August 31, 2025, 1:20 pm | Read time: 6 minutes
They have only a handful of residents and are proverbially at the end of the world: There are places so remote that only a few have ever heard of them. From Adamstown to Ittoqqortoormiit–TRAVELBOOK presents the eight most isolated cities in the world.
Would you embark on a six-day journey to visit a city? Or travel hundreds of kilometers through the polar sea? To see cities like Tristan da Cunha or Ittoqqortoormiit, that’s exactly what you’d have to do. Hard to believe, but even at the proverbial end of the world, people live and have always defied the extremes. TRAVELBOOK showcases eight of the most isolated cities in the world.
Overview
The Most Isolated Cities in the World
Adamstown, Pitcairn
On Pitcairn Island live the direct descendants of the legendary mutiny on the “Bounty.” The total of four islands in the Pitcairn archipelago are administratively part of the British Overseas Territory. According to the island administration’s website, Pitcairn is more than 4,100 miles from the coast of Panama, almost 3,300 miles from New Zealand.
The capital, Adamstown, had just 47 residents according to the last census in 2016. Pitcairn actively counters the population shortage: Anyone interested can visit the island with a visa, or even settle there.
Coober Pedy, Australia
It all began in 1915 when 14-year-old William Hutchinson found an opal during an expedition with his father in the Australian Outback. Today, the opal area covers almost 1,930 square miles with around 70 mining fields. About 70 percent of the world’s gemstones come from here, which is why Coober Pedy is also called the “Opal Capital of the World.”
Today, the town has about 4,000 residents from around 40 countries, mostly from Europe. Half of them have gone underground, partly to escape the Outback’s heat: In summer, temperatures range from 95 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit–in the shade! Sandstorms are also common. Nevertheless, the place is now a tourist attraction, as TRAVELBOOK reported.
Also interesting: Point Nemo–the most isolated point on Earth
Longyearbyen, Norway
Longyearbyen on Svalbard is one of the northernmost places on the planet and is also among the most isolated cities worldwide. Due to its proximity to the Arctic, it’s so cold that the ground is permanently frozen. Nevertheless, according to “Business Insider,” about 3,000 people currently live here. Oddly enough, because of the permafrost, no one is allowed to be buried on the island–the risk is too great that bodies might reappear when the weather warms, as TRAVELBOOK has already reported. Residents are also required to carry firearms to protect themselves from polar bears, which are numerous in the area.
La Rinconada, Peru
The highest city in the world is located at about 16,732 feet. There is neither running water nor a sewage system here–yet according to the “Citypopulation” website, about 7,000 people live here. But what drives them to this height and thus into isolation? Gold! According to “BBC,” more than 100 tons of the precious metal are extracted from the mines here annually. The gold rush is also why the city is growing rapidly despite the inhospitable environment and dangerous work in the mines. Many miners even forgo payment from their company. In return, they are allowed to search for gold on their days off and keep their finds.
Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland
The most remote city in one of the most remote regions of the world, that is Ittoqqortoormiit in Greenland. The place has just about 320 residents.
Founded in 1925, Ittoqqortoormiit today has a grocery store and a few small shops. Its location makes it a popular destination for tourists, who, for example, come here on “Hurtigruten” ships. The city is the gateway to the Northeast Greenland National Park, the largest national park in the world, which also sustains the locals through hunting and fishing. Visitors can explore it by snowmobile or dog sled.
Palmerston, Cook Islands
The only island where the legendary Captain Cook actually set foot. According to the tourism website of the Cook Islands, supply ships only come by a few times a year, and the only connection to the outside world is a telephone station–recently, there is also internet here, but only for four hours a day. All of the approximately 50 residents today are direct descendants of the sailor William Marsters, who settled here in 1863 with three Polynesian women. That’s why not only are all the residents of Palmerston related, they also share the same last name. Most of the approximately 1,000 descendants now live on Rarotonga or in New Zealand. The house Marsters built from driftwood still stands today.
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Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, Tristan da Cunha
Among the most isolated cities in the world is definitely Edinburgh of the Seven Seas on Tristan da Cunha. Discovered in the early 16th century by the Portuguese Tristão da Cunha, the island named after him was not permanently settled until 300 years later. The nearest inhabited island is St. Helena, 1,510 miles away. It’s about 1,990 miles to Cabo Frio in Brazil and about 1,740 miles to Cape Town.
All current settlers are direct descendants of the first people on the island, which is why there are only seven family names, with a population of about 260. In the middle of the island is an active volcano. Several times a year, ships travel from Cape Town to Tristan da Cunha–the journey takes at least six days.
Also interesting: Tristan da Cunha–the most remote inhabited place on Earth
Whittier, Alaska
According to the official city website, just about 272 people live in Whittier–most of them in a single 14-story building (pictured left). The city was started in 1948 by the U.S. military, which used Whittier’s port as a connection to Anchorage and the interior of Alaska.
The only land route into and out of the city is through a nearly 2.5-mile-long single-lane tunnel, and a train also runs. The city is popular as a stopover and landing point for cruises, but also with deep-sea anglers and sea kayakers–according to the city website, about 700,000 visitors come annually.