1000 meters above sea level: and from what level do all heights count

Perhaps the answer to this question will surprise you, but the world community has not come to a unanimous opinion on this issue, so each country counts the height of a particular point on the terrain from the sea that it likes best.

Each peak or any other point on the surface of our planet has its own height, which is usually counted from sea level. The height of the depressions and lowlands below sea level has negative values, and everything above sea level has positive values. This is quite logical and would be very convenient if not for one circumstance: the levels of the seas of the World Ocean can differ greatly from each other and from the water level in that ocean to which they relate. In addition, the sea level changes over time, so some average level, measured over several years, is taken as the basis.

In Russia, many CIS countries, as well as in Poland, the surface height is usually determined by the average long-term level of the Baltic Sea, which is recorded on the Kronstadt footstock. This is one of the oldest water gauging posts in the world, which has been operating since 1707.

In Switzerland, France and some African countries, including the former French colonies, the reference point is the level of the Mediterranean Sea at the city of Marseille. But in the UK, the water level in the English Channel near the city of Newlin is used to read the heights. Germany also has its own sea level - the level of the Baltic Sea in the Dutch city of Amsterdam. In China, the sea, according to which the height of the terrain is measured, is the Yellow Sea, and a post with a mareograph is located in Qingdao. The United States and Canada also have their own reference point, which is the level in the St. Lawrence River in the Canadian city of Rimuski.

For this reason, the absolute heights on maps published in different countries may vary by several meters. So, for example, on the physical map of the United States of America, you can see a difference of 5 meters in the Russian version and in the English version. The height of Mount Olympus is 2,429 meters, and on Russian maps this figure is 2,424 meters. The same applies to other peaks in the United States.

Watch the video: What Counts as a Mountain? (May 2024).