The most distant places in the world. Lost world: the most inaccessible places on the planet

For a real traveler, it is not the number of places visited that matters, but their quality. Agree, to visit the South Pole is much more honorable than, for example, to go to Paris. There are no more white spots on our planet, but, nevertheless, there are many nooks and crannies inaccessible to most tourists ...

Easter Island, or Rapanui, belongs to Chile and is considered the most remote island on the planet from the continent (3500 km to the coast of Chile).

On April 5, 1722, the Dutch traveler Jacob Roggeveen noticed the island of Rapanui on the horizon and named it in honor of the great Easter holiday. At the time of the discovery of the island by the Dutch admiral, the population of the island was 2-3 thousand people. After this event, the island was forgotten for 50 years. And in 1770 the island was annexed by Spain.

The ancient culture of Easter Island is shrouded in mystery and charm. The most famous symbol of Easter Island is the large statues-idols made of stone. Moai statues reach a height of 20 meters. They are made in the form of a head with a torso.

Moai idols were made in the period from the 12th to the 15th centuries, after this period their production abruptly stopped. Why the production of Moai stopped and where the people who inhabited the island disappeared is still a mystery.

No. 9. City of La Rinconada, Peru

The city of La Rinconada is located in the Andes mountains in the permafrost zone at an altitude of 5100 meters above sea level. Getting to the city is very difficult. The air temperature is always lower here zero mark. There are no plants suitable for human consumption. And because of rarefied air, people quickly lose strength.

La Rinconada was formed at the end of the 20th century as a small settlement of gold miners. From the side of the plain opens magnificent scenery mountain peaks, but when you drive closer, the smell of rotting industrial waste hits your nose.

The population of the city is 30 thousand people, almost all of them are engaged in gold mining in mine caves. La Rinconada has a dubious reputation as a city for the poor and the desperate. Gold mining is carried out in terrible conditions, people are not paid wages, they work for a percentage of the gold found, but not everyone and not always find it.

Life expectancy in the city is about 50 years. There are reasons for this: there are many accidents, people live and work in bad conditions, the ore emits mercury vapor.

Antarctica is located at the bottom of the world, and is one of the most remote places on the planet. This is the only mainland without indigenous people. Here, on the southern tip of Ross Island, is the largest American research station, the largest human settlement, the port and the named capital of Antarctica - McMurdo. Date of foundation: February 16, 1956 Distance between McMurdo and New Zealand - 3864 km.

1258 people live and work here in more than 100 buildings. It used to take several months to get to McMurdo, but now the airstrips allow you to get to the place much faster. The station has many modern amenities - gyms, and even a golf course.

No. 7. Cape York Peninsula, Australia

Australia is known for its low population density and pristine natural beauty. Cape York Peninsula is located on the northern tip of the mainland, due to the inaccessibility of the area, there are huge expanses of virgin nature.

The population of the peninsula is about 18 thousand people, most of which are indigenous people. Cuyp York is considered the largest site in the world that has remained largely untouched by civilization. The area of ​​the peninsula is 137 thousand km2, the length from north to south is 600 km.

No. 6. Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland

Greenland area - largest island with the world - 2,130,800 km2, and the population - 57 thousand people, which makes Greenland also the most deserted inhabited island in the world.

The most inaccessible place in all of Grendand is the town of Ittoqqortoormiut. You can get to it by plane (only 2 times a week), by helicopter or by boat - several months a year. The population of the town of Ittoqqortoormiut is 452 people. Residents make a living by hunting polar bears, whales and halibut.

Ittoqqortoormiut was founded in 1925 by Einar Mikkelsen and 70 other settlers from the ship Gustav Holm.

No. 5. Kerguelen Archipelago, Indian Ocean

The Kerguelen archipelago belongs to France. The islands are located in the Indian Ocean. The distance from the archipelago to Antarctica is 2000 km, to Australia - 4800 km.

The Kerguelen Islands are known as the "islands of desolation" and have no permanent inhabitants. IN winter period it employs about 100 people employed in the fishing industry.

The archipelago was discovered by a French expedition in 1772. The group of islands was named after the leader of the expedition, whose name was Yves Josève de Kerguelen.

No. 4. Pitcairn Islands, Pacific Ocean

The Pitcairn Islands are the only British possessions in pacific ocean. The islands are located in the South Pacific Ocean, bordering Polynesia.

One island out of 5 is inhabited. Pitcairn is the most sparsely populated area on the planet. Pitcairn has a population of 49, many of whom are descendants of the famous Bounty ship.

In 1787, the three-masted merchant ship Bounty set sail for Tahiti to buy breadfruit seeds for the Jamaican plantations. In 1789, there was a riot on a ship in Tahiti. Fletcher Christian seized power and ousted the ship's captain, William Bligh. Fearing a punitive expedition, he, with other apostates and several local residents, went to uninhabited islands. They landed on Pitcairn Island, burned the ship and founded a colony.

Today, the descendants of those sailors live off farming, fishing, and selling very rare postage stamps to collectors. But even with modern transportation, it is still one of the most isolated communities in the world. There is no airstrip on the island, and to get there from the mainland, you need to sail by ship for about ten days.

No. 3. Alert, Canada

The unique village of Alert is located in Canada - it is the northernmost settlement in the world. There are several meteorological and research stations on the territory of the village. The population is about 10 people. In addition to the indigenous people, 5 meteorologists and about 70 military men live here. Year of foundation - 1950. The nearest settlement from the village of Alert is 3578 km.

The climatic conditions here are quite severe, in winter up to minus 34 degrees Celsius. The temperature is above zero here only in July and August. Alert is attractive for extreme lovers and naturalists. Alert is very beautiful in summer.

No. 2. Tristan da Cunha Island, Atlantic Ocean

The most remote inhabited island in the world - Tristan da Cunha - is located in the Atlantic Ocean at a distance of 3200 km from the coast of South America and 2700 km from the coast South Africa. Tristan Island is the largest and only inhabited island the Tristan da Cunha archipelago.

It is believed that the Portuguese Tristan da Cunha discovered the archipelago in 1506, but he did not land on the shores of the islands. For the first time, French sailors set foot on the land of the islands in 1767.

Since 1815, the islands have been annexed by Great Britain. The Tristan da Cunha archipelago was a strategic point when traveling from Europe to the Indian Ocean until the Suez Canal was opened.

According to the 2016 census, the population of the island is 267 people. All residents are descendants of the first settlers who arrived on the island between 1816 and 1908.

No. 1. Socotra Island, Yemen

Socotra Island is one of the most beautiful and amazing places on the planet! Majority representatives local flora and fauna (all terrestrial molluscs that live here, 90% of reptiles and a third of plants) are endemic, and are not found anywhere else on Earth.

The island is part of the state of Yemen and is located at a distance of 250 km from Africa and 350 km from the Arabian Peninsula. Huge biodiversity and white sandy beaches- Here short description this wonderful place.

For a long time, Socotra was inaccessible to naturalists, and now researchers from all over the world come here. Ecotourism is one of popular destinations development for Socotra. The island is famous for its unique exotic landscapes.

About 800 species of plants grow on Socort. According to scientists, the flora of Socorta is a unique heritage of ancient times; species that have long since died out on the continents have survived here. The most famous of them are: Dragon Trees, Cucumber Tree, Giant Dorstenia and Desert Rose (Adenium Socotranum).

Statistics suggest that most of us live in more or less large cities. We are surrounded a large number of people, transport, everything around breathes civilization. Today, distances are rapidly shrinking, and the speed of movement is inexorably increasing. The phrase "no man has set foot here" begins to lose its meaning, because we have visited even the most remote places. In some of which, where it’s not one hour to fly, but more than one hundred and a thousand kilometers to civilization, people even live. Let's talk about the 10 most remote and deaf places of human residence.

Easter Island. From the continental coast of Chile, this place is located at a distance of 3200 kilometers, to the nearest inhabited place, Pitcairn Island, from here 1819 kilometers. The locals call the island Rapa Nui, or Big Rapa, we know it as Easter Island. The area of ​​the island is about 164 square kilometers It has about 4,000 permanent residents. The capital and only city is Hanga Roa. The island was annexed in 1988 by Chile. The place would have remained unknown to a wide circle if statues from compressed volcanic ash, or moai, had not been found there. Aborigines-Polynesians believe that the power of ancient ancestors is stored in idols. The statues are at least 500 years old, but who and how created them has remained a mystery. Many believe that the stone faces look towards the sea, but this is not so - they are turned inland. Once upon a time, Easter Island was covered with dense forest, so the researchers say. Today, there are no trees here, it is obvious that they were cut down in order to build a sledge and scaffolding for transporting massive statues. Previously, the journey to this place took several weeks, but now an airport has been built on the island, which receives scientists and tourists from the capital of Chile, Santiago. The island was discovered on Easter Sunday in 1722 by the Dutchman Roggeven, which gave such an unusual name to this place. For a long time in the Middle Ages, it was believed that in these parts of the ocean there should be a lost mainland, as if in opposition to Eurasia. The discovery of Easter Island, with its incomprehensible statues and tablets, has strengthened many in this opinion. Today, however, scientists have proven that for geological reasons, the island could not be part of something larger. At one time it was a little larger, but the rise of the waters of the oceans changed its appearance.

Cape York Peninsula, Australia. By itself, the smallest continent is quite remote from all the others, as a result of this, unusual natural conditions. But even within Australia there are places where remoteness is most pronounced. In the northern part of the mainland is the Cape York Peninsula with a population of 18 thousand people. These are mainly natives who have preserved their traditions and remain unchanged, people here live the way they did several centuries ago. This remote peninsula is also one of the last undeveloped by man. Local rainforests and savannahs are of global ecological importance. Here is unique to Australia river system, which gives a quarter of the runoff of the entire continent. Today, such places are becoming very popular with tourists, but getting there, even with technology, is quite difficult, especially during the rainy season. In addition, a number of settlements can only be reached by helicopter, and even then - in good weather. So this place can be called really remote. At the northern tip of the peninsula is Cape York, Australia's northernmost point.

La Rinconada, Peru. In South America, few can compete in terms of privacy with the mining town of La Rinconada, located in the Peruvian Andes. The height of the town above sea level is an impressive 5180 meters, this city is the highest mountain in the world. La Rinconada is located on the permafrost of the local glacier, you can get here through a dangerous, winding and unreliable mountain road. It will take more than one day to get this way, taking into account the high rarefaction of the air at such a height, it quickly becomes clear that not everyone can become a resident of a remote town. Naturally, there is no question of comfort and excesses. However, the population of La Rinconada is 50 thousand people, who are mainly engaged in the extraction of ore with gold from under the glacier. Today, the town has a reputation as a haven for the most desperate workers, many of whom are allowed to work without any pay, they are only required to give the city administration a part of the discovered gold.

McMurdo Antarctic Station. Indeed, there is simply nowhere to climb further than Antarctica. There are no natives on this mainland at all, and all the people living there are scientists from different countries. Most of the representatives of science gathered at the McMurdo research station, located on Ross Island, in the northern part of Antarctica. About 1200 researchers and workers work here, the main working hours of which are the warm months. McMurdo is located so far from the others settlements that traveling there by conventional means would take several months. Today, runways have been built near the station, which makes it possible to get from the Antarctic town relatively unhindered. As a result - some features of comfort for local residents who have their own anthem, television and even golf courses.

The city of Ittoqqortoormiit in Greenland. This city with an unpronounceable and untranslatable name is located on the territory of the largest island in the world. About 57 thousand people live in Greenland, and in this small town 500 of them live. The county in which Ittoqqortoormiit is located is comparable in area to England, for each inhabitant, as a result, there are about 300 square kilometers of territory. The city is located on the shores of the Skorsbysund fjord, the largest in the world (about 350 kilometers long). Ittoqqortoormiit was founded in 1925 by Norwegians who sought to gain a foothold in these lands. They get their food here by hunting whales and polar bears, while fishing is popular in summer. Even the sea near the city is covered with ice most time, so you can get here by water only for three months in the summer. There is an airport at a distance of 40 kilometers from the city, but planes are very rare here. As a result, this Greenlandic city is considered the northernmost settlement on Earth.

Kerguelen Islands. This group of islands is also called the Islands of Inconsolability - the reason for this is their isolation and remoteness from the mainland. The archipelago includes 1 large island and about 300 small ones. From here to Australia about 5 thousand kilometers, and to the sparsely populated Antarctica - about 2 thousand. The Kerguelen Islands are located in the southern part indian ocean, just between three continents - Africa, Australia and Antarctica. There are no sushi on these patches runway to get here you have to sail for a week on a ship from Reunion Island, which is not far from Madagascar. There are no local residents on the islands - that's all local population 100-200 people make up a group of French hermit scientists who have claimed rights to these lands. The Archipelago of Inconsolability was discovered in 1772, since then some famous travelers have been passing through here. Suffice it to recall James Cook, who visited the islands in 1776. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the island was used as a whaling base and a hunting ground for seals, until the animals in the vicinity were exterminated. Today, it houses a French research station, as well as a missile defense system.

Pitcairn Island. There is only one British overseas territory in the Pacific Ocean - Pitcairn Island in the southern part of the ocean, discovered in 1767 by Philip Carteret. The island was given the same name as the son of an officer who saw these lands. Before nearest islands- Tahiti and Gambier are several hundred kilometers from here. The population of the island is only about 50 people, while most of them are descendants of the rebels from the legendary ship "Bounty" and the Tahitians they took with them. Those remarkable events were reflected in the book "Mutiny on the Bounty", they were filmed several times. It is curious that in 1808, during the bloody showdown between the residents, one white man, John Adams and 8 women, as well as more than twenty children, survived. Today, the descendants of these people are engaged in peaceful professions - fishing, farming and making souvenirs. It is curious that a fairly significant source of local income is the sale of stamps, which are very rare, which is certainly appreciated by collectors who are ready to pay a lot of money for production. You can get here by water from New Zealand within 10 days, because there is no airstrip here either. Pitcairn is the state with the smallest population in the world.

Village of Alert, Canada. This place has not only an interesting name, but also its own characteristics. From here to the North Pole is only 800 kilometers, therefore, this is the northernmost inhabited place on Earth. The village is located in Novanut County, and for those who got here, the watch period is no more, no less than five years. 5 people live here permanently, as well as about 70 military and meteorologists. Of course, it is quite cold here, often the temperature drops to -40, the unique location leads to a summer 24-hour daylight hours, and in winter - to a round-the-clock polar night. The station houses military radio interception equipment and weather sensors. The nearest settlement is 2100 kilometers from here, and even then it is a tiny fishing village. The real one Big City Alberta is removed in general by 3578 kilometers. Alert has its own runway, which is used mainly by the military. And even then, often the airfield is simply inaccessible due to bad weather conditions. For example, in 1991, an arriving plane crashed, only 30 kilometers short of the village. Then, as a result of the fall, 4 people immediately died, while the rest did not wait for help, freezing in the snow. Rescuers overcame the resistance of the storm only after 30 hours, but it was too late.

Motuo County, China. The Chinese themselves claim that none of the roads leads to this place. This autonomous region is located in Tibet, civilization practically did not touch it, allowing it to keep its secrets. It is extremely difficult to get there, an impassable road runs through the Himalayan permafrost, as well as a 200-meter suspension bridge. A full-fledged transport connection was never established, all the beginnings of a normal road were destroyed by mountain avalanches and mudflows. About 20 years ago, a road from Motuo to the outside world appeared, but it lasted only a few days, now forests rage in this place, hiding the remnants of human defeat before nature. But this, on the other hand, allowed the district to preserve its original beauty. Buddhists themselves consider these lands to be sacred, nature here unfolded in full force, feeling freedom from man. It turns out that as much as 10% of all Chinese flora is located in Motuo.

Tristan da Cunha. This island archipelago is considered to be the most deaf and remote place planets. Tristan da Cunha is located in the southern part of the Atlantic. From here to the island of St. Helena 2161 kilometers, to South Africa - 2816 kilometers, and South America located even further - at a distance of 3360 kilometers. The islands are tiny but have a rich history of their own. These places were discovered in 1506 by the Portuguese Tristan da Cunha, who gave the name to the lands. Later, Great Britain, out of fear of the possible return of Napoleon, who lived "in the neighborhood", annexed these lands. In the 19th century, a group of British, Americans and Italians settled here. Now the island is home to 271 people, he himself is still the property of the UK. Television and even satellite Internet are available on the archipelago, but this does not prevent it from remaining the most remote and secluded place. Build an airstrip here mountainous relief, so you can get to the island only with the help of fishing trawlers, a small number of which trade in these waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Once a month there is a flight here, the ships are equipped with seats for passengers. It is curious that these islands are mentioned in the novel "Children of Captain Grant", the heroes of which were looking for the missing expedition along the 37th parallel.

Lost on the border of Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, the Ukok plateau is not accidentally called a calm zone, since it is isolated from the outside world by a mountain range from almost all sides. This plateau belongs to those territories whose landscape has been ice age practically did not change.
You can get here only by SUV, only in July-August, since the rest of the time the passes are covered with a deep layer of snow. However, even in the summer months, the plateau does not always let travelers in: due to the abundant snowmelt, access roads are very washed out.
There is practically no snow on the plateau itself - strong winds they carry it into ravines and hollows. The area is deserted and only occasionally a shepherd wanders here in search of pastures for livestock.

Rub al Khali desert

The Rub al-Khali desert, located in Saudi Arabia recognized as the most large area on a planet covered in sand. Its area exceeds France, Belgium and the Netherlands combined. Many desperate travelers dream of conquering the vast desert expanses, while for the Bedouins the “abode of silence” is a formidable and frightening element. The mesmerizing beauty of these places does not excite the nomads - they are more concerned about whether they can get to the next oasis.

Woe to the traveler who got lost in the sands of Rub al-Khali: 300-meter dunes stretching for hundreds of kilometers and sweltering heat can kill even the most courageous traveler.
During one of the recent expeditions, scientists managed to find 31 species of plants and 24 species of birds in the desert. But for researchers it is still a mystery how living organisms could adapt to such harsh climatic conditions.

Amazonian selva

Despite intensive deforestation, the Amazon Selva still remains the largest area on earth. rain forest. If the Amazon itself and many of its tributaries have been studied, then the impenetrable jungle occupying thousands of square kilometers is a solid white spot. Giant trees grow so close to each other that it is not possible to see the area from an airplane. Few people dared to conquer the dense and dangerous jungle.
However, more recently, Brazilian scientists were able to look inside the Amazon rainforest. Near one of the tributaries of the Amazon - the Zhavari River, they discovered an unknown Indian tribe. Areas of cleared forest allowed the discovery to be made. Enlarged photographs obtained as a result of aerial photography showed the economy of the natives: thatched dwellings, baskets of cassava and papaya, as well as primitive tools. Judging by the reaction to a flying plane, this is a spectacle for the local tribe a curiosity.

Tepui Guiana Highlands

In that part of the Guiana Highlands, which is located on the territory of Venezuela, there are amazing rock formations - mesas or tepui, which became the prototype of Conan Doyle's "lost world". Tepui have been studied relatively recently, since for an unprepared person to get to them, and even more so to climb, is an extremely difficult and dangerous undertaking.
Now the highest of the table mountains - Roraima, which the first expedition stormed for a whole month, is already available for tourists. With others, scientists are just getting to know each other. The Sierra Neblin tepui turned out to be a real sensation. Scientists have discovered a huge number of endemic plants and animals here: among them are frogs that hatch their offspring like birds and giant ants that can gnaw through small branches with their jaws.

Dry valleys of Antarctica

On the seemingly completely covered with snow and ice, Antarctica has dry place- McMurdo Valley. Here, for mercy, 8 thousand square meters. km. almost 2 million years there was no precipitation. Powerful Katabatic winds, the speed of which reaches 320 km / h, and rocky spurs make this place almost inaccessible to humans.
In the absence of snow, temperatures of -50°C seem extremely cold. It is not surprising that in this place there is no life except for some types of bacteria.
However, people rarely come here. Since 2004, NASA has been using the Dry Valleys to test descent spacecraft, as the conditions in these places are as close to Martian as possible.

Irian Jaya

Indonesian-owned West Papua, also called Irian Jaya, is one of the most isolated places from civilization, despite the fact that it is less than 1000 km from Australia. Here life flows as well as several hundred years ago: pristine nature and primitive tribes are not very happy with strangers.
Getting to Irian Jaya takes a few tiring flights, but getting deeper into its heart of virgin highland forests, which is a real paradise for zoologists and botanists, requires more than good physical shape. Not everyone can breathe humid and stuffy air all day long, wander through swamps and bogs through an overhanging canopy of vegetation.
Papuan tribes live in the remote highlands, who a few decades ago hunted by cannibalism and did not suspect the existence of a “other” world. Here, in the jungles of West Papua, in November 1961, the trail of Michael Rockefeller was lost.

Tibetan plateau

Tibet is one of the most remote places on the planet from the oceans. It is here, according to European scientists, that the most isolated land area from civilization is the Tibetan Plateau. The researchers calculated the time needed to get from the plateau to the nearest major settlement. The results showed that the journey to Lhasa takes about three weeks: one day by car and another 20 days on foot. The Swedish traveler Sven Hedin, who visited the Tibetan Plateau, did not meet a single person there in 81 days.

Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, or as the locals call it (there are 264 of them according to the latest census) Settlement is considered one of the most isolated settlements on the planet. It is clear why: the nearest settlement is 1850 km by sea! It is located in the Tristan de Cunha archipelago, which is part of the British overseas territory Saint Helena.

The city was named after Alfred (the second son of Queen Victoria), the Prince of Edinburgh, who once visited it in 1867 on his frigate Galatea. Most fast way to get here is a six-day journey by sea from the coast of South Africa. The village has the only port on the island, where every few months a ship comes from Cape Town to George Town (Ascension Island).

Whittier (Alaska, USA)

Although the city has a deep water port, the terminal railway And runway strip, it can be accessed via Portage Glacier's only highway passing through the Anton-Anderson Tunnel. There are 220 permanent residents in the city, all of whom live in a 14-story army barracks built in 1956. The building, called Begich Towers, houses a police station, a health clinic, a church, and a laundry. Whittier's climate is not the most pleasant: most of the year it rains or snows and strong winds blow.

City of Stars (Villa Las Estrellas, Antarctica)

The city, by the way, the largest in all of Antarctica, is located at the Chilean research station named after Eduardo Frei Montalva and at the same time a military base on King George Island. In summer, 120 people live here. And in winter - 80. Nevertheless, the city has its own gym, church, post office and souvenir shop for tourists. There is also the Internet in the city of stars, but it is available only at a school where there are as many as three computers.

La Rinconada (Peru)

The city, located at an altitude of 2400 km in the Peruvian Andes, in the permafrost zone, is the highest mountain settlement on Earth and is also considered one of those places in which, despite the soil contaminated with mercury, a lack drinking water and other inconveniences, about 50,000 people live here. The reason for such popularity was the recent discovery of a gold mine near the city. You can get to La Rinconada only by mountain road, and the journey will take more than one day. Every year, the city produces from two to ten tons of gold per year.

Supai Village (Arizona, USA)

You can get to the Supai Indian Reservation, located in the Havasu Canyon, only by helicopter or by a 13-kilometer trail. Despite this, many tourists come here every year, 208 people live permanently in Supai.

Coober Pedy (Australia)

By its name, which is translated from the language Australian aborigines as the “White Man's Hole”, the town owes primarily to the fact that the world's largest deposit (and hence mines) of opals is located here. Although the first houses of white settlers were also underground due to constant sandstorms (Coober Pedy is located on the border with the Victoria Desert). Today, ordinary underground dwellings have been added to the traditional ones, but locals are happy to go to an underground bar, visit an underground art gallery and pray in an underground church. 1695 people live in the city, and the nearest settlement is 500 kilometers away.

Longyearbyen (Shipzbergen, Norway)

The administrative center of Svalbard, located on the shores of the Advient Fjord, is the most northern city in the world, located on the 79th parallel, 1320 km from the North Pole. Initially, it served a coal mine opened here at the beginning of the 20th century by the American John Longyear. 3,000 people live here, and a third of them are foreigners. On the streets you can see a sign with a polar bear and the inscription "Everywhere". True, in recent years, due to warming, bears come here infrequently. Here is the northernmost church in the world. However, the airport, hotels, university are also the northernmost in the world. The city has a very low crime rate, as living in Loggerbyen and not working is prohibited by local laws. Dying here, however, is also prohibited, because due to low temperatures the body cannot decompose.

Palmerston Island

Palmerston Coral Atoll is located in the Pacific Ocean about 3,200 km from the nearest " mainland» - New Zealand. It belongs to the same family - the descendants of William Masters and his three wives. Masters accidentally came to the atoll in 1860 and founded a settlement here. Masters had 17 children. Currently, about 1000 of his descendants live on the islands of the Pacific archipelago, in Australia and New Zealand, but a part continues to live on Palmerston. All descendants of William Masters speak perfect English with a Gloucestershire accent. There are no shops on the island, local residents do not use money among themselves, and essential goods are exchanged for fish. You can do this twice a year. When a ship comes to Palmerston from New Zealand. In addition, about a dozen tourist ships come here every year.
The city of Cedar infrequently flashes on the pages tourist guides. It would probably be more accurate to say "never". This is a small settlement in the Tomsk region in the Chuzik river valley. And when we say “small”, we really mean this: Kedrovy is one of the smallest cities in terms of population in Russia. The first houses appeared here in 1982, and Kedrovy received the status of a city in 1987. Workers of the oil refinery live here. The Kedrovy airport burned down in 2006, and since then the city has no regular communication with the outside world. You can get to Kedrovy (or get out of it) by helicopter or along the 221-kilometer winter road.

Places about which will be discussed, incredibly beautiful, mysterious and unique, but not spoiled by the attention of tourists. All of them are located on the territory of Russia. However, getting to them is very difficult. The absence of at least some kind of transport and the presence of state structures with which one must coordinate one's "invasion" of these territories is the main, but not the only, obstacle. However, if you are one of those who are only attracted to difficulties, Forbes will show you the way to seven amazing properties in Russia that few people know about. Only a few have seen them with their own eyes.

Naukan - the ancient capital of the Eskimos

Ruins largest settlement eksimos, liquidated during the "enlargement of villages" in 1958

Where:

The discovery of Okvik, Birnirk and other Paleo-Asiatic cultures, which succeeded each other in this place for three millennia, belongs to permafrost, which pushes any foreign body to the surface. All that today reminds of the capital of the last of these cultures - the Eskimo - are whale ribs sticking out of the coastal grass, as well as numerous bone artifacts of unknown age and purpose, which are not difficult to find among what remains of the barracks built in the 1930s. To call the capital of the Eskimos dead does not turn the tongue. First, unlike the militant Eskimo islanders from Ratmanov Island, who perished in the mainland collective farms in one generation, Naukan's sea hunters retain their identity even in exile. Secondly, whales still enter the coastal waters every summer. Experts in Eskimo folklore will confirm: whales are looking for their earthly mistresses-sciences who have left these places.

How to get there:

Cape Ryty - shamanic pyramids on the shore of Lake Baikal

Unexplored monument primitive architecture on a sacred place for shamanists

Where:

Formally, disembarkation of passengers on the cape, pitted with dry riverbeds and streams, is prohibited: this is the territory of the Baikal-Lena Reserve. It is also forbidden informally: according to the beliefs of the Buryats, the access of strangers to the shamanic place of power should be strictly limited. Shamans, apparently, have something to hide: science still does not know who, when and why built a stone wall exactly 333 m long on Rytoy and tightly forced it with stone cones and pyramids oriented to the cardinal points. In 2002, in the vicinity of the nearby village of Onguryon, the biologist Alexei Turuta was hacked to death for disrespect for the spirits, expressed in refusing to tie a sacrificial ribbon on a sacred tree, by which the scientist passed. By the way, in addition to pagan piety, the Ongurens are also known for their technical ingenuity: in the village there is the only steam locomotive in Russia from the time of the Second World War, converted into a power plant.

How to get there:

Sindor Lake - part of the prehistoric sea, controlled by the Federal Penitentiary Service

The only natural monument in Russia, access to which is controlled by the penitentiary service

Where:

The taiga lake of unprecedented beauty, left over from the prehistoric sea, is comparable in area to the island of Valaam. It was on its banks at the beginning of the 20th century that many sites of primitive man were discovered, and some time later a corrective labor institution M-222 was built here, which ceased to exist quite recently. First of all, M-222 is known as the place of detention of most of the doctors convicted in the famous case, as well as the fact that Sergey Dovlatov served as a warder here. Not far from here, according to numerous folklore sources, Yirkapa, the cultural hero of Komi, died. Having lost his magical power, after he did not spare the daughter of a sorceress during the hunt, who turned into a deer (according to another version - a magpie), Yirkap banally drowned in Sindor. Finally, Sindor Lake is the habitat of Nikolai Prokushev. This is how a neat 50-year-old bearded man appears - a forest hermit, a lone hunter and an original thinker.

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Averkina pit - a cave hiding Pugachev's treasure

Unexplored cave equipped for housing by unknown persons

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The entrance to the cave is an almost vertical 20-meter gap in a rock overgrown with forests above the left bank of the Ai River and is almost invisible from the outside. Inside - two grottoes with an area of ​​10 and 20 square meters. m, underground lake with drinkable water and positive temperature at any time of the year. The total length of the surveyed underground passages is about 100 m. Even in the 1920s, the inhabitants of the cave were known local residents under the collective name of Averky. Rumor painted the caveman either as a runaway convict, as a Tartar with nostrils torn out, or as a holy elder, or as a Kerzhak-Old Believer, invariably attributing to him superhuman lust and countless connections with the inhabitants convent. Also, according to popular belief, it was here that the gold stolen by Emelyan Pugachev was hidden at one time. In order to eradicate all superstitions, in 1924 the local women's council sent a Komsomol expedition to the cave. During the investigation, a wooden door, a wooden machine of unknown purpose, a bed and many bones, including human ones, were found. It should be noted that subsequent expeditions invariably found gutters hollowed out of wood in the Averkina Pit - the remains of an ancient pipeline, the purpose of which is still unknown.

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Tsoi-pede - Chechen City of the Dead

Medieval Chechen fortress-necropolis, which can be visited only with the permission of the FSB

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The cape at the confluence of the Argun with the mountain river Meshi-Khi is surrounded on three sides by icy water and is connected to the rocky ridge only by a narrow isthmus. In fact, Tsoi-pede is an impregnable cemetery. The earliest of the 42 crypts date back to the 14th century, and according to a popular but unproven version, they founded it during a devastating epidemic, and the sick came here to die on their own - there was no time and no one to bury the dead. However, this romantic hypothesis is easily refuted by the fact that the neighboring village, located somewhat to the south of the burials, too often fought with its neighbors and could not do without a capacious necropolis for the burial of dead soldiers. They say that the ancient weapons that rested in the crypts of Tsoi-pede, like other valuables, disappeared from here immediately after the deportation of the Chechens in 1944. Today, one who comes to Tsoi-pede is met by two pagan altar-pillars, protective swastikas, crosses and solar spirals on the walls, and on watchtower the image of a human figure can still be discerned. It is believed that this is the Christian Saint George - baptized Georgia is nearby, and the proximity of this border, in fact, explains the need to obtain permission from the FSB to visit the City of the Dead.

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Porzhensky churchyard - a wooden castle on the site of a pagan temple

A well-preserved wooden pre-Petrine skete, which is possibly the center of the universe

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The forest guards an abandoned pre-Petrine skete with a well-preserved painting of the 18th century more reliable than the Ministry of Culture: the roads from the nearest villages are difficult and not known to every local. An empty church, surrounded by a chopped fence with numerous towers, peeks out from behind gloomy gray logs, and around - only Karelian boulders and lakes. Like most ancient Christian buildings, the skete, built in the 80s of the 18th century, most likely took the place of a pagan temple - its main chapel, as well as three surrounding churches of the same time, lie on a geometrically ideal straight line stretched by who knows who and when from the south to north. In some forums, without any irony, the idea is discussed that it is in one of the towers of the Porzhensky churchyard that the so-called Aleph from the story of the same name by Borges is located, which Borges describes as the keyhole of the world - the place where all the points of the universe converge.

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Uchar waterfall - the youngest waterfall in the world

160-meter waterfall, which was discovered only 35 years ago

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The youngest of known to science waterfalls - Uchar on the Chulcha River - was unknown official science up until the 1970s. However, science did not live in ignorance for very long, since, as is commonly believed, the waterfall was formed as a result of a powerful earthquake only about 200 years ago. The water has not yet had time to crush the fragments of rocks that form its cascades, and the black stones measure their height with neighboring pines. All this is overwhelming in its scale and makes the difference between a man and an ant almost insignificant. The path to Uchar passes over a cliff and crosses numerous mountain streams, which are not recommended to be crossed without insurance. An important note of a practical nature: moving away from settlements and carriageways, a tourist who finds himself in this part of Altai should not forget about his ranks. It is precisely by the malevolence and treachery of these animals that the local population usually explains to the newcomers the sudden disappearance of their provisions, as well as tires, cigarettes, cash, etc. Something in between a gopher and a jerboa, the imanka (which Dahl's dictionary characterizes as an "earth hare") is really not afraid of a person and able to come very close. However, he still does not eat money and cigarettes.

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