3D Elevation Maps of Continents

You've most likely never seen the continents like this before.

These are threeD elevation maps of every continent on Earth.

This is Asia.

That enormous plateau dominating the center is Tibet,

the roof of the world.

At nearly fifteen thousand feet above sea level, it sits higher than most

mountain peaks on other continents.

South America.

The Andes run the entire length of the western edge like a wall,

seven thousand kilometers from top to bottom, the longest mountain

range on the planet.

North America tells a similar story.

The Rockies form a dramatic spine down the west, while the vast

interior, the Great Plains, is almost entirely

flat. Africa surprises most people.

For a continent this size, it is remarkably flat.

Ancient plateau worn smooth over hundreds of millions of years.

The sharpest spikes mark the East African Rift.

Australia is arguably the flattest continent on Earth.

One modest mountain range along the east coast.

And then Europe. Look how flat it is.

The Alps visible in the south, but almost nothing else.

A continent that geography largely left undisturbed.