The South American mountain that is the point on Earth’s surface farthest from the planet’s center is Chimborazo.
Chimborazo is an inactive stratovolcano in Ecuador’s Andes, rising to 6,263 metres above sea level. It is not the highest mountain above sea level; that distinction belongs to Mount Everest. Earth’s equatorial bulge gives Chimborazo its unusual record because the mountain stands very close to the equator.
Measured from Earth’s center, Chimborazo’s summit is more than 2 kilometres farther away than Everest’s summit. Measured from base to summit, however, other mountains can be taller, and Aconcagua remains the highest peak in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres by elevation above sea level.
The mountain is part of Ecuador’s protected Chimborazo Wildlife Reserve. Its snowy summit and glacial environment contrast with the dry highland plains around it, where vicuñas have been reintroduced.