Extreme points of Europe

• 1. Introduction

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  The extreme points of Europe include a hole in Russia that reaches 12,262 metres, or 40,230 feet, below the surface. The Kola Superdeep Borehole is the deepest artificial point on Earth. It also holds a record for the continent that surrounds it. That title raises an awkward question, because Europe has no single agreed edge. The definition of the continent is diverse, so every record needs a qualifier. Geographers list the places that sit higher, lower, or farther north, south, east or west than any other spot in Europe. Some answers change depending on whether islands count, whether man-made land counts, and where Asia is said to begin. This documentary follows those disputed edges. It asks which places win under each definition, and how close a traveler can get to the extremes by cable car, road or train.

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• 2. Edges Including Islands

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  Cape Fligely on Rudolf Island marks the northern limit at 81° 48′ 24″ N. The island belongs to Franz Josef Land in Russia, an archipelago near the ill-defined border between Europe and Asia. If it does not count as European, the title passes to Rossøya in Svalbard, Norway, at 81°N.

  The south has the most contenders. Cape Trypiti on Gavdos Island, Greece, sits at 34° 48′ 02″ N and is the least ambiguous choice. Cyprus lies geographically in Asia, yet it has cultural links with Europe and belongs to the European Union. Its southernmost point is the British base at Akrotiri, at 34°35′N.

  The Portuguese islands of Madeira are borderline between Europe and Africa. Their southern tip is Bugio Island, at 32°24′14″N. La Restinga on El Hierro, in Spain's Canary Islands, lies even farther south at 27°45′N. It could count politically as part of Europe, though not physiographically.

  Monchique Islet in Portugal's Azores Islands reaches 31° 16′ 30″ W. It wins the west only if the Azores count as Europe, because the islet sits on the North American Plate. Without it, the honor goes to the Capelinhos Volcano on Faial Island, at 28° 50′ 00″ W. That is the westernmost point of the Eurasian Plate above sea level.

  The east belongs to Severny Island in Russia's Novaya Zemlya, where Cape Flissingsky lies at 69° 02′ E. Remove the islands from the map, and every one of these corners moves.

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• 3. The Mainland Corners

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  Cape Nordkinn, called Kinnarodden in Norwegian, is the northern limit of the mainland. Its position is 71°08′02″N 27°39′00″E.

  Punta de Tarifa in Spain anchors the south at 36°00'00.2"N. It was once a small island, and a causeway joined it to the coast in 1808. It is therefore no longer an island. Anyone who rejects man-made land must move slightly north, to 36°00'25"N.

  Cabo da Roca in Portugal marks the western limit at 9°29'56.44 W.

  The east depends entirely on where Europe is said to stop. The most common definition places its eastern edge along the watershed divide of the Ural Mountains. A rival candidate has been identified in the Polar Urals, on Mount Ngodyayakha. According to Russian sources, researchers determined the location, and a monument was erected there as a tourist attraction. The site lies close to the border between the Komi Republic and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

  Its elevation of 793 metres is small beside the continent's true summit, and that summit also depends on where Asia begins.

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• 4. Summits and Depths

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  Mount Elbrus in Russia rises 5,642 metres, or 18,506 feet, and wins under the most common border definition. That definition follows the watershed divide of the Caucasus Mountains, and Elbrus stands 11 km on the European side of it. Exclude the Caucasus, and the crown passes to Mont Blanc on the border between France and Italy. It stands 4,810 metres, or 15,781 feet, high.

  The lowest natural point under open sky is the Caspian Sea shore in Russia, 28 metres, or 92 feet, below sea level. Beneath the waves, the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea, off Greece, plunges 5,267 metres, or 17,280 feet, below sea level.

  Underground, the answer depends on the definition of Europe. Krubera Cave in Abkhazia, Georgia, descends 2196 metres, or 7205 feet, below the surface. It is also the deepest cave in the world. With a narrower definition, the title goes to Lamprechtsofen in Austria, at 1,632 metres, or 5,354 feet.

  Human effort has gone lower still under open sky. The Hambach surface mine in Germany, an open-pit mine, reaches 293 metres, or 961 feet, below sea level.

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• 5. Reaching High and Low

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  The Klein Matterhorn in Switzerland holds the record for cable cars and lifts at 3,883 metres, or 12,736 feet. Swiss rails climb nearly as high. The funicular to Mittelallalin reaches 3,456 metres, or 11,339 feet. The dead-end train to Jungfraujoch stops at 3,454 metres, or 11,330 feet. A train crossing a mountain pass tops out at the Bernina Pass, 2,253 metres, or 7390 feet, above sea level.

  Roads climb a little differently. Veleta in Spain's Sierra Nevada is a restricted access paved dead-end road at 3,300 metres, or 10,827 feet. Open to everyone, the Ötztal Glacier Road in Austria ends at 2,830 metres, or 9,285 feet. The highest paved mountain pass is Col de l'Iseran in France, at 2,770 metres, or 9,090 feet.

  Going down, the Ryfast Tunnel in Norway is the lowest public tunnel, running 292 metres below sea level.

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• 6. Ends of the Line

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  Pechenga railway station in Russia's Murmansk Oblast is the northernmost, 274 km from Cape Nordkinn. It is unclear which terminal station there is actually in service.

  Algeciras in Andalusia, Spain, is the southern terminus, 20 km northeast of Punta de Tarifa. In the west, Tralee railway station in County Kerry, Ireland, is the terminal 70 km east of the westernmost point of Ireland. In the east, Polyarnyj Ural station in the Komi Republic crosses the watershed border of the Ural. Its name literally refers to the Polar Urals region, and it lies 180 km from the easternmost point.

  The continental Schengen area has its own set of corners. Narvik in Nordland, Norway, is the northern terminus. Uimaharju in North Karelia, Finland, is a stop on the line between Joensuu and Kontiomäki, and it marks the east. Algeciras again holds the south.

  Cascais, in the Lisbon Region of Portugal, is where the continental Schengen rail network reaches its western limit.

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