My personal "Guinness Book"

(Last update : May 2021)
 
 

  
 
EXTREME POINTS & PLACES REACHED

 
 

  
Geographical extremes reached
  
Geographical North Pole (2004)
Geographical South Pole (2012)

Furthest north reached by sea  : North Pole (90°00') (2004)
Furthest south reached by sea  : Bay of Whales (Ross Sea) (78°35', the maximum possible being 78°30', just 10 km away) (2003)           
Furthest south reached in the Weddell Sea (75°31') (2004)

Easternmost point of continental Asia : Cape Dezhnev (Chukotka, Russia) (2005)
Southernmost point of continental Asia : Sentosa (Singapore) (1984)  
                 
Easternmost point of North America : Cape Spear Lighthouse (Newfoundland) (2013)
Northernmost point of continental North America : Point Barrow (Alaska) (1974) 
 
Westernmost point of Africa (including islands) : Santo Antão (Cabo Verde) (2002)
Easternmost point of Africa (including islands) : Rodrigues (Mauritius) (2016)
 
Northernmost point of Europe : Franz Josef Land (2004)
Westernmost point of Europe : Monchique Islet, off Flores Island (Azores) (2016) 

Closest land from Equator & Greenwich Meridian intersection : Ilhéu das Rolas (São Tome & Principe) (2012)

Remotest uninhabited island in the worldBouvet Island (Bouvetøya) (South Atlantic) (circling all around the island) (2015)
Remotest inhabited island in the world : Tristan da Cunha archipelago (from sea, landing was impossible except near Nightingale) (2015)

Remotest inhabited island in the Pacific OceanPitcairn (2006)   
Remotest archipelago in the Indian Ocean : Chagos (2019)
  
  
  
Extreme cities & villages reached
  
Northernmost city in the world : Ny Ålesund (Svalbard) (2016)
Southernmost city in the world : Ushuaia (Argentina) (2003)

Westernmost municipality in Europe : Lajes (Flores-Azores) (2016)
Southernmost town of Europe : Ierapetra (Crete)

Southernmost village of Spain : Restinga (El Hierro, Canary Islands)
Westernmost village of Spain  : Sabinosa (El Hierro, Canary Islands)

First village to see a new dayWaiyevo, on Taveuni Island (Fiji), just on the International Date Line (2015)
    
    
    
Highest points reached
  
Highest summit in Africa : Kilimandjaro (5895 m) (1994)  
Highest summit in Europe (after Caucasus peaks) : Mt Blanc (4810 m) (2004)       

Highest summit in Southeast Asia : Mt Kinabalu (1983)

Smallest highest summitMount Vilingili (only 3,1 m !) (Maldives)

Highest navigable lake : Lake Titicaca (Peru) (1979)
2nd highest airport in the world : Chamdo (Tibet) (4300 m) (2007)

Highest capital city in the world : La Paz (Bolivia) (1990, 2003)

Highest city in South AmericaPotosi (Bolivia) (1990)
Highest city in North America : Mexico (1978, 2017)
Highest city in Europe : Davos (Switzerland) (1999)
Highest city in Africa : Addis Ababa (1988, 2005, 2006)
Highest city in Asia : Shigatse (1988)

Highest village in AsiaKomik (Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh, India) (2009) 
Highest village in EuropeUshguli (Svanetia, Georgia) (2008)
  
  
  
Lowest points reached
  
Lowest spot in the worldDead Sea (Jordan) (1986) 

Lowest spot in Africa : Lake Assal (Djibouti) (2002)
Lowest spot in China : Turfan Depression (China) (1995)
Lowest spot in North America : Death Valley (USA) (1974)
Lowest spot in Europe : Baku (Azerbaijan) (2010) 
  
Lowest lake on an island and lowest surface point on any ocean island on Earth : Lago Enriquillo (Dominican Republic) (at −27 m) (2011)
  
  
  
Climatic extremes points reached
 
Most rainy spot in the world Cherrapunji (Meghalaya State, India) (2015)
Driest spot in the world : Atacama Desert (Chile) (2000)

Hottest spot in the world Dallol (Danakil Depression, Ethiopia) (2006)
Coldest inhabited spot in the worldOymyakon (Yakoutia) (2014)
  
  
  
Other interesting extremes
 
Furthest away Starbuck : South Pole (just a container) (2012)
Highest ATM in the world (National Bank of Pakistan) : Khunjerab Pass (4733m) (border with China, Pakistan) (2018)
Northernmost Lenin head (!!) : Pyramiden (Svalbard) (2016)
Southernmost post office in the world : Port Lockroy (Antarctica) (2003)
  
  
  
 
WORLD OF NATURE
  
  
Highest dune in the world (and in Asia) : Bilutu dune, Badain Jaran desert (Inner Mongolia, China) (2013)
Highest dune in Africa : Sossusvlei dune, Namib desert (Namibia) (1991)

Highest Glacier in the world : Khumbu (Nepal) (2014)

Highest unbroken slope in the world : Rakaposhi Peak (7788 m) (2018)
Greatest nearly vertical dropTrango Towers (Pakistan) (1340 m) (2017)

Longest lava tube in the world (61 km) : Kazumura Cave (Hawaii) (2013)

Pitch Lake (Trinidad) : largest asphalt lake in the world (1998)
Nyiragongo : Largest lava lake in the world (1989)

Salstraumen (Norway) : Most powerful "maelstrom" in the world (1973)
Clipperton : only freshwater lagoon in the world (2017)
Largest artificial lake of Europe : Lac du Der (France) (2020)
  
Tree with the largest diameter in the world : El Árbol del Tule (diameter 14 m) (El Tule, Oaxaca, Mexico) (2016)
Biggest strangling fig tree :'Ovava Tree) in South Pacific : 'Eua Island (Kingdom of Tonga) (2018)
Tree with the widest diameter in Asia : Alishan Divine Tree (Taiwan) (1983)

First landing ever at emperor penguin rookery of Snow Hill (2004)
First tourists at Halley Station (Weddell Sea) (2004) 
First tourists at Southern Thule (2003)
  
  
  
  
TRANSPORTATION & COMMUNICATIONS
  
  
Landed in the 5 most dangerous airports in the world ; Lukla, St Martin, Madeira, Reagan Airport (Washington DC), Paro
Remotest airport in the world : Mateveri Airport (Easter Island) (1985, 2006)
Most busy border post in Africa : Rubavu, border with RDC (2018)

Longest railway bridge in Africa : Dona Ana railway bridge (Villa de Sena) (2010)
Longest railway bridge in Asia : Godavari Bridge (India) (2014)
World's smallest drawbridge : Somerset Bridge (just 0,6 m) (Bermuda) (2013)
  
  
  
  
CONSTRUCTIONS
 
  
Most leaned building in the world : Capital Gate (Abu Dhabi, UAE) (2018)
First circular skyscraper (& second largest circular skyscraper) in the world Aldar HQ (Abu Dhabi, UAE) (2018)
Tallest building in the world : Burj Khalifa (Dubai, UAE) (2018)

Tallest all wooden structure in the world : Gliwice Radio Station (built by the Nazis) (Poland) (2020)

Worst designed building in the world : Ryugyong Hotel (nicknamed the "Hotel of Doom") (North Korea) (1999, 2012)
World's ugliest buildings : n°1 : Lincoln Plaza (London, UK), n°3 : J. Edgar Hoover Building (Washington DC, USA), n°4 : M16 Building (London, UK), n°10 : National Library (Minsk, Belarus): 

2nd Tidal power station in the world : Barrage & Usine Marémotrice de la Rance (World's first tidal power station ; as of 2021, it is the second in terms of power among the 9 existing) (1978)
  
  
  
  
RELIGIOUS
  
  
Largest & tallest wooden church in the worldSt George's Cathedral, Georgetown (Guyana) (2016)
Tallest Jesus statue in the world : Pomnik Chrystusa Króla in Świebodzin (Statue of Christ the King) (52,5 m) (Poland) (2020)

Northernmost mosque in the worldMidnight Sun Mosque, Inuvik, on Arctic Ocean (Northwest Territories, Canada) (2013)
Largest mosque in Europe : "Muslims' Pride" Mosque (inaugurated in mid 2019), Shali (Chechnya) (2019)

Tallest monolithic statue in the worldGommateshwara statue (= Bhagawan Bahubali Statue) ( Shravanabelagola, Karnataka, India) (2008)
Largest seated Buddha statue in the world : Tian Tan Buddha (Lantau, Hong Kong) (2018)
Largest prayer wheel in the world : Chinese Fortune Wheel (with a 27 m height) (Guide, Qinghai Province, China) (2018)
Largest Thangka in the world : the Great Thangka (610 m !) (Xining, Qinghai) (2018) 
Largest Mani Wall in the world : Seng-ze Gyanak Mani Wall (in Yushu - Jyekhundo, in Tibetan -, Qinghai Province, China) (2018)
  
  
  
  
MISCEALLENOUS
  
  
Only city in the world located exactly on the Arctic Circle : Salekhard, Russia (2008)
Most densely populated island in the world : Ap Lei Chau (Hong Kong) (2018)
Fourth largest slum in the world : Kibera (Nairobi) (2019)

Longest teak bridge in the world : U-Bein (1,2 km) (on Lake Taungthaman, near Amarapura, Myanmar) (2007)
Fourth largest flagpole in the world : Kijongdong (North Korea) (1999)
World's largest carpet : Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque carpet (5700 sqm) (Abu Dhabi, UAE) (2018)
Largest postage stamp : Sheikh Zayed Center for Studies & Research; Abu Dhabi, UAE) (2018)
World's longest outdoor covered escalator : Central-Mid-Levels Escalators (Hong Kong) (2018)
Highest cablecar in Europe : Klein Matterhorn (Switzerland) (2005)
Most frequent suicide site in the worldSuicidal Bridge, Nánjīng Chángjiāng Dàqiáo (= Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge) with more than 2,000 suicides estimated by 2006 ! (Nanjing, China) (1995)
Largest ice cream parlor in the world : Coppelia (Cuba) (1991)

Narrowest street in Europe : Str Sforii (Brasov) (approx. 1,2 m) (Rumania) (2013) 
Narrowest street in Paris : Rue du Chat qui pêche (max 1,8 m)

World's tiniest micronation : Sealand (unrecognized) (2019)

 

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