There’s a small town in California called Calipatria. And it’s famous for having the lowest elevation of anywhere in the western hemisphere.
Calipatria is 55 meters below sea level. So only the flag flying from the top of its flagpole is above sea level. But what exactly is sea level?
In this video, Tom Scott explains exactly what sea level is, and how it came to be measured. And it turns out it’s a lot more complicated than it sounds.
All I know is I’m glad I live way above sea level. Because the way the ice caps are melting the water table is going to rise considerably over the next few decades.
