The Least Explored Places on Earth

The Most Unexplored Places on Our Planet

Climate and human factors constantly affect the Earth. It is hard to imagine, but there are still areas that have remained unchanged since their inception. The list we offer to all interested parties includes several unique uninhabited places that have not undergone any changes so far.

This has happened for various reasons: some represent territories that are extremely difficult to access.

Others are included in the list of reserves, and human activity in them is regulated by law. One way or another, they have managed to preserve their natural beauty and uniqueness, and representatives of flora and fauna feel like true masters in them.

Northeast Siberia

Geographers say that Siberia is the territory that starts from the Ural Mountains in the West and ends at the watershed of rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean (that is, from Cape Dezhnev along the Chukchi, Kolyma, Dzhugdzur, Stanovoy, Yablonovy, Khenkei ridges, across the uplands of the northern part of the Gobi Desert). As you may have already understood, to the north, Siberia is bordered by the Arctic Ocean and its coastal seas, while to the south it extends to the Gobi Desert and includes almost all northern regions of modern Kazakhstan. Some geographers also include the territories of the Far East in Siberia, meaning those lands that lie beyond the watershed of the rivers. Historians agree with them, stating that Siberia has historically referred to all lands lying east of the Ural Mountains. Traditionally, Siberia is divided into Western and Eastern parts; however, a number of researchers argue that it would be fair to distinguish Southern, Central, and Northern Siberia.

The Northeastern part of Siberia, located northeast of the Lena River, is known for its harsh nature and climate. Winters here are long, with severe frosts, and summers are very cool. It is here that the "pole of cold" — Oymyakon — is located. Northeast Siberia has a complex relief of folded-block areas and ridges. Permafrost is also widespread in the region. Agriculture in this area is impossible in open ground, and the development of natural resources is complicated due to climatic conditions, the remoteness of the area, and the lack of a wide network of transport routes (primarily railways). This territory is the least populated part of Eurasia, and most human presence here is associated with the constant search for minerals.

Northern Canada

North of the industrial cities of the central provinces lie underexplored territories. Geologists refer to this region as the Canadian Shield, as its soil lies on solid crystalline rocks. The Canadian Shield is covered with coniferous forests, and there are many lakes and swamps here.

The northern territories of Canada represent untouched places by progress. The population here is very small — about 60,000 people, predominantly Eskimos and Indigenous peoples. The indigenous inhabitants are unfamiliar with modern achievements and continue to lead the lifestyle of their ancestors. Nature provides these people with what they need: food, water, clothing, and shelter. Many rare species of animals, including bison, live alongside humans. Many Northern Territories in Canada are national parks where one can observe whales, black bears, and grizzlies without disturbing their natural habitat.

Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands consist of thirteen large islands, six small islands, and one hundred seven rocks and islets (the total area of the Galapagos is about 8,000 km²). The archipelago is located in the Pacific Ocean and is a province of Ecuador (972 km west of it).

It is worth mentioning that there are many Galapagos Islands. The largest is Isabella. Slightly smaller is Santa Cruz, which hosts the largest city, Puerto Ayora. There are also San Cristobal and Floreana. Only these four islands are inhabited. The others are home to sea lions, iguanas, and birds.

Surprisingly, there is no indigenous population on the Galapagos Islands. The inhabitants here are mainly Ecuadorian mestizos — descendants of Spanish colonists and South American Indigenous peoples who arrived from the mainland in the second half of the last century.

Even now, the population is small and does not exceed 30,000 people, who live only on five islands: Baltra, Isabella, San Cristobal, and Santa Cruz, which constitutes only 3.3% of the total area of the archipelago, and the islands are only partially inhabited — in the center or along the coast, near the docks.

Some of the local volcanoes are still active. For example, the most active of them, Sierra Negra, located on Fernandina Island, has erupted more than twenty times since 1813. Since no humans live here, its eruptions are dangerous only for flora and fauna.

New Guinea

New Guinea is the last of the major unexplored islands. It is home to more than a thousand different ethnic groups and hundreds of various tribes, some of which are completely isolated from the influences of the modern world. On the slopes of the Foja Mountains in the western part of New Guinea, a group of American researchers discovered a place they named the "Garden of Eden" in 2005. The area of about 300,000 hectares turned out to be isolated from the surrounding world, and more than 20 previously unknown species of frogs, several species of butterflies, tree kangaroos, six-toed "paradise" birds (which were previously considered extinct), as well as unknown species of palms and many other plants were found there. Many animals were not afraid of humans and even allowed scientists to hold them.

Republic of Sakha, Russia

Yakutia is the largest subject of the Russian Federation — 3,083,523 km², which is about 200,000 km² smaller than the seventh largest country, India, located beyond the Arctic Circle. The climate here is one of the most extreme in the world. Most of the land is covered by permafrost, but many species of animals manage to survive here, not to mention plants and local tribes. Apparently, humans can survive almost anywhere.

Here are the two coldest places in the Northern Hemisphere — the settlements of Verkhoyansk (-67.8 °C on January 15, 1985) and Oymyakon (-67.7 °C in February 1933), and about a quarter of all diamonds in the world are mined here.

Contrary to myths about constant cold, only 40% of the territory of the republic is beyond the Arctic Circle, while 4/5 of the territory is covered by forests.

The temperature difference between the coldest month — January and the warmest — July is 70 - 75 degrees.

Northern Andes

It is difficult to say how well the northern region of the Colombian Andes has been studied because guerrillas and drug lords do not keep official records. This area is known for harboring criminals of all kinds. After all, unexplored mountain ranges, covered with forests and shrouded in mist, are the best for this. Most of the peaceful residents of nearby areas are local tribes. Every time a scientific expedition heads to the northern mountains of Colombia, it discovers previously unknown plants and animals. In 2006, a new species of bird, the Yariguíes Atlapet, was discovered, and in 2010, a new subspecies of the Lachrymose Mountain-Tanager was found.

Melville Cape, Australia

Inaccessible mountainous areas covered with huge granite boulders and tropical jungles have yet to become the subject of serious research. Just one and a half thousand kilometers from Australia’s largest city, Brisbane, lies the wild territory of Cape Melville. Research in this area is only possible from helicopters, which certainly complicates the work of scientists. New species of animals are constantly being discovered here — in 2013 alone, three were found.

According to scientists, these animals have lived in this area in isolation for millions of years, allowing them to evolve into separate species. Conrad Hoskin from James Cook University called Cape Melville a "lost world."

Amazons Rainforests

Every day, the area of the Amazon forests is catastrophically decreasing. However, despite deforestation, there are still untouched areas where no human foot has stepped, and flora and fauna have been preserved in their pristine form. In the Amazon, there are still tribes untouched by modern civilization. The rainforests are located on a vast plain covering almost the entire Amazon River basin. These jungles make up half of the remaining tropical forests in the world. Exploring them is difficult, primarily due to the dense undergrowth and numerous dangerous animals. Jaguars, caimans, anacondas, poisonous spiders, parasites, and carriers of infectious diseases inhabit these areas, while local rivers are home to electric rays, piranhas, and candiru.

North Sentinel Island, India

The tribe inhabits North Sentinel — a small island, approximately 72 km², off the coast of Myanmar. For centuries, the people living here, who have not even learned to make fire, avoid any contact with the civilized world. The time of the tribe's appearance is considered to be the Stone Age. Their way of life has hardly changed for 60,000 years since its inception. The people of this tribe do not want to see you on their island. If you arrive there, they will likely try to kill you.

And it seems that the Sentineles, living under the protection of Indian authorities, are quite satisfied with their lives and do not need any changes.

The Sahara Desert

The Sahara is the hottest desert on Earth, stretching across 11 countries over 5 million square kilometers. The intense heat, dunes, and other harsh conditions of the Sahara Desert make it inhospitable for human life. German scientists, using methods of computer climate modeling, have established that the Sahara became a desert 4,000 years ago. Nevertheless, 2 million people live in various parts of the Sahara with more favorable living conditions. Despite the extreme temperatures, thousands of different plant varieties can be found in the desert.

58 degrees Celsius is the highest temperature recorded in the Sahara, registered in 1922 in Libya. The Sahara is also on the list of the wildest places on Earth.

Antarctica

The continent of Antarctica, covered by a thick layer of ice, is also one of the least explored parts of our planet. Antarctica is the largest desert on Earth, covering an extensive area of over 8 million square kilometers. It is also the coldest territory on Earth by average annual temperatures. This extreme condition makes Antarctica untouchable for humans.

Research is hindered by the harsh climate, but in the future, with warming, its development is quite possible. In Antarctica and the surrounding islands, there are many abandoned settlements, military, and whaling bases. Currently, there is no permanent population in Antarctica, but about 45 year-round research stations are located there, housing from 1,000 people in winter to 4,000 people in summer, depending on the season.

Studying the ice cover, which contains "records" of climate and atmospheric composition data for hundreds of thousands of years, sheds light on the past and future of the Earth. The least studied area of the continent is adjacent to the Weddell Sea (West Antarctica). It has recently been discovered that there is a basin the size of a small European country (about 20,000 square kilometers), with depths reaching up to two kilometers in places.

Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha is an archipelago of four islands in the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean, part of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena. Along with Easter Island and the Pitcairn Islands, it is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth. The nearest mainland shore — that is, South Africa — is 2,816 km away, and to South America, it is as far as 3,360 km. There are no mammals on the islands (except for seals on the shore and mice brought by humans), reptiles, or butterflies, but many endemic plant species. The main treasure of the island is the smallest flightless bird on Earth — the "Inaccessible Island Rail" or "Tristan Rail."

The most isolated town in the world was founded in 1816 by British military personnel led by William Glass.

Currently, there are about 300 people on Tristan, all of whom are descendants of those colonists, bearing only nine surnames: Glass, Green, Collins, Lavarello, Repetto, Rogers, Hagan, Squibb, and Swain. The Edinburgh of the Seven Seas is governed by the governor of Saint Helena, but he visits rarely, so the locals gather a Council and appoint a Chief Islander — this "first guy on Tristan" makes all important decisions concerning the town, its residents, and guests.

Strangers are not driven away, but they are not accepted into the community — it owns everything on the island, including the land. The other three islands — Gough, Nightingale, and Inaccessible — are nature reserves.

The Gobi Desert

The desert covers an area of 1.5 million square kilometers. The desert regions have remained virtually waterless and unchanged for 65 million years. Over such a long time, fierce winds have blown tons of sand from the surface and exposed the bones of prehistoric dinosaurs. Fragments of these fossilized bones can still be found today in the Nemegt Basin right on the surface underfoot. Here lies the natural boundary of the inhabited world, south of which begins the uninhabited desert completely free from human presence; only for a short time, usually limited by the water supply, do rare scientific expeditions and tireless travelers penetrate here. The Gobi is famous for its unique sand dunes, rising up to 200 meters, where temperatures can fluctuate from minus 40 degrees to plus 40, depending on the season. Here, one can also encounter very rare species of plants and animals.

The Seychelles Islands

The Seychelles Islands are a lost and found paradise in the heart of the Indian Ocean: 115 wonderful islands, of which only 30 are inhabited. It is one of the few places on Earth that has preserved its natural beauty without any artificial changes. Half of the territory of the state, approximately 220 square kilometers, is protected by the government by law.

Within the Seychelles Islands, one can find many rare species of animals and plants, some of which are not found anywhere else in the world. These territories have become a refuge for 6,000 different endemic species of wildlife, including 250 species of birds, lizards, amphibians, and turtles.

Fiordland, New Zealand

Fiordland National Park, the largest in New Zealand, was formed by glaciers. The overwhelming desert is home to a unique diversity of animals. Here, takahē, which had been considered an extinct species of flightless birds for centuries, were found. Fiordland is one of the wildest territories in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Tepui Mountains

The tepuis may be the oldest mountains on Earth: at least the park at the junction of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana is officially recognized as the oldest part of the planet. Of the 115 ancient peaks in the Gran Sabana region, only three have been explored, which can be reached on foot, including Roraima. The others have never been visited by humans because the cliffs are too steep and surrounded by impenetrable jungles — they can only be landed on by helicopter, but this is prohibited. For the same reason, unique animals and plants that inhabit the flat tops are not common below: of nearly 9,500 species of Venezuelan highland flora, over 2,000 have been found specifically on tabletop mountains, and one-third of them are found nowhere else.

Greenland

Although the Vikings landed in Greenland as early as the year 1000, we are still discovering new parts of it located deep in the northern region. Six new, untouched by civilization islands off the coast of Greenland were discovered relatively recently, in 1999. Most of the mainland of the country remains uninhabited. About 80 percent of the island is covered by an ice cap.

The least studied place is the northern edge of Greenland, the Lincoln Sea, and other surrounding icy waters.

Greenland has the second-largest ice sheet in the world (after Antarctica), and the island is used as a testing ground for fundamental glacier research: glaciologists study glacier dynamics here, while microbiologists study ancient life trapped in the ice.

Namibia

This name literally translates to "place where there is nothing." The desert is one of the oldest (80 million years old, when dinosaurs still lived!) and driest in the world. Nevertheless, life exists here. Additionally, rich deposits of tungsten and uranium ores have been discovered in the desert.

Namibia is one of the least populated countries in the world (with a population of only 2.3 million people over an area of 824,000 square kilometers). It is located in the southern part of the African continent and is named after the Namib Desert, which is home to a quarter of all cheetahs in the world (about 2,500). The desert land is known for its giant dunes, ancient rock paintings, meteorite craters, and waterfalls, while the landscape of Namibia is one of the most untouched in Africa. This place is an ideal refuge for poachers, which is why the country's constitution includes a program to protect the unique nature reserve, encompassing many thousands of kilometers of unexplored desert (including the famous Kalahari).

Northern Patagonia, Chile

Patagonia is a beautiful but harsh land; its appearance was shaped during the Ice Age, about 3 million years ago, and has hardly changed since then. This region remains a sparsely populated and little-studied area. Tropical forests combine here with glaciers, fjords, and hot springs. Northern Patagonia is one of the most interesting landscapes in the world. It is currently the least populated area of Chile, and getting here is very difficult, but it is truly worth it.

Before colonization, Patagonia was inhabited by Indigenous peoples. However, as a result of enslavement by colonizers and a lack of sufficient food, over time the indigenous population was almost completely destroyed. To this day, little has changed — the population density in the region is only 2 inhabitants per square kilometer.

Kamchatka, Russia

More than three hundred years have passed since the first Cossack fort was established in Kamchatka — yet it remains unconquered. Although Kamchatka is a peninsula, it is separated from the mainland by hundreds of kilometers of impenetrable forests, mountains, and swamps.

The peninsula, located in the eastern part of Russia, is one of the richest and still unexplored areas in the world. More than three hundred volcanoes are active here, including one that has been continuously erupting since 1996. The local flora and fauna are very diverse. Kamchatka is home to the largest number of brown bears, while the population is only about 400,000 people.

Tsingy de Bemaraha, Madagascar

600 square miles of national park — that’s what Tsingy de Bemaraha is. You can wander here for months.

The reserve is located on the western edge of Madagascar. A huge number of plant and animal species are endemic to this region. Scientists believe that much remains hidden and undiscovered here. Only the southern tip of the park is open for free visits, while most of it is a protected area for tourists.

Local residents say that there is not a single flat patch of land throughout the vast territory of the reserve. This landscape is inaccessible only to humans, but it helps rare species of plants and animals survive, especially lemurs, which live here in large numbers.