Donate

ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

Elevation

Elevation

Elevation is distance above sea level

Grades

5 - 8

Subjects

Earth Science, Geology, Geography, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Physical Geography



NGS Resource Carousel Loading Logo
Loading ...
Share on Twitter
Share on Facebook
Share on Pinterest
Share on Google Classroom
Share on MS Teams
Share via email
Print

is distance above .

Elevations are usually measured in meters or feet. They can be shown on maps by , which connect points with the same elevation; by bands of color; or by numbers giving the exact elevations of particular points on the Earth's surface. Maps that show elevations are called .

Elevation influences , as well as where and how people live. Most of the worlds people live on at elevations of 150 meters (500 feet) or less. Some cultures have to higher elevations. In Tibet, a region in central Asia, people live at elevations as great as 5,334 meters (17,500 feet). Above this elevation, the climate becomes too cold for growing , and there is also not enough in the air to human life.

Fast Fact

Highs and Lows
The Earth's highest elevation point is at the summit of Mt. Everest in Nepal. It measures 8,848 meters (29,035 feet). The Earth's lowest land elevation point is at the Dead Sea, located at the border of Israel and Jordan. Its shores have an elevation of 420 meters (1,385 feet) below sea level.

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Writers
Hilary Costa
Erin Sprout
Santani Teng
Melissa McDaniel
Jeff Hunt
Diane Boudreau
Tara Ramroop
Kim Rutledge
Hilary Hall
Illustrators
Mary Crooks, National Geographic Society
Tim Gunther
Editors
Jeannie Evers, Emdash Editing, Emdash Editing
Kara West
Educator Reviewer
Nancy Wynne
Producer
National Geographic Society
other
Last Updated

May 30, 2025

For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.

Media

If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.

Text

Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

Interactives

Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.

Related Resources