The Most Extreme and Isolated Places to Live in the World

However, if you are indeed escaping from something (or someone), or maybe you just prefer the quiet life, you might be averse to choosing a vacation destination that's an overcrowded mess of people. Or perhaps you're even a recovering sociopath seeking a little isolation and have run out of ideas.

Not to fear, for we have here set before you a veritable banquet of remote travel destinations for you to feast your eyes upon. Places you can even visit if you're prepared to go to great lengths to get there, or maybe you'd rather marvel at why anyone in their right mind would want to live there.

Oymyakon

Oymyakon - A remote village in the Sakha Republic, which is in itself situated in that most famous of remote and desolate locations: Siberia. Oymyakon is the coldest town on Earth with average low temperatures of -49.2°C (-57°F) and record lows of -68°C (-90°F). So, in other words, Oymyakon is pretty damn cold and the only real way to keep warm is fur and lots of it. Despite it being a luxury in the West, it is absolutely essential in Oymyakon and far more effective than any synthetic fibers that a would-be visitor might take with them.

Other interesting facts include that it's so cold, that some birds can freeze solid mid-flight, plummeting to the ground like a rock. Spit will also freeze solid before it hits the ground at -50°C and a glass of water thrown into the air will freeze before it hits the ground. With a population of between 500-800 people, it's a small community that is willing to bear the extreme conditions all way out there.

Bouvet Island

Bouvet Island - Hailed as the most remote island in the world, Bouvet Island is situated in the South Atlantic Sea and the nearest landmass is part of Antarctica, which is over 1,750km away. The island at the moment is uninhabited (apart from an all-year-round research station, probably doing research into sheer loneliness), which hardly comes as a surprise as it's in the actual Middle of Nowhere.

The island itself is small; at only 49km2 and 93% of it is covered with glaciers and because of this terrible climate, the only local flora is limited to moss and lichen. The island also bizarrely enough has its own URL extension (such as .com, .org, .co.uk etc) in the form of a .bv extension, despite no one living there. Hardly a paradise, but certainly bountiful in terms of nothingness, if indeed you believe that nothing is a thing which can be quantified.

Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha - Again in the South Atlantic and regarded as the most remote inhabited archipelago (with only one island in the archipelago actually being inhabited) and with a population of around 270 people, Tristan da Cunha is a fascinating place. Fascinating as to why people would choose to live in such isolation, where even a cold can cripple the society.

To exist on the island is to farm, with every family on the island being a family of farmers, there being not much else to be - or even do - on the island otherwise, for which each family owns their own livestock, with the land being communally owned (which no outsiders are allowed to buy, therefore no outsiders are allowed to settle there, not that many people want to). Aside from farming, other forms of profit for the island mainly consist of the delicious lobster factory, as well as selling their own postage stamps and coins to collectors.

One could possibly say the island was boring and uneducated, with TV not even arriving until 2001 and the residents of the island leaving school at 15, which exam results typically being poor. Another interesting fact is that in the entire community there are only 8 surnames and 80 families, most likely leading to a horrific dating scene.

The Pitcairn Islands

The Pitcairn Islands - This time situated in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean, these islands are home to the descendants of the Bounty mutineers, whose population is only 50 people from 9 families. It's also the least populated country in the world, which is hardly surprising, as well as the smallest democracy in the world.

Due to the geography of the island (i.e. no harbor or airstrip), all trade has to be conducted via longboat, with the chief sources of revenue consisting of stamps and honey, as well as minor trade with other passing vessels. Barter is an integral part of the economy here. Luckily, the rest of life on the island isn't as boring as it could be, with decent communications both within the community and with the outside world, namely amateur radio, TV (with TWO channels) and high speed internet services.

Notable also for the sexual assault trial of 2004, in which 7 men living on the island went on trial. With all but one of the defendants being found guilty of some charges, this incident had the unfortunate side effect of pretty much tying up most of the area's workforce (which consists of roughly 15 people in total). Seriously, sexual assault on an island that small? Not to mention the fact that most of them will be related...

Socotra Island

Socotra Island - The main island in an archipelago of four, Socotra Island is incredibly isolated and has been described as "the most alien-looking place on Earth" thanks to its heavy speciation (the process through which new species arise) due to its intense isolation from the rest of the world. Essentially, the place is so far removed from the rest of the planet that they have crazy alien-trees growing there.

Despite the isolation on the island, it's actually inhabited by around 40,000 people, with no public transport (and two roads), but cars may be rented if required. The island is fortunate enough to have an airport, with flights almost every day, so there is only a small fear of being stuck on the island.

The main exports are dates, tobacco and fish, but the island also exports something called ghee, which sounds disgusting.

Barrow, Alaska

Barrow, Alaska - A remote town in - you guessed it - Alaska, Barrow is famous for its lengthy polar night, which takes place in November and is when the sun goes down one day and then isn't seen for about 60 or so days. Barrow is the northernmost town in the US and amongst the northernmost towns in the entire world, thus making it a pretty cold place, with temperatures of around -30°C (-22.1°F) in the colder parts of the year. The town has a popular of around 4,000 people, but this population is rapidly dwindling.

Sadly, because of the town's unnatural period of darkness, it is somewhat prone to vampire attack, with the population rapidly dwindling because of this. Why people would want to live there continues to amaze and astound those that don't like vampires. Or dying.