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A bust of Vladimir Lenin, placed in the 1950s, once marked the old Soviet temporary base at the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility. Wikimedia Commons (CC By SA 3.0)While the South Pole may seem like the most isolated place on Earth, it doesn't hold the title for the most remote location in Antarctica.
The Southern Pole of Inaccessibility, located approximately 546 miles (878 kilometers) from the South Pole, claims this honor. This icy expanse is the farthest point from the Southern Ocean on the Antarctic continent. Its extreme remoteness means it has been visited only a handful of times, as reported by Smithsonian Magazine.
This little-known spot in Antarctica is among Earth's many Poles of Inaccessibility, a designation for the most isolated points on a continent or ocean. On land, it refers to the place farthest from any ocean, while in the ocean, it denotes the point most distant from any landmass, as explained in this article by the Australian publication Traveller.
A paper featured in the Scottish Geographic Journal in 2008 introduced an algorithm designed to identify the most remote locations on Earth. However, geographers sometimes identify multiple spots on a continent that could qualify as the most isolated.
Below are some of the officially recognized Poles of Inaccessibility:
Eurasia's Pole of Inaccessibility
Several locations vie for the title of Eurasia's genuine Pole of Inaccessibility.
Mytour/Google EarthThe situation becomes complex, as Atlas Obscura notes, due to debates over how to define coastlines when determining the most distant point from the ocean. This stems from the Gulf of Ob, a bay at the mouth of Russia's Ob River. Historically considered part of the river, recent interpretations, including one study, classify it as part of the Arctic Ocean. Consequently, three potential sites in the Gurbantünggüt Desert of western China, near Kazakhstan, are contenders. One, located 1,644 miles (2,645 kilometers) inland, assumes the Gulf of Ob is part of the river. The other two, approximately 1,553 miles (2,500 kilometers) from the ocean, are also in contention. Nearby lies Ürümqi, a city with 1.5 million residents, about 435 miles (706 kilometers) away.
Africa's Pole of Inaccessibility
Africa's Pole of Inaccessibility lies deep within a dense forest at the heart of the continent.
Mytour/Google EarthThis remote point lies deep within a thick forest in the Central African Republic, close to the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan, approximately 1,127 miles (1,814 kilometers) from the nearest coastline. Situated near the town of Obo, its residents endured the horrors of a prolonged and violent insurgency led by the Lord's Resistance Army and its infamous leader Joseph Kony, as detailed in a 2017 article by Reliefweb.
Australia's Pole of Inaccessibility
Australia's Pole of Inaccessibility is surprisingly accessible and might even be a destination worth visiting, as it isn't particularly hard to locate.
Mytour/Google EarthBoth Atlas Obscura and Traveller highlight the Australian pole, situated near Mount Zeil in the Northern Territory, roughly 572 miles (920 kilometers) from the coast, as possibly the most accessible in the world. It lies just under 19 miles (30 kilometers) from Papunya, a community renowned for its collective of Aboriginal artists who create traditional designs on boards using acrylic paint.
Northern Pole of Inaccessibility
The precise location of the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility is increasingly uncertain due to the rapid melting of the polar ice sheet.
Mytour/Google EarthPinpointing this location is challenging, as there is no landmass near the North Pole, and the ice sheet is disappearing quickly. Traveller suggests it is approximately 280 miles (450 kilometers) from the geographic North Pole, while Smithsonian estimates it to be around 400 miles (644 kilometers) away.
Southern Pole of Inaccessibility
Soviet researchers were the first to reach the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility in 1958.
Mytour/Google EarthThe exact location of the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility is now debated due to shifting ice sheets that have reshaped Antarctica's coastline, as noted in a 2021 article in the journal Polar Record. Soviet explorers initially reached the site in December 1958, establishing a temporary base. Since then, American and British teams have also made their way to this remote spot, according to Atlas Obscura.
North American Pole of Inaccessibility
This remote location, situated 1,018 miles (1,639 kilometers) from the Pacific Ocean, lies in a canyon surrounded by pine trees and native grasses near the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The nearest settlement is Allen, South Dakota, a small town with fewer than 500 residents, located approximately 6 miles (9.7 kilometers) away. Jerry Penry, a surveyor who visited the site for a 2015 American Surveyor article, noted that buffalo from the Oglala Sioux still roam the tribal lands, continuing a centuries-old tradition.
South American Pole of Inaccessibility
This remote spot, located 943 miles (1,517 kilometers) from the South Pacific Ocean, lies within the Brazilian forest near the town of Arenápolis. It is also the nearest Pole of Inaccessibility to Point Nemo, the next location we will explore.
Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility/Point Nemo
If you find yourself at Point Nemo, you're in the heart of the South Pacific Ocean, and swimming might be your only option.
Mytour/Google EarthPoint Nemo, located in the South Pacific and also known as the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility, lies 1,451 nautical miles (2,688 kilometers) from the nearest landmasses, including Ducie Island, Maher Island, and Motu Nui, part of the Easter Islands. Its name is inspired by the enigmatic captain of the submarine Nautilus in Jules Verne's classic "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," as noted by the National Ocean Service.
The temporary Soviet base at the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility once displayed a bust of Lenin on its roof, as documented by Bill Spindler, an engineer who worked at the South Pole Station, on the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station website.
