Isolated Communities At The End Of The Earth

According to the World Health organization, more than half of all humans on Earth now live in cities. But not everyone enjoys the hustle and bustle of city life. In fact, some people go to unbelievable lengths to stay as far away from it all as possible. From the subterranean desert-dwellers of Australia, to island settlements 3,500 miles from civilization, let's explore the most isolated communities at the ends of the Earth.

Havasupai, Grand Canyon, USA

In an Indian reservation in northern Arizona, there exists a tiny, reclusive community of 208 people. Nestled at the very bottom of the Grand Canyon, the Havasupai Tribe is the most remote settlement in America’s lower 48 states. Known as the "people of the blue-green water" after their stunning natural surroundings, the Havasupai have resided there for almost 1,000 years.

They are the embodiment of living off the land, existing as farmers in the summertime and hunters of the surrounding plateaus in the winter. Seeing as the nearest road is a difficult 8-mile trek away, and the nearest town is 65 miles beyond that, the US postal service has to deliver the Havasupai’s mail by mule. In fact, save for emergencies when helicopters are used, the only way to access the village is by mule or on foot. So if you fancy a visit, you better wear some comfortable shoes.

Coober Pedy, Australia

In 1915, while searching for gold in the middle of the Australian outback, 14 year old William Hutchinson found an opal. His discovery led to the construction of what would become known as the opal capital of the world. Despite its regal title, only 2,500 people live there and for good reason. Temperatures have been known to reach 117 degrees Fahrenheit, which has encouraged settlers to construct their homes known as “dugouts” underground to avoid the scorching heat.

In fact, the name Cooper Pedy comes from the aboriginal Kupa pita which is commonly thought to mean white man’s hole. That part of South Australia Outback is incredibly arid and barren, meaning the town’s water has to travel along 15 miles of pipes from an underground source. That’s nothing, though, compared to the 170-mile journey to the nearest reasonably populated town. And even that only has 3,600 people.

Settlements are understandably scarce in that region of the outback, and life is tough for those who do reside there. But if you’ve got aspirations in the opal industry, slap on some sunscreen, grab your shovel and pickaxe and get ready to sweat.

Siwa Oasis, Egypt

Surrounded by hundreds of miles of empty Saharan desert, the Siwa Oasis is a surprisingly fertile ancient paradise, teeming with mineral springs, salt lakes, palms and olive trees. Not to mention a culture that has gone largely unchanged for centuries, thanks to its considerable isolation.

Sitting 350 miles from Cairo, and 155 miles from the nearest city, that oasis is far from a mirage, though it’s certainly surreal. Much of the unusual, yet magnificent architecture utilizes salt blocks gathered from the nearby lakes in its construction, in a secretive method mostly unknown to the outside world.

To paint a picture of just how culturally isolated that desert Oasis really is, they only recently adopted electricity when a solar power plant was constructed in 2016. Through hundreds of years left mostly undisturbed, Siwa’s 30,000 inhabitants have cemented their own unique culture and even their own unique language, known as Siwi. Combined with its strange surroundings, those curiosities leave Siwa feeling like a trip back in time.

Palmerston Island, Pacific Ocean

More than 120 miles northeast of New Zealand, covered in palm trees and surrounded by a picturesque blue ocean, lies Palmerston Island. The tiny settlement can be found amongst a unique grouping of otherwise uninhabited islands, all seated atop a curious ring of coral in the Pacific and centered with a luscious blue lagoon.

The island has only 62 inhabitants and all bar three of them are the direct descendants of one man. Englishman William Marsters settled on the island in 1863, accompanied by three Polynesian women. Those women, who were in fact cousins, would all eventually become Marsters’ wives. Unsurprisingly, Britain’s anti-polygamy laws were difficult to enforce so far from home, so aside from the additional nagging, Masters was living the dream.

Though 150 years have passed, Palmerston Island still remains a thoroughly isolated place. There are no shops, banks or markets, and imports are rare. Instead, islanders trade fish and coconuts, drink rainwater and rarely use money at all. They do have electricity, but only for 6 hours a day, due to limited fuel supplies. And while they recently installed a telephone station to communicate with the outside world and potential visitors, there’s no hotel. Instead, islanders host guests in their homes, and are reportedly extremely welcoming.

Korowai, Papua New Guinea

The tree-dwelling Korowai tribe of West Papua were only discovered by modern civilization as recently as the 1970s. Up until that point, they reportedly believed themselves to be the only people on the planet, besides the few other remote local tribes nearby. Indeed, they were so shocked by the discovery of technologically advanced outsiders that to this day they still refer to them as ‘laleo’, or ‘ghost-demons’.

The Korowai remain one of the least contacted tribes in the world, though their numbers likely approach 4,000. They protect themselves from other tribes by living in treehouses, perched 150ft up in the canopies. Their unusual habits don’t end there, though. The Korowai believe that demons, called ‘khakhua’, can possess a person’s body, and can only be expelled by killing the person and eating their flesh.

While only around 50 miles away from the nearest settlements, their culture is remarkably primitive. But their cultural detachment makes sense, considering the obstacles between them and more developed communities. Reaching the Korowai involves days even weeks, if flooding blocks the way of endless, intensely difficult traversal of the toughest jungle terrain. So that’s what you’d face if you wanted to spend a night in a Korowai treehouse. Or, you could build one at home and not risk getting eaten.

Oymyakon, Russia

Found deep within a Siberian valley, Oymyakon is a town of polar opposites. In the winter, you can throw boiling water in the air and watch it crystallize to snow. With temperatures reaching as low as minus 90F, a banana left outside to freeze overnight can be used to bang a nail into wood. And if that wasn’t enough, in deepest winter when frostbite starts nibbling in as little as 5 minutes it’s dark for 21 hours a day.

But all that is preferable to Oymyakon’s 500 residents, because in summer, temperatures can soar to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The ground turns into a swamp as the ice melts and colossal hordes of blackflies and mosquitos move in. If that wasn’t enough to turn you off, the sub-arctic town is a 576-mile journey across icy, barren wasteland from the nearest city of Yakutsk.

It gets worse, though. As any plumbing tends to freeze in winter, locals melt ice for drinking water. Unfortunately, that means they have no choice but to keep their toilets outside. Bearing in mind what was mentioned about frostbite, you’re probably better off holding it in and keeping your delicates wrapped up warm, if you ever decide to make the journey.

McMurdo Station, Antarctica

The isolated community, built on the southernmost tip of solid ground on Earth accessible by ship, is the largest research station in the Antarctic. The settlement’s population fluctuates from a population of 2,000 in the summer, with people living in over a hundred different buildings, to only 20 residents in the winter. Established in December 1955, McMurdo has a harbor, landing strips on the ice, and a helicopter port.

While it may be 2,200 miles from the nearest city of Invercargill, New Zealand, it’s surprisingly well-developed. Architecturally, there’s everything from a small radio shack to large, three-storey buildings. Those include dormitories, power and water distillation plants, laboratories, and even a few bars. Although, in Antarctica, -58 degrees Fahrenheit might make jeans and a t-shirt a little impractical for a night on the town.

Tristan da Cunha

1,750 miles away from the nearest mainland city of Cape Town, South Africa, Tristan da Cunha provides an extremely remote home for its 250 inhabitants. The islanders make their living farming the communal land and, thanks to the laws disallowing outsiders to buy land or settle, it doesn’t look like their population is going to be cresting 300 anytime soon.

When the Tristan da Cunha’s volcano erupted in 1961, the entire island was temporarily evacuated. But aside from that, the island has always been and remains incredibly peaceful. At 37 square-miles in area, with water so unpolluted you can drink directly from the streams, it might surprise you to learn that the island is actually part of Britain.

That means, despite being 6,000 miles from London, that colonial oddity shares a London telephone code. There’s no airport, and visitors must brave a 5 to 10 day boat journey from Cape Town to get there. So maybe best to just call.

La Rinconada, Peru

If you consider the unbelievable height at which it lies, La Rinconada is as close to the end of the Earth as they come. On a mountainside in the Andes, 3 miles above sea level, it stands as the highest community in the world. That ramshackle town, with a population of around 50,000 people, features rudimentary houses made of metal sheets and little in the way of amenities.

La Rinconada I Gold Mine in The Sky by Breaking Borders

Local livelihoods almost entirely consist of toiling away on the mountain’s surface in hopes of striking gold. Indeed, the discovery of gold reserves in the area laid the foundations for the town’s construction. But the by-products of La Rinconada’s main source of income causes serious mercury contamination of the surrounding soil, water and air, and plumbing and sanitation is nearly non-existent.

All the while, the lack of oxygen at such an altitude regularly causes heart disease, strokes, anemia and infant mortality. So, with little fun or money to be had, perhaps even the locals would be better off leaving that isolated town up in the clouds.

Socotra Island, Yemen

This island in the Indian Ocean is so isolated that a third of its plants are not found anywhere else in the world. That includes the alien looking dragon’s blood trees, so-called because they bleed crimson sap when cut. Socotra Island is 400 miles from Yemen’s capital Sanaa and although it has 40,000 inhabitants, they only built their first road in 2011.

Pitcairn Island

In the middle of the South Pacific, 3,300 miles from their closest neighbors in New Zealand, 50 people reside in the most isolated settlement on Earth. A mere 20 square miles in size, the island is only reachable via a 32-hour boat ride. That boat departs from the equally isolated French Polynesian island of Mangareva, and trips only occur once every 3 months. Getting there is the hard part, though. Once you’re there, the lush green hills, fruit trees and exotic wildlife make it all worthwhile.

Communication shouldn’t be an issue, as most locals speak English. Intriguingly, though, some of the locals also speak Pitkern, which is a curious mixture of 18th century English and Tahitian. Young islanders attend Pitcairn’s single school, with its single teacher, although there are usually only 3 or so students at a time.

For leisure time, there’s the Pitcairn Museum and even the local rock star. But jokes aside, if peace and quiet is your kind of thing, Pitcairn Island could well be the perfect spot for you. That is, if you’re aiming to get as far away from traffic, crowds and skyscrapers as humanly possible.

I hope you were amazed at the most isolated places on Earth! Thanks for reading.