The 5 Most Remote Countries, Islands, and Settlements on Earth

When most people think of visiting other countries, they may imagine places like France, Italy, Japan, or Spain. However, there are so many more unique and interesting places out there than just the ones we are most familiar with, some remote and far away from any other civilization.

While most of the land masses out there in the Atlantic and Pacific are uninhabited, some remote regions of the Earth contain the world’s most isolated yet unique societies. To find out what makes some of these places so special, keep reading to learn about the five most remote countries, islands, and settlements on Earth.

1. Nauru

Nauru is a country located about 200 miles from its closest neighbor, Australia, making it one of the most remote countries on Earth. Considered the third-smallest country in the world, Nauru is only about 8.1 square miles in total.

That’s even smaller than some cities! About 19 miles of sandy beaches and lush forests surround the coastline. The so-called Republic of Nauru is spread across 169 villages. The total population as of 2021 is about 12,500.

Nauru is practically unreachable by boat and classified as the least visited country in the world because of this. With choppy waters and unsafe conditions, it is extremely difficult to approach from the ocean. Taking a five-hour flight from Brisbane, Australia is the safest way to reach the country.

Nauru is most well-known for its highly valued phosphate reserves. It is also well as its diverse wildlife, such as the endangered Nauru reed warbler and the shy, rare Fraser’s dolphin.

Very little about the country’s culture is known. You can learn more about the island nation of Nauru here.

2. Kiribati

The island nation of Kiribati is far out in the Pacific Ocean, practically straddling the equator. The closest island to it is Hawaii, and that’s nearly 2,000 miles away!

The island comprises about 32 atolls — or ring-shaped islets — spread across nearly 1.4 million square miles. It is also known as the most western country. The permanent population reached just over 119,000 as of the 2020 census.

It extends approximately 1,800 miles east of the 16 Gilbert Islands and all the way to the three Line Islands. In between these lie the Phoenix Islands, which have no true population. Since it is part of the division of Pacific islands known as Micronesia, the majority of its inhabitants are Micronesian and speak Gilbertese (or Ikiribati). However, English is the official language.

The Gilbert Islands became fully self-governing in 1977 and independent in 1979, as the United States relinquished all claims to the Phoenix and Line Islands in 1979 after they finished using it for nuclear testing and phosphate farming alongside Britain.

Now, the island is known for its rich supply of coconut palms and diverse wildlife across its various atolls. However, because most of these are not far above sea level, much of the nation is at risk of rising ocean levels.

3. Tristan da Cunha

The four-island nation of Tristan da Cunha, considered the most remote group of islands in the world, include the Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough Island. They sit nearly 1,700 miles from South Africa and 2,300 miles north of South America.

The volcanic islands are most known for their endemic biodiversity both on land and at sea. Several species of sharks inhabit the islands, including even-gill sharks, blue sharks, and shortfin mako sharks.

There are also several whales, such as southern right whales, fin whales, humpback whales, and sperm whales. Dolphins also be found here, along with elephant seals, albatross, and rockhopper penguins. There are an estimated five million shearwaters and 300,000 sub-Antarctic fur seals.

Needless to say, visitors will find no shortage of sea life here, and making their way there is not too difficult despite the islands’ notoriety as a remote location. Flying to Cape Town, South Africa, and taking one of the boats is the easiest way to reach the islands, provided visitors don’t mind spending five to six days of their vacation just getting there.

It’s at least easier to get to than most remote places.

4. Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland

Formerly known as Scoresbysund, this town is the most isolated town in all of Greenland. It sits between both the largest national park in the world — Northeast Greenland National Park, spanning approximately 375,000 square miles, to its north — and the largest fjord in the world — Scoresby Sund, which covers nearly 15,000 square miles, to its south.

It’s certainly not the most convenient place to get to. With only about 450 inhabitants as of 2021, this tiny settlement consists of several multicolored houses scattered across the edge of the fjord. Surrounding it are several mountains, glaciers, and some 600 miles of completely uninhabited land on all sides.

There is a wide variety of wildlife here, like polar bears, seals, muskoxen, halibut, and whales. The easiest way to travel to this town is to start from Akureyri in Iceland and travel to the nearby Nerlerit Inaat (Constable Point). Take a helicopter, boat, or snowmobile straight to Ittoqqortoormiit from there.

5. Pitcairn Island

The Pitcairn Islands are among the most isolated set of islands in the world. These four volcanic islands – the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands — are part of the British Overseas Territories and lie far out in the Southern Pacific Ocean sandwiched between New Zealand and Peru.

All current native residents of the island descend from a group of sailors that mutinied off of the Royal Navy vessel the HMS Bounty around 1790. A group of Tahitian consorts was also with them when they made landfall, making all of the inhabitants of the Pitcairn Islands biracial descendants of these two groups.

As of right now, the current population sits at just below 50 people. Polynesians were the first inhabitants of the island, according to historical records, but by the time the Europeans discovered it in the early 1600s, they were all gone.

Summary of the Most Remote Countries, Islands, and Settlements in the World

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