Longest Shortest : Practice Questions and Answers

Hirakud Dam on the Mahanadi River in Odisha is the longest river dam in India and one of the longest earthen dams in the world, stretching approximately 25.8 km (including dykes). It was completed in 1953 and was one of the first major multipurpose river valley projects built after India's independence.

The Caspian Sea, though called a sea, is technically the world's largest lake by surface area at approximately 371,000 km². It is a landlocked body of water bordered by Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan. Lake Superior (82,103 km²) is the largest freshwater lake by surface area.

Mount Everest, located in the Himalayas on the Nepal-Tibet border, is the highest mountain peak in the world at 8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft) above sea level, as re-measured in 2020. K2 (8,611 m) in the Karakoram range is the second highest, followed by Kangchenjunga (8,586 m) and Lhotse (8,516 m).

The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest ocean in the world, covering approximately 165.25 million km² — more than the combined land area of all continents. It contains the Mariana Trench, the deepest point on Earth at ~11,034 m. The Atlantic Ocean (106.4 million km²) is the second largest.

The Antarctic Desert is the largest desert in the world, covering approximately 14.2 million km². Deserts are defined by low precipitation (less than 250 mm/year), not necessarily by heat or sand. The Sahara Desert (~9.2 million km²) is the largest hot desert. The Arabian Desert (~2.3 million km²) and Gobi Desert (~1.3 million km²) rank lower.

The Nile River in Africa is traditionally regarded as the longest river in the world at approximately 6,650 km, flowing northward through northeastern Africa into the Mediterranean Sea. The Amazon River in South America (~6,400 km) is the second longest but carries the greatest volume of water of any river in the world.

Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world, measuring approximately 243,042 km (151,020 miles), including its mainland and offshore islands. The rankings are: 1st Canada, 2nd Norway (~83,281 km), 3rd Indonesia (~54,716 km), 4th Greenland (~44,087 km), 5th Russia (~37,653 km).

The Philippine Sea is the largest sea in the world, covering an area of approximately 5.695 million km² in the western Pacific Ocean. It borders the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, and other Pacific island nations. The Mediterranean Sea (2.5 million km²) and the Caribbean Sea (2.75 million km²) are significantly smaller.

Marina Beach in Chennai, Tamil Nadu is the longest natural urban beach in India and the second longest in the world, stretching approximately 13 km along the Bay of Bengal. The longest beach in the world is Praia do Cassino in Brazil at over 250 km.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado, USA is the highest altitude zoo in the world, situated at approximately 6,800 feet (2,072 m) above sea level. Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling is the highest altitude zoo in India, known for its snow leopard and red panda conservation programs.