If you grew up in a city, it may be difficult to comprehend how far away the world's most
isolated island really is.
According to statistics, there are approximately 8 billion people living in our world now,
which is really a huge figure.
In comparison, that's more than three times the amount of individuals who lived in 1950.
What’s a really big deal is that over 56 percent of the world's 8 billion people already
live in cities, and in less than 30 years, that percentage is expected to rise to 68
percent by 2050.
Could you imagine how the world is going to be crowded at that time?
The percentage of people living in cities is significantly greater in developed countries.
For instance, the United States holds around 83 percent of city residents, and the Netherlands
has an astounding 92 percent.
So, why do such areas and countries have so many people?
Well, despite the fact that there are approximately 8 billion people on the planet, much of the
world remains relatively unoccupied.
Isn't it ironic?
There are parts of the world where no one lives at the moment.
This also means there's a possibility you'll end up stranded somewhere far away, far away
from any civilization or anyone who can help you.
And today, we're going to talk about the worst remote place on the planet.
Let me describe what it's like to be there, or whether you would have a chance of surviving
if you happened to be stuck there, so let's get started!
What I’m talking about is Bouvet Island of Norway, a little island located in the
South Atlantic.
So, how remote is this island?
Well, this island does not have any humans living here.
Yes, it is absolutely empty.
Moreover, it is so far from any other territory.
For instance, the nearest mainland to this island is Antarctica, which is 1700 kilometers
to the south.
Aside from that, the next inhabited landmass is 2250 kilometers away, the Tristan De Cunha
island, which holds only 250 residents, while the nearest inhabited continent is in southern
Africa, which is about 2600 kilometers away.
So, if you were on Bouvet island and drew a circle with a radius of two thousand kilometers
around it with Bouvet island in the middle, you'd be the only human within that circle.
That’s really scary!
It's worth mentioning, though, that Bouvet Island is extremely small.
It is barely approximately half the size of Disney World in Orlando, with a total area
of 49 square kilometers.
However, unlike Disney World, 93 percent of Bouvet Island is covered by a thick glacier,
with temperatures averaging around minus one degree Celsius throughout the year.
Yes, Bouvet Island is really a barren, remote, and frozen wilderness in the middle of nowhere.
No one had ever seen the island until a French ship sailed past it on an expedition in 1739,
but they were unsuccessful in landing.
It took almost a century for another group of humans to witness it in 1808.
A British ship passed by this time, however, like the French ship, they failed to land.
The first confirmed landing on the island occurred in 1825 when a group of British sailors
managed to land and claimed the island as a British territory.
Nobody returned to the island for another 68 years after they left.
In total, there are only four ships that visited the island over the whole nineteenth century,
and only one of them actually landed.
It was only in the year 1927 when the first Norwegians landed on isolated Bouvet Island.
They constructed a cabin, hung a flag, and claimed it as part of Norway, just as the
British had done a century before.
Initially, the British contested Norway's claim that the island belongs to them since
they were the ones who manage to land on the island many years ago.
The British, on the other hand, had recognized the following: first, Bouvet Island is a just
small island; second, it doesn’t have harbors that ships can utilize and has few resources;
and third, the island is far from any landmass.
As a result, the British gave in and let the Norwegians claim it.
That is why, despite being approximately thirteen thousand kilometers from Norway's capital,
Oslo, Bouvet Island is the country's only overseas territory.
The island is completely deserted.
You could probably launch a nuclear bomb on the island with no one noticing it.
That claim, on the other hand, is based on facts.
A double flash of light in the ocean near Bouvet Island was spotted by an American satellite
flying above the area in 1979, and that double flash of light is a known characteristic of
a nuclear explosion.
Nobody has ever taken responsibility for the detonation over the years.
Most researchers are firm in their belief that the event was a secret nuclear weapons
experiment carried out jointly by South Africa and Israel, however, both countries continue
to deny up to this day that they were responsible for it.
Getting to Bouvet Island is quite a challenge due to the Norwegian government's classification
of the island as a nature reserve.
You have to ask permission from the government to be allowed to get on the island, which
is rarely granted.
So, what we can do for now is imagine that you've been teleported directly to the island
and your mission is to discover a method to escape.
What would you do in that situation?
Is it really possible to survive on the island?
Your phone would be useless on the island because there would be no cellular service.
That implies you can't utilize it to seek assistance.
The average temperature on the island is minus one degree Celsius, so you would probably
find something to feel warm.
However, there are no trees and no wood to construct fires with, so that will be challenging.
You might consider building a raft or a boat so you can sail and go to the nearest landmass
where there are people.
However, because a glacier covers 93 percent of the island and an active volcano lies beneath
it, this would be really challenging.
Additionally, the island lacks any beaches from which to launch a ship or raft.
Furthermore, because there are no trees or wood on Bouvet Island, creating a raft would
really be impossible.
Let's pretend your situation is not a hopeless case and you managed to find a raft that you
can use.
You might be considering going to the not-so-nearest island, the Tristan De Cunha Island, but getting
there is not easy.
Moreover, rowing in the direction of South Africa, even if you’re so good at sailing,
would take more than six days of nonstop rowing.
That implies you would be sailing for several weeks, if not months to actually get there.
And that's if you survive the journey without collapsing from tiredness, hunger, or other
elements.
With all that, you may have understood by now that escaping on your own from Bouvet
Island is probably a bad idea and really impossible.
You might be thinking of just staying put on the island, trying to survive, and waiting
for someone to arrive.
This technique, on the other hand, is not recommended as well.
The harsh, frigid climate on the island has sharply reduced the amount of food that you
could find in the area.
Fungi and moss are the only non-animal life on the island, and they can only be found
between snow-free locations.
However, most of the snow-free places, are situated in areas that are so steep that avalanches
constantly occur.
This means getting crushed or buried by avalanches is also a problem.
It's worth noting that the island's animal life is quite diverse.
There are multiple penguin species, with tens of thousands of birds, and tens of thousands
of seals that can be found on the island.
This means if you're good at hunting, or managed to learn hunting, as long as you don't mind
eating birds or seals, you'll have plenty of food to last a long time.
The biggest issue, however, is that you don’t know how long you'll be able to keep doing
this.
Aside from the fact that ships and planes rarely travel to the island, the fog that
blanketed the island added to the problem.
The best choice left is to wait for a planned trip to the island, which happens only very
infrequently.
Surprisingly, the Norwegian government is planning three expeditions to Bouvet Island
during the next three years, in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
You can't, however, keep your hopes up even with this.
Based on our earlier discussions, expeditions took several years before humans got to set
foot again on the island, which means that depending on when you become stuck, the next
people coming to visit maybe a year or many years away.
In fact, there have been more times humans went to space than there have been to Bouvet
Island.
Despite the difficulties in reaching the island, a man named Charles Valey visited the island
in 2003.
He is commonly regarded as the world's most traveled person.
So how did he manage to get to the island?
To get to Bouvet Island, he traveled for 72 days, culminating in a perilous helicopter
fly from his boat in cold weather, dense fog, and 50-knot winds.
He was only offered the trip aboard the South African research vessel, which agreed to transport
him to the island since they are going to a nearby weather system.
With all of the information I shared with you, we can conclude that Bouvet Island is
the world's most remote and inaccessible location.
It's perhaps the most difficult place on the planet to live in, and if you happened to
become stranded there, getting out safely is nearly impossible.
So, what I suggest is don't travel there alone, and if you do, bring something with you to
keep you alive, may it be food, water, and wood, that could last for years until someone
comes to your rescue.
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