14,015 North Maroon PeakColo.14,014 San Luis PeakColo.14,014 Middle PalisadeCalif.14,012 Mt. MuirCalif.14,012 Mt. of the Holy CrossColo.14,005 Huron PeakColo.14,003 Thunderbolt PeakCalif.14,003 Sunshine PeakColo.14,001 1. National Geodetic Survey. Source:U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Geological Survey.

Highest, Lowest, and Mean Elevations in the United States StateElevation (ft.)1Highest pointElevation (ft.)Lowest pointElevation (ft.) Alabama500Cheaha Mountain2,405Gulf of MexicoSea level Alaska1,900Mt. McKinley20,320Pacific OceanSea level Arizona4,100Humphreys Peak12,633Colorado River70 Arkansas650Magazine Mountain2,753Ouachita River55 California2,900Mt. Whitney14,494Death Valley–2822 Colorado6,800Mt. Elbert14,433Arkansas River3,350 Connecticut500Mt. Frissell, on south slope2,380Long Island SoundSea level Delaware60Ebright Road, Del.–Pa. state line448Atlantic OceanSea level D.C.150Tenleytown, at Reno Reservoir410Potomac River1 Florida100Sec. 30, T6N, R20W, Walton County345Atlantic OceanSea level Georgia600Brasstown Bald4,784Atlantic OceanSea level Hawaii3,030Puu Wekiu, Mauna Kea13,796Pacific OceanSea level Idaho5,000Borah Peak12,662Snake River710 Illinois600Charles Mound1,235Mississippi River279 Indiana700Franklin Township, Wayne County1,257Ohio River320 Iowa1,100Sec. 29, T100N, R41W, Osceola County1,670Mississippi River480 Kansas2,000Mt. Sunflower4,039Verdigris River679 Kentucky750Black Mountain4,139Mississippi River257 Louisiana100Driskill Mountain535New Orleans–82 Maine600Mt. Katahdin5,267Atlantic OceanSea level Maryland350Backbone Mountain3,360Atlantic OceanSea level Massachusetts500Mt. Greylock3,487Atlantic OceanSea level Michigan900Mt. Arvon1,979Lake Erie572 Minnesota1,200Eagle Mountain2,301Lake Superior600 Mississippi300Woodall Mountain806Gulf of MexicoSea level Missouri800Taum Sauk Mountain1,772St. Francis River230 Montana3,400Granite Peak12,799Kootenai River1,800 Nebraska2,600Johnson Township, Kimball County5,424Missouri River840 Nevada5,500Boundary Peak13,140Colorado River479 New Hampshire1,000Mt. Washington6,288Atlantic OceanSea level New Jersey250High Point1,803Atlantic OceanSea level New Mexico5,700Wheeler Peak13,161Red Bluff Reservoir2,842 New York1,000Mt. Marcy5,344Atlantic OceanSea level North Carolina700Mt. Mitchell6,684Atlantic OceanSea level North Dakota1,900White Butte3,506Red River750 Ohio850Campbell Hill1,549Ohio River455 Oklahoma1,300Black Mesa4,973Little River289 Oregon3,300Mt. Hood11,239Pacific OceanSea level Pennsylvania1,100Mt. Davis3,213Delaware RiverSea level Rhode Island200Jerimoth Hill812Atlantic OceanSea level South Carolina350Sassafras Mountain3,560Atlantic OceanSea level South Dakota2,200Harney Peak7,242Big Stone Lake966 Tennessee900Clingmans Dome6,643Mississippi River178 Texas1,700Guadalupe Peak8,749Gulf of MexicoSea level Utah6,100Kings Peak13,528Beaverdam Wash2,000 Vermont1,000Mt. Mansfield4,393Lake Champlain95 Virginia950Mt. Rogers5,729Atlantic OceanSea level Washington1,700Mt. Rainier14,410Pacific OceanSea level West Virginia1,500Spruce Knob4,861Potomac River240 Wisconsin1,050Timms Hill1,951Lake Michigan579 Wyoming6,700Gannett Peak13,804Belle Fourche River3,099 United States2,500Mt. McKinley (Alaska)20,320Death Valley (California)–2822 1. Approximate mean elevation. 2. Below sea level. Source:U.S. Geological Survey.

The Difference between the U.K., Great Britain, England, and the British Isles Key differences of these names often used interchangeably United Kingdom Commonwealth of Nations British Monarch Isle of Man There are key differences between Great Britain, the United Kingdom, and England—names often used interchangeably. Great Britain Great Britain is an island that consists of three somewhat autonomous regions that include England, Scotland, and Wales. It is located east of Ireland and northwest of Francein the Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom The United Kingdom is a country that includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Its official name is “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.” England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are often mistaken as names of countries, but they are only a part of the United Kingdom. The British Isles The British Isles is another term altogether and encompasses Great Britain, the island of Ireland, and several other smaller islands, such as the Isle of Man. The Isle of Man is not a part of the United Kingdom or the European Union, even though its Lord is the Monarch of the United Kingdom. The Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nationsis a voluntary association of countries that were formerly British colonies. Members of the Commonwealth of Nations recognize the United Kingdom Monarch as their own king or queen, but remain politically independent. Members of the Commonwealth of Nations Antigua and Barbuda Australia Bahamas Bangladesh Barbados Belize Botswana Brunei Canada Cameroon Cyprus Dominica Gambia Ghana Grenada Guyana India Jamaica Kenya Kiribati Lesotho Malawi Malaysia Maldives Malta Mauritius Mozambique Namibi a Nauru New Zealand Nigeria Papua New Guinea Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa Sri Lanka Swaziland Tanzania Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu Uganda United Kingdom Vanuatu Zambia

Principal Deserts of the World Deserts are arid regions, generally receiving less than ten inches of precipitation a year, or regions where the potential evaporation rate is twice as great as the precipitation. The world's deserts are divided into four categories.Subtropical desertsare the hottest, with parched terrain and rapid evaporation. Althoughcool coastal desertsare located within the same latitudes as subtropical deserts, the average temperature is much cooler because of frigid offshore ocean currents.Cold winter desertsare marked by stark temperature differences from season to season, ranging from 100° F (38° C) in the summer to 10° F (–12° C) in the winter.Polar regionsare also considered to be deserts because nearly all moisture in these areas is locked up in the form of ice. DesertLocationSizeTopography SUBTROPICAL DESERTS SaharaMorocco, Western Sahara, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia3.5 million sq. mi.70% gravel plains, sand, and dunes. Contrary to popular belief, the desert is only 30% sand. The world's largest nonpolar desert gets its name from the Arabic wordSahra', meaning desert ArabianSaudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen1 million sq. mi.Gravel plains, rocky highlands; one-fourth is the Rub al-Khali (“Empty Quarter”), the world's largest expanse of unbroken sand KalahariBotswana, South Africa, Namibia220,000 sq. mi.Sand sheets, longitudinal dunes Australian Desert Gibson Australia (southern portion of the Western Desert)120,000 sq. mi.Sandhills, gravel, grass. These three regions of desert are collectively referred to as the Great Western Desert—otherwise known as “the Outback.” Contains Ayers Rock, or Uluru, one of the world's largest monoliths Great Sandy Australia (northern portion of the Western Desert)150,000 sq. mi. Great Victoria Australia (southernmost portion of the Western Desert)250,000 sq. mi. Simpson and Sturt Stony Australia (eastern half of the continent)56,000 sq. mi.Simpson's straight, parallel sand dunes are the longest in the world—up to 125 mi. Encompasses the Stewart Stony Desert, named for the Australian explorer MojaveU.S.: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, California54,000 sq. mi.Mountain chains, dry alkaline lake beds, calcium carbonate dunes SonoranU.S.: Arizona, California; Mexico120,000 sq. mi.Basins and plains bordered by mountain ridges; home to the Saguaro cactus ChihuahuanMexico; southwestern U.S.175,000 sq. mi.Shrub desert; largest in North America TharIndia, Pakistan175,000 sq. mi.Rocky sand and sand dunes COOL COASTAL DESERTS NamibAngola, Namibia, South Africa13,000 sq. mi.Gravel plains AtacamaChile54,000 sq. mi.Salt basins, sand, lava; world's driest desert COLD WINTER DESERTS Great BasinU.S.: Nevada, Oregon, Utah190,000 sq. mi.Mountain ridges, valleys, 1% sand dunes Colorado Plateau U.S.: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming130,000 sq. mi.Sedimentary rock, mesas, and plateaus—includes the Grand Canyon and is also called the “Painted Desert” because of the spectacular colors in its rocks and canyons PatagonianArgentina260,000 sq. mi.Gravel plains, plateaus, basalt sheets Kara-Kum Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan135,000 sq. mi.90% gray layered sand—name means “black sand” Kyzyl-Kum Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan115,000 sq. mi.Sands, rock—name means “red sand” IranianIran100,000 sq. mi.Salt, gravel, rock TaklamakanChina105,000 sq. mi.Sand, dunes, gravel GobiChina, Mongolia500,000 sq. mi.Stony, sandy soil, steppes (dry grasslands) POLAR ArcticU.S., Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia5.4 million sq. mi.Snow, glaciers, tundra AntarcticAntarctica5.5 million sq. mi.Ice, snow, bedrock

Large Islands of the World The following table lists the world's largest islands including the name, location, political affiliation, and land area. Greenland is the world's largest island covering 2,175,597 square kilometers. Area IslandLocation and political affiliationsq. mi.sq. km GreenlandNorth Atlantic (Danish)839,9992,175,597 New GuineaSouthwest Pacific (West Papua [Irian Jaya], Indonesia, western part; Papua New Guinea, eastern part)309,000800,311 BorneoWest mid-Pacific (Indonesian, south part; Brunei and Malaysian, north part)287,300744,108 MadagascarIndian Ocean (Malagasy Republic)227,000587,931 BaffinNorth Atlantic (Canadian)195,926507,451 SumatraNortheast Indian Ocean (Indonesian)182,859473,605 HonshuSea of Japan–Pacific (Japanese)89,176230,966 Great BritainOff coast of NW Europe (England, Scotland, and Wales)88,795229,979 VictoriaArctic Ocean (Canadian)83,896217,291 EllesmereArctic Ocean (Canadian)75,767196,236 Sulawesi(Celebes)West mid-Pacific (Indonesian)73,057189,218 South IslandSouth Pacific (New Zealand)58,384151,215 JavaIndian Ocean (Indonesian)51,038132,189 North IslandSouth Pacific (New Zealand)44,702115,778 CubaCaribbean Sea (republic)42,803110,860 NewfoundlandNorth Atlantic (Canadian)42,031108,860 LuzonWest mid-Pacific (Philippines)40,420104,688 IcelandNorth Atlantic (republic)39,800103,082 MindanaoWest mid-Pacific (Philippines)36,53794,631 IrelandWest of Great Britain (republic, south part; United Kingdom, north part)32,59784,426 HokkaidoSea of Japan–Pacific (Japanese)32,24583,515 Sakhalin(Karafuto)North of Japan (Russian)29,50076,405 HispaniolaCaribbean Sea (Dominican Republic, east part; Haiti, west part)29,30075,887 BanksArctic Ocean (Canadian)27,03870,028 TasmaniaSouth of Australia (Australian)26,20067,858 Sri Lanka(Ceylon)Indian Ocean (republic)24,90064,491 DevonArctic Ocean (Canadian)21,33155,247 Tierra del FuegoSouthern tip of South America (Argentinian, east part; Chilean, west part)18,60548,187 Axel HeibergArctic Ocean (Canadian)16,67143,178 MelvilleArctic Ocean (Canadian)16,27442,149 KyushuSea of Japan–Pacific (Japanese)16,22342,018 SouthamptonHudson Bay (Canadian)15,91341,214 NOTE: Australia is not included in this list because it is defined as a continent rather than an island.