12 of the most remote places and communities on earth

12 of the most remote places and communities on earth

From eastern Greenland to northern Alaska, we explore some of the most remote places on earth

Whether it is astronomical distances, inhospitable climates or extreme terrain that define these remote and hostile lands, they all have one thing in common: they are on my wish list. That and the fact that people live there.

It's highly unlikely that I'll actually make it to many of these far-flung realms - I certainly didn't get to Ittoqqortoormiit on my 2019 trip to Greenland - but I salute the hardcore inhabitants who are building lives and communities on Earth in the most remote places.

1. Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland

Ittoqqortoormiit is located on Liverpool Land, a peninsula in eastern Greenland and one of the most remote cities in the country. It was first inhabited in 1925 by 80 Inuit settlers.

Agatha Kadar/ShutterstockThe colorful houses of Ittoqqortoormiit in Greenland

Today, the dwindling population of 345 spends its time hunting whales and polar bears for meat and trade, while also presumably deciding what color to paint their houses.

2. Kerguelen Islands

This French overseas territory in the southern Indian Ocean is also known as the Desolation Islands, which gives you an idea of ​​how remote it is: really remote.

Armand Patoir/CC BY-SA 4.0The “Islands of Desolation” are among the most remote on earth

It is more than 3,300 km from the nearest populated place, making it one of the most remote places on earth. The population varies depending on the season: around 45 in winter and around 110 in summer.

3. Pitcairn Island

The British really don't know what to do with this island of unruly residents. With just 50 residents, it is the least populated national jurisdiction in the world.

Claude Huot/ShutterstockPitcairn Island is one of the most remote places on earth

This remote island should be known for its fantastic mutiny history or the fact that it was one of the first territories to give women the right to vote (in 1838, some 80 years before the rest of the UK). Unfortunately, this was all overshadowed when it received the record for the highest number of sex offenders per capita.

4. Tristan da Cunha

This island, known as Tristan to its 293 residents, is part of the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world and lies 2,000 km from the nearest inhabited land: St. Helena, which is itself quite remote.

alt="Tristan is part of the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world">Yagerq/CC0Tristan is part of the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world

Tristan is also 2,400 km from the nearest mainland, South Africa. The majority of Tristan's population lives in the main settlement of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. What a name!

5. Oymyakon, Russia

This is one of the coldest places on the planet. It has an extreme subarctic climate that dropped to a temperature of -67.7 °C (-90 °F) on February 6, 1933, making it a candidate for the North Pole of Cold (coldest place on Earth).

https://www.shutterstock.com/photosOymyakon is one of the coldest places on earth

Thanks to its northern location, the 500 people who live there “enjoy” days ranging from three hours in December to 21 hours in June. Quite frankly, this place is brutal. Only a certain type of people can live in a place like this: Russians.

6. Chang Tang, Tibet

Chang Tang is a huge plateau that stretches over 1,600 km across the Tibetan Plateau. The inhospitable land is inhabited by about half a million Changpa, but they are difficult to spot. The Changpa are nomads who know all about hardship thanks to the almost arctic climate in which they survive.

DreamtimeNobody in Chang Tang

When Swedish explorer Sven Hedin crossed Chang Tang, he reported not seeing a single person for 81 days. In 2009, the European Commission's Joint Research Center named the Tibetan Plateau the most remote place in the world after creating a map showing the most and least connected places on earth.

7. Mêdog District, China

This was the last district in China to receive road access when the Chinese government announced the completion of a highway to Mêdog District in December 2010.

HelloRF Zcool/ShutterstockMêdog County is one of the most remote places on earth

China is known for having the largest population in the world. However, Mêdog only has 12,000 residents in the entire county - a tiny number compared to the rest of the country. Until the highway opened (and by highway we mean a single-lane road open nine months of the year), the only access was to cross a fairly challenging mountain range.

8. The South Pole

The South Pole is part of the only landmass on Earth where the sun rises continuously for six months and then sets for six months. There is only one day and one night every year, but a very long day and a very long night.

Mesa Studios/ShutterstockThe Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

Not only that, it gets pretty chilly too as temperatures can go as low as -73°C (-100°F). Being 2,835 m (9,301 ft) above sea level doesn't help!

The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station has been continuously occupied since it was built in 1956 - surprising since it is arguably the most remote place on Earth.

9. Easter Island

Easter Island is the only place on this list that I have actually visited. Located 3,512 km off the Chilean coast, just 163.6 km2 in size and inhabited by 7,750 residents, Easter Island is about as remote as a population of this size can get.

Easter Island's Moai attract tens of thousands of visitors

The island's mythical history and an army of Moai statues fascinate the approximately 100,000 tourists who visit each year. Given this large number, authorities have started putting mechanisms in place to facilitate the flow of visitors. With that in mind, Easter Island may not be one of the most remote places on earth after all.

10. Barrow, Alaska

DreamtimeAn abandoned whaling boat in Barrow

Barrow is the northernmost city in the USA and is famous for its long polar night (yes, singular). The sun sets in November and doesn't rise again for about two months - perfect for vampires. According to the 2017 US Census Bureau, the population is 4,438. Compared to some of the others on this list, it's practically a sprawling metropolis.

11. Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen

This Norwegian city doesn't have much to offer, apart from being the northernmost settlement of all with more than 1,000 permanent residents.

Aleksandr Lutcenko/ShutterstockThe remote town of Longyearbyen

It's a wonder the town is still standing, considering the Germans almost destroyed it during World War II because of its mining heritage. It was named after coal mining company owner John Munro Longyear and for years was known simply as Longyear City.

12. Point Nemo: Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility

Okay, so no one actually lives here. You can't. Point Nemo is the “oceanic pole of inaccessibility,” the place in the ocean furthest from land. It's so remote that the closest people to it are often astronauts. The International Space Station orbits the Earth at a maximum distance of 416 km, while the nearest inhabited landmass of Point Nemo is over 2,700 km away.

Atlas & BootsNothing but water

Point Nemo (“Nemo” is Latin for “nobody”) is located at 48°52.6′S 123°23.6′. Its nearest landmasses are:

• Ducie Island (Teil von Pitcairn Island) im Norden
• Motu Nui (Teil der Osterinsel) im Nordosten
• Maher Island, Antarktis im Süden
• Chatham Island im Westen
• Südchile im Osten

Like I said, in the middle of nowhere.

A map of the most remote places on earth

Using maps, essays, and the well-traveled author's personal experiences, Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present, and future to provide essential insights into the world we know today.

Main image: Dreamstime

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