From cities and towns, which is the most isolated capital in the world? How is it to live there? What is the distance? These are just some of the questions that people ask when discussing remote cities.
Although it is subjective to determine which remote city, you need data backing up your decision. We’ll be looking at two factors when determining remote cities: the population and the type of transport.
How do we define remote cities for the purposes of this article? Although we are focusing on capital cities, your definition might differ from mine. Some people may not believe Perth Australia is remote simply because it has an airport and a population that exceeds one million. Some might argue that the remoteness of a place is not its physical distance, but how accessible it is. While Perth airport receives flights from many places every day (including North America and Europe), only a handful of airlines fly there. Let’s look at a few remote cities, and then decide which one we can consider THE most remote.
Perth, Western Australia
Almost every list on the internet includes Perth as its most remote. It is a difficult one to comprehend and I am not inclined to include it on any remote city list. Perth is a beautiful city in Western Australia. The city’s CBD, or central business district, is compact and features beautiful high-rise buildings. It then extends out to many suburbs,
Perth is a thriving city not too far from the Indian Ocean. It’s not easy to get there from the US or Europe. There are no direct flights from the US to the city. There are no direct flights to the city from the UK or EU. Most flights go to Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, and then you have to take connecting flights to get to the gem of WA.
I spent 6 months here back in 1999. What an amazing city with its wonderful night scene around Northbridge and a great train system that can take you to Freemantle (Freo) in 30 minutes. While I lived here, I didn’t realize that I was so far away. When it was time to move to Sydney, I realized that it was a long distance across the Nullarbor Plain, and further.
There are viable internal flight options but they tend not to be the cheapest. I wanted to drive across Australia and experience the true outback as a backpacker.
Make Perth a priority on your bucket-list. I consider Perth the best city in Australia, even though it’s remote.
Iquito, Peru
Iquito, Peru is the largest city on Earth without road access. The remote Peruvian city has a population of 371,000 and is located in the Amazon rainforest bordered by the Amazon river on one side and impenetrable rainforest on the other. It takes four days to travel from Yurimaguas to Iquito by boat or plane, making imports more expensive than normal. Although there have been indigenous populations in this area for thousands of years it wasn’t until 1880-1914 during the South American rubber boom did Iquito grow with a small impact from oil tourism and black market trade.
The remote location of Iquito has been both a blessing and curse as it’s inaccessible to outside influence but makes imports expensive and difficult. The remoteness of Iquito has been a constant throughout history, even though rubber production moved elsewhere.
Thinking of going? You should make sure you have travel insurance and all the necessary shots.
Related reading : Learn about Humantay Lake, Peru near Cusco.
Hobart, Tasmania (Australian Territory)
Hobart is remote, but it’s also the most beautiful city in Australia.
Hobart, the capital of Tasmania is considered remote. It’s on an island off the southern coast of mainland Australia and its closest neighbor, Melbourne on the Australian mainland, is over 2200 miles away. It is quite remote for people living in Asia and Europe. Although it might seem like a disadvantage, it can also be an advantage. It means that there are fewer tourists on your streets. -It also means that you have more space to grow. And because almost half of Tasmanians live here, you receive a lot of personal attention from local businesses as well as government services. Remote areas like these are often overlooked by outsiders. This means that you are more likely to be left alone.
Known once upon a time as Van Diemen’s Land, it was founded as a British penal colony in 1804 and saw many life hardships for hardened criminals as well as petty thieves. Back in the 19th Century you probably couldn’t get more remote with prison ships setting sail from The British Isles. Many people didn’t make it to Tasmania, and only a few innocents and criminals returned home. It was really a one-way journey. It is Sydney’s second oldest capital city. As of 2020, it has an estimated population of 232,000 people. It is also an Antarctic gateway for scientists.
Shipping, the main industry of the island, is also a major business. It attracts more tourists than Perth or other popular tourist destinations on mainland Australia.
Hobart is remote, but it’s a gateway to tourism and a shipping hub.
Nuuk, Greenland remote Northernmost city
What is the most remote capital city in the world? There are many remote cities in the world, but only one is more remote than others. Nuuk Greenland, a remote city of only 18000 people, is the most isolated capital city in the world. The closest airport is located 4km from the city. It offers domestic flights to Greenland as well as flights to Iceland. There is also a boat departure twice a week with Arctic Umiaq Coastal Ferries, one going North and one to the South.
There are no roads between settlements in Greenland so, for Nuuk, and the only way in is by boat or plane. The harbor is large enough to accommodate large cargo ships like oil tankers or cruise liners, which can stop by on the way between Iceland and Norway. During World War II, multiple US airstrips were established on Greenland. To this day there are 18 airstrips, a legacy from the war.
Nuuk may be remote. However, the painstaking journey to this area is well worth it for the many outdoor activities and Inuit culture.
Yakutsk, Russia
Yakutsk is so lost in the vastness of Russia and Siberia. It is a remote city in Russia, but it is also one of the most cold major cities in the globe.
It is located in Russia, 450 km from its border with Mongolia. Yakutsk is served by Russian Airlines, including Sakhalin Airlines or Yakutia Airlines. It is connected to other Russian cities. Although the city is most well-known for its diamond trading hub, it also houses the Mammoth museum where fossilized woolly mammoth bones can be seen. You can find out more about Russia’s remote villages and cities here.
Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu
Luganville is the one true town/city on Espiritu Santo Island, a part of the archipelago of Vanuatu. It is also one of the most remote places in the world. It is not only remote geographically, but it is also far from major cities and other countries. What is it that makes this city so remote from major cities? Why do people still live there?
Espiritu Santo is one of the 83 islands that make up Vanuatu, a country located in the South Pacific Ocean. Although a remote area like this may not be the best for most people, it can still be a desirable place.
Espiritu Santo has one town, Luganville, with about 14,000 residents who all work either on the island or on one of its many remote offshore islands. The town only has about 400 people that are not native to Vanuatu, but it’s still enough for this place to be considered a real city especially with the tourists who arrive from Australia to visit Champagne Beach.
Champagne Beach rose to fame in 2019 when it was mentioned by Forbes as being one of the finest beaches in Oceania and in 2013 it was in CNN’s top 10 beaches in the world. Read more about Champagne beach, Vanuatu.
Espiritu Santo was first discovered by Europeans in 1606 and throughout history, it traded hands between France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was also a remote place for most of this time because there were no ship or plane routes to it until recently when Vanuatu started running flights from Australia in 2003.
Espiritu Santo was a remote volcanic island that had tropical rainforest vegetation and steep hills before it had a population.
Although the island is now home to a few buildings and roads, there are still plenty of tropical forests nearby that you can explore. Before you go to remote places like this, make sure your plane can land on an unpaved runway.
Unfortunately, Santo island elevated its remote status in April 2020 when a category 5 cyclone, called Cyclone Harold, devastated the islands of Vanuatu. Santo island was cut off in its rebuilding as it happened during the Global COVID 19 Pandemic and so the aid was not able to get through amid all the general shutdown restrictions.
Honolulu, Hawaii
The remote city of Honolulu is the capital of Hawaii and one of the most remote cities in the world. Its remoteness and beautiful beaches make it a popular vacation spot.
Hawaii is isolated. This means goods can be more expensive than elsewhere in America. However, you will find rare items here that are hard to find elsewhere.
If you want to visit Honolulu, your best bet is to take a short flight from Los Angeles or San Francisco (or even Tokyo!) It will take approximately five hours to fly each way. If you are flying to Oahu Island or Kauai on the west coast, Kona International Airport may be an option.
The reason I added Honolulu on this list of remote places in the world is because Hawaii is located right in the middle Pacific Ocean. It is strange that it has been chosen when there are a gazillion planes flying in and out of the island every day. It is a popular vacation spot for Americans, and many others. It is of course a wealthy city as Hawaii is the 50th US State.
Medog, Tibet
Medog in Tibet is considered a remote city of the world. Medog is a remote outpost in the entire world. The road to Medog was only completed in 2013. Up until then, it was accessible by horses and mules and determination to make the climb to over 4,000 meters.
Really the population has been stunted by lack of access. Because of its remote location, this city was without schools or hospitals for many years. The road is closed for eight months of the year due to heavy snowfall and mudslides. (sounds like a good place for a remake of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers)
Medical care and education are limited and infrastructure is old school Tibet at best. If you’re looking for quaint and getting a sense of tradition Tibet then Medog should be on your bucket list
Conclusion
As I said at the start of this, a definition of a remote city is subjective yet, mix in some data and we can get a clearer picture. Isolated cities are remote not only because they are located on a map, but also because it is difficult to get there. To pick one of the above cities is certainly hard but I would pick Medog due to getting a road only in 2013, its limited infrastructure, and harsh climate. It is possible to locate remote areas all around the globe with a little bit of research and an adventurous spirit. You should visit Patagonia or Humantay Lake in Peru.
We hope you enjoyed reading about these remote places around the world and what they have to offer travelers.
