Written by Katia Ramadori, Four Green Steps

Humans have ventured all over the globe, but there are still some places on this planet where our affect is minimal. These pristine areas vary in landscapes and ecosystems, stretching from Antarctica to the Atacama Desert.

Namibia (photographed above)

Located in southern Africa, this country is covered by desert, dunes, craters, waterfalls, and ancient rock engravings.  It is also home to 2,500 cheetahs, which is a quarter of the world’s total cheetah population. Namibia is one of the most untouched places in Africa and the only country that includes preserving the health of its ecosystem in its constitution.

Galapagos Island

Although the island is subject to many travelers, it remains a very pristine location. The island is home to giant tortoises, iguanas, sea lions, penguins, whales, and fish and has served as a biological marine preserve for 50 years. The Galapagos is home to  a population of 23,000 people and hundreds of endemic species of plants and animals.

Papua,New Guinea

Scientist believes this country’s interior jungle to be home to many of the world’s undiscovered species of plants and animals. It is one of the world’s most rural and untouched places. Exploitation of this land has not occurred because of the very rugged and tough landscape as well as the high cost on developing infrastructure in this area.

Seychelles

About 50% of the island in under conservation, this is the largest percentage of land under conservation of any country. As a result, Seychelles has 305 miles (409 kilometers) of remarkably pristine, powder sort beaches that line the island.

Bhutan

Over 60% of this country is under forest cover and 25% is designated as national parks and protected areas. It is also known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon and contains rugged mountains and valleys, making it rich in biodiversity.

Daintree National Park, Australia

Located in Far North Queensland, Australia, the Daintree National Park includes a 110-million-year-old rainforest, making it one of the oldest ecosystems on earth.  It also contains thousands of plants spices and trees that are over 3,500 years old.

Fiordland, New Zealand

Found on the southern end of New Zealand’s west coast, this landscape is untamed, rugged, and bare of any human development. Fiordland has never been home to any permanent population. Natives, such as the Maori, only came to this land to hunt, fish, and collect the jadestone. It also has some of the cleanest air in the world because the region’s air currents blow straight up from Antarctica.

Kamchatka, Russia

Located in Russia’s Far East, this land contains volcanoes and glaciers, and has been shaken up for the past five decades with mega-earthquakes that have reached a magnitude of 9.0. No wonder this area is so empty and wild.

Atacama Desert, Chile

This desert is so lifeless that NASA uses the land for their Mars ground tests.  The Atacama Desert has no rain, no cloud cover, no light pollution, and no radio interference, combined with its high altitude and dry air, this desert is one of the best places to carry out astronomical observations.

Antarctica

Antarctica is the only continent in which humans have never settled. Ice a mile thick covers 96% of the continent. Penguins, whales, seals and seabirds use the waters around Antarctica as feeding grounds. During the winter about 1,000 researchers work on the continent and the number increases to about 5,000 during the summer.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons.

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