The most extreme places on earth

The most extreme places on earth

We explore the most extreme places on earth. Crazy destinations where people find ways to exist in harsh and hostile environments

I have always been fascinated by harsh environments and especially the explorers who have braved them. As I explored the most remote places on Earth, I encountered several extreme environments that were simply not designed for human habitation or travel.

However, we humans are a race of endurance and often find ways to survive in these harsh and hostile lands. Here are just a few of the most extreme places on Earth.

Coldest Place on EarthSoviet Vostok Station, Antarctica

alt="Antarctica">Dreamtime

On July 21, 1983, researchers at the Soviet Antarctic station recorded the lowest natural temperature ever near the ground at -89.2 °C (-128.6 °F). Satellite data also suggests that Antarctica (where else?) sank to -93.2°C (-135.8°F) on August 10, 2010 - but this has never been confirmed on the ground.

The research station is one of the most isolated on the Antarctic continent and typically hosts 25 scientists year-round.

The hottest place on EarthFurnace Creek, Death Valley, California, USA

alt="american road trip death valley">Mesquite Flat sand dunes of Death Valley

The name actually says it all, right? On July 15, 1972, a ground temperature of 93.9 ° C was measured here. That's just below the boiling point, right? The words “furnace” and “death” are appropriate names for any place that comes anywhere near that temperature.

Despite this, the national park is now a tourist destination, home to a visitor center and numerous hiking trails. Considering I drove through there a few weeks ago without air conditioning...

The wettest place on EarthMawsynram, Meghalaya, India

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Honestly I can't believe it's not London. However, Mawsynram village receives 467 inches (11.86 meters) of rain per year. Mawsynram is located in India, but thanks to its proximity to the flood plains of Bangladesh and the air currents that endlessly collect moisture overhead, Mawsynram “enjoys” almost constant rain. Sounds a bit like London, but with a much smaller population: 1,337.

Driest Place on EarthAtacama Desert, Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina

alt="Atacama Desert: Facts about Chile">Atlas & BootsAtacama Desert, the driest place on earth

This place is regularly compared to Mars. NASA even repeated the tests they conducted on Mars and discovered that parts of the Atacama "missed current signs of life in soil samples," essentially making them alien. The Atacama stretches across 105,000 square kilometers (41,000 square miles) of South America and occupies parts of four countries.

The average rainfall is about 15 millimeters (0.59 inches) per year, meaning that many areas of the desert experience almost no rainfall. Not surprisingly, the desert is one of the most sparsely populated areas on earth.

Coldest inhabited place on EarthOymyakon, Russia

alt=““>(Image: Maarten Takens, Creative Commons)

Thanks to its northern location, the 500 people who live here experience days ranging from 3 hours in December to 21 hours in June. In 1933, the temperature fell to -67.7 °C (-90 °F), leading to competition for the coldest place on Earth (point) for a while.

The climate is brutal and regularly cuts the city off from the rest of Russia, also making Oymyakon one of the most remote places on earth.

The hottest inhabited place on EarthDallol, Ethiopia

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In another part of the world at another time, Dallol may have been a popular tourist destination, considering that it had an average daily maximum temperature of 41.1 °C (106.0 °F) between 1960 and 1966.

Unfortunately, such temperatures do not help a country suffering from incurable droughts and famines. There is no estimate for the local population here, which is to be expected given its remoteness and also the fact that it is 130 m (-430 ft) below sea level.

Largest purely vertical drop on EarthMount Thor, Auyuittuq National Park, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada

alt="extreme places Mt. Thor">Paul Gierszewski/Creative Commons(Image: Paul Gierszewski, Creative Commons)

It would take approximately 36 seconds for a 77 kg person to fall 1,250 m (4,101 ft) from the cliff 400 meters below the summit of Mount Thor. The overhanging cliff slopes down at an average angle of 15 degrees from vertical, meaning that if you were unlucky enough to fall, you wouldn't hit anything until you reached the bottom.

Um, good? Despite this, it is still a popular place for climbing and mountaineering.

The most dangerous place on earth

Given all the different factors, this is a difficult “award” to measure. However, Afghanistan and Syria have been repeatedly named as the most dangerous countries in the world, according to the Global Peace Index (GPI) report.

Additionally, the city of San Pedro Sula in Honduras is considered the most dangerous city in the world, with 1,319 murdered in 2014 and a murder rate of 171.20 murders per 100,000 residents.

On a broader level, Honduras also tops the chart internationally, with 7,172 murders in 2012 and a rate of 90.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. Dark figures indeed.

The safest place on earth

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At the other end of the spectrum are the safest places on earth, which are, unsurprisingly, also some of the most expensive. Monaco and Liechtenstein (both in Europe) have both experienced zero murder rates in recent years.

Both are developed countries with strong health and medical systems and neither is at immediate risk of natural disasters. Okay for some, right? And by some I mean movie stars, playboys and Formula 1 drivers.

Other extreme places on Earth

Deepest cave on earth Voronya Cave, Arabika Massif, Georgia, 2,193 m (7,195 feet)

Deepest oceanic depth reached Challenger Deep, Mariana Trench reached 10,971 m (35,994 ft)

Deepest ice on EarthBentley Subglacial Trench, Antarctica at -2,555m (-8,383ft)

Northernmost point on land Kaffeklubben Island, east of Greenland

Southernmost point on land The geographic South Pole, Antarctica

Highest place on EarthMount Everest, China-Nepal border at 8,848 m (29,029 ft)

Lowest place on EarthDead Sea coast, Israel, West Bank, Jordan at -424 m (-1,391 ft) below sea level

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Additional Photography:Dreamtime

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