Ecuador, not Everest, is the closest place on Earth to outer space; here’s the reason

Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo is scientifically closer to space than Mount Everest, not due to sea-level height, but Earth’s equatorial bulge. This bulge makes points near the equator farther from the planet’s center. Chimborazo’s summit extends 2.1 kilometers further from Earth’s core than Everest’s, making it the most distant surface point from the planet’s center and thus closest to outer space.