1. Bear Island, Norway
The island of Bjornoya, commonly known as Bear Island, is the most southern in the Svalbard archipelago. Midway between mainland Europe and the other islands in the Svalbard archipelago sits this island (roughly 400 kilometers away from both landmasses). The island was designated a wildlife reserve in 2002 due to its famed holy character. Bear Island lacks airports; therefore, visitors must take a private chartered boat across the freezing Norwegian Sea. Most people aren’t interested in this; scientific expeditions are the only ships ever visiting the island.
2. Novaya Zemlya, Russia
Novaya Zemlya is located in very close proximity to the Russian mainland. The island is about 400 kilometers from the closest Russian coastal town despite its seeming isolation. However, the island’s severe and unwelcoming climate and the isolation of the nearby mainland coastal communities make it difficult for visitors to reach the island. The two islands that makeup Novaya Zemlya are about a kilometer apart from each other and are referred to as Severny (northern) and Yuzhny (southern). Airports in Amderma, 600 kilometers away from Novaya Zemlya, are the closest option for getting to and from the island.
It might not be easy to narrow down your options for sightseeing in Spain. That’s why we recommend breaking up your vacation so that you may focus on experiencing different parts of the country. You may make the most of your time in Spain by consulting our sample itineraries covering Northern Spain, Southern Spain, and the country’s Eastern Seaboard. We’ve compiled a list of some of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations.
3. Spitsbergen and Svalbard, Norway
Spitsbergen, the biggest and only inhabited island in the Svalbard archipelago, is one of the most remote places on Earth. The island is around 830 kilometers from Greenland and 950 kilometers from Norway, both in the Arctic Circle. The island boasts a massive population of polar bears and is covered in snow and ice for the most part. Longyearbyen, the island’s largest city, is also one of the world’s most remote major metropolitan areas.
4. South Georgia, British Overseas Territory
British Overseas Territory South Georgia may be found in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, 2,700 kilometers from the closest mainland (on the southern coast of Argentina). There is a wide variety of marine life in the seas around the island, but the only permanent residents are the members of research teams that use the British Antarctic Survey research station. There was no indigenous population in South Georgia until it was found in 1914. This is likely due to the island’s unfriendly environment and status as one of the world’s most remote locations.
5. Zemlya Georga, Russia
We can’t discuss Europe’s most remote islands without including Russia’s Zemlya Georga. After discovering the island, British explorer Frederick George Jackson decided to honor Prince George V by naming it after him. Zemlya Georga is the most significant and extended island in the Franz Josef Archipelago. Approximately 1,500 kilometers separate it from Russian territory and about 2,000 kilometers from Greenland.
This implies that there is no airport within 2,000 kilometers and that traveling across the Arctic Ocean is difficult at best. The island’s natural splendor, which includes bays, deep inlets, capes, enormous glaciers, and ice domes, is well worth the near-impossible journey required to get there.
