The Most Remote Places On Earth
Did you know that about 10 percent of the Earth is more than 48 hours away (by way of land travel) from the nearest city? Take that to “Jeopardy.” With roads, airplanes, satellites, and whatever else is out there taking pictures and measurements along the way, the true sense of remoteness is almost nonexistent. Recently, I even posted on an island only accessible by a 30-hour boat ride.
Even remoteness can be subjective, though. Is it inaccessibility, isolation, both? This article, from howstuffworks.com, lists a point in northern China (Eurasian Pole of Inaccessibility) as the farthest from any ocean, at 1,553 miles. And the farther from any land? Point Nemo, found in the South Pacific, is a full 1,553 miles from any mainland surface.
If visiting the most isolated people in the world interests you, head to Tristan da Cunha (the population is only 270 and it’s nearly 3,000 kilometers from South Africa, its closest mainland). It was once an important maritime stop to the Cape of Good Hope. Ships have virtually stopped heading that way because of the Suez Canal, and the only other visitors consist of the occasional fisherman and a pair of U.K. doctors that arrive once a year.
Posted on September 29, 2009 by Jon Wick