The Doomsday clock is now set at 2 and a half minutes from midnight and you’re starting to worry about the safest places on Earth from nuclear fallout?
Well, fear no more as we put together this list, just start looking to buy plane tickets and land where we tell you to do so. First, let me begin with a warning: if a nuclear war starts, there is only a thin chance that you will survive it. And there is an even thinner chance that you survive in the long run because experts predict that an all-out nuclear war will be followed by a nuclear winter. But if you manage to survive the explosion and can run away, then check the places of the list, some are even quite idyllic…And on top of having beautiful scenery, those places are usually full of resources that will help you live off the grid in case of an apocalypse.
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Just so you know, the northern hemisphere of our little planet Earth will be the most directly affected by a nuclear fallout: France, the USA, China, Pakistan, India, Russia, United Kingdom all possess nuclear weapons. My advice is that you head towards the southern hemisphere as fast as you can. This is also where you’ll find the safest countries from nuclear fallout. The explosion is not the only thing that will kill in a nuclear war, the fallout is as dangerous and their long-term effects are linked to serious illnesses (like cancers) and severe birth defects.
So, by going south as fast as you can, you give yourself a chance to get as far away from the fallout as possible and when it reaches your place of hiding, it will be less dangerous as most of it would have already dispersed in the atmosphere.
If you’re scared that natural disasters will strike way before a nuclear war and want to know where to go to avoid it, check our 10 Best Places to Live to Avoid Natural Disasters.
This list of safest places on Earth from nuclear fallout is as unscientific as it gets. We mused on various forums and some websites trying to answer this question and looked, on a map, at the farthest countries on the planet from a probable nuclear war. So we decided to class the locations by how idyllic and resourceful they probably are.
But it still can give you an idea where doom will fall first.
Without further ado, we present our list of the safest places on Earth from nuclear fallout!
11. Antarctica
Probably the best and the worst place to escape nuclear fallout. The best place because it is at one of Earth’s pole and thus so out of reach that fallout dispersion would have significantly dropped before reaching this point. Moreover, Antarctica is a place of peaceful research only after the Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959, defining this continent as “to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord.”
Granted, it will also be the worst place to escape to: windiest, coldest, driest land on the planet and shared with penguins and polar bears. Resources will be hard to get by without proper equipment.
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10. Underground
Yes, it is not a place in the common sense of the term cheating but consider this: underground means that nuclear fallout won’t reach you. And there are already available bunkers or being built bunkers, notably by the super-rich. It still isn’t the best place to hide because you won’t be able to get out of your bunker for a while (if you’re claustrophobic, don’t even try) and breathe fresh air. Granted, “fresh air” might not exist anymore at that point.
If it is a shared bunker, well, you’ll have to support your neighbors same as when you used to live in a building. And available space will be smaller than you used to.
9. Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway
Granted, Norway is in the Northern hemisphere. But this location is not any location in Norway. The Svalbard archipelago is located in the Arctic Ocean, halfway between Norway and the North Pole. Which is already a good point as it is a way to escape the heat of war (no pun intended). But its most interesting feature is the Svalbard Global seed vault that ranks 9th in our list of safest places on Earth from nuclear fallout. This odd-looking building, built in a mountain, is a storage facility for seeds of all kinds. And a vault. So, it is safe to hide in there while you choose which seeds (the seed vault “represents the world’s largest collection of crop diversity”) to plant first and let grow to give you new crops.
8. Easter Island, South Pacific ocean
Easter Island, in the South Pacific, is a Chilean island best known for the tall, towering figures of stones scattered across its land. It is in the southern hemisphere, though, so that’s a good point. Even though it is located 2,000 miles off the Chilean coast, the island is amazing to visit, from what I heard. Although I am not sure that having to stay for a long period in this bare place is the best of ideas. But the ocean surrounding it means you’ll have plenty of fishes to gorge on while you decide on your next move.
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7. Kiribati Islands, central Pacific Ocean
The Kiribati archipelago form an archipelago so remote that it looks like a good hiding place. It is located about 4,000 kilometers southwest of Hawaii. The archipelago consists of 33 coral islands and 21 are inhabited. So, there is some space for growth. And the scenery is beautiful as each atoll possess its own coral reef and lagoon. Blue waters and nothing but the horizon to contemplate seem a nice hide-out. However, those islands are in real danger of being submerged by from rising sea levels and climate change, rendering them uninhabitable in the future.
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6. Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic Ocean
Tristan da Cunha is the name of a small and remote volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, owned by the British. According to their own website, Tristan da Cunha is “the remotest island in the world”. It’s off the coast of South Africa so deep in the ocean that nuclear fallout may be very much weakened when it reaches it. It actually is inhabited by 260 people so space won’t be a problem. And from the pictures, it looks beautiful. As for resources, there is plenty of fish in the sea – there are even farms, and they seem to be looking for farmers. Not bad for one of the safest places on Earth from nuclear fallout!
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5. Pitcairn Island, South Pacific Ocean.
We are continuing our list of safest places on Earth from nuclear fallout with Pitcairn Island, another volcanic island also owned by the British, that is considered, by its immigration website, as “one of the most isolated Islands in the world”. At the time of their last census in 2012, they discovered that the island is inhabited by 45 residents and 9 overseas professionals. As you will be stranded on a remote island, in the middle of the ocean, fish resources won’t be a problem as long as you have the proper equipment. The tropical weather also means that there will be fresh fruits on the island.
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4. Tierra del Fuego
A very beautiful place where snow-covered mountains tops stand alongside cliffs sculpted by the relentless sea. It is breath-taking and located at the southern-most tip of the South American continent. It is also an archipelago so cut off from the mainland. The archipelago is divided in two as one part belongs to Chile and the other to Argentina. In the case of nuclear fallout, it is not easy to reach but resources abound. This archipelago is already inhabited, but it has yet to be crowded so space shouldn’t be too much of a problem if you’re quick enough. And now, let’s see the top three entries in our list of safest places on Earth from nuclear fallout.
3. Perth, Australia
Perth ranks third in our list of safest places on Earth from nuclear fallout. It is one of these cities that not many think about but it has plenty of good things to show for itself. Its inhabitants are laid-back and friendly; it has beaches to enjoy and a very nice weather all year round. There are plenty of things to do while you’re there: swimming, hiking, diving… Food should not be a problem in this place. Not to mention that it lies in the southern part of Australia so that gives time for nuclear fallout to weaken before reaching you.
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2. New Zealand
Shout out to this beautiful piece of land in the southern hemisphere. It is peaceful, beautiful, has plenty of resources to live on, its inhabitants are friendlier than most and so far removed from a probable center of a nuclear war. There are also plenty of things to do while you’re there: hiking, diving, farming… New Zealand, the number two in our list of safest places on Earth from nuclear fallout is recommended by many in the numerous forums we consulted when writing this piece as the best place to head to in case of a nuclear war.
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1. French Polynesia, South Pacific
The author of this piece has a weak spot for the French Polynesia archipelago, so it had to be first in our article. It was a close call between French Polynesia and New Zealand, though.
This weak spot is not the only reason why French Polynesia is a safe place to hide in case of nuclear fallout. It is beautiful, peaceful and has plenty of resources, too. And it sits, according to the forums we read, in a vortex of winds and currents, meaning that the fallout will be very weakened before reaching this place.
Those were the safest places on Earth from nuclear fallout, so start packing!
