Flattest Countries 2024

The Maldives, an island chain in the Indian Ocean, is the flattest country in the world. The country's terrain is consistently 1.5 meters above sea level or about 5 feet above sea level. Tuvalu, a reef country in the Pacific, is also flat countrywide. Its mean elevation is about 2 meters, with slight variation. The Marshall Islands, also in the Pacific, have a similar mean elevation with slightly more variation.

Although the Maldives has the most consistently flat terrain, other countries have lower minimum elevations at some points. For example, several Middle Eastern countries have very low elevations at some points while having high elevations at others. Syria's lowest elevation is 214 meters or 702 feet below sea level, although its maximum elevation is 2,814 meters or 9,232 feet above sea level. Nearby Jordan's lowest elevation is 428 meters or 1,404 feet below sea level; however, its highest elevation is 1,854 meters or 6,083 feet above sea level. Israel's lowest elevation is the same as Jordan's, but its highest point rises only to 1,208 meters or 3,963 feet above sea level. Palestine also has similar variations, from 428 meters to 1,030 meters.

Middle Eastern countries are not the only ones with significant elevation variances. At some point, China's lowest elevation is 154 meters or 505 feet below sea level. China's maximum elevation is 8,848 meters or more than 29,000 feet. Kazakhstan, which borders China, also has great variances, with its lowest point at 132 meters or 433 feet below sea level and its highest point at 7,010 meters or 22,999 feet above sea level. In South America, Argentina also starts with low points below sea level and rises to high points. The span in Argentina is from 105 meters (344 feet) below sea level to 6,960 meters or 22,835 feet above sea level.