A new study reveals the continent's most sunlit urban destinations
We've been to the Moon, so surely we know every corner of our planet, right? Not quite. Many places on Earth remain largely unexplored. From unclimbed mountains, to the depths of the oceans and rainforests, there are still many ecosystems to be discovered. And not only are there unexplored places, there are also still uncontacted peoples out there! Earth is indeed a big place, and we've not seen it all.
In this gallery, we've compiled a list of some of our planet's unexplored places. Click through and start your journey of discovery.
This island is located in the Andaman Archipelago between Myanmar and Indonesia, in the Indian Ocean. It's inhabited, but outsiders have never been there.
Every time people from the outside tried to visit the island, they were met with hostility by the local people. The island likely has its own unique flora and fauna, but no one knows what that constitutes.
Comprising 5,500,000 sq km (2,100,000 sq mi), nine countries in total share parts of the Amazon Basin, though the majority of the rainforest is located within Brazil. A great deal of the Amazon Rainforest remains unexplored to this day.
These are lakes found under glaciers that have never been studied in millions of years. There are nearly 400 known subglacial lakes in Antarctica.
Many of these lakes are interconnected, with water flowing from one lake to another. Their ecosystem remains unknown.
Myanmar's Northern Mountain Forest Complex is comprised of the Hkakabo Razi National Park and the Hponkan Razi Wildlife Sanctuary. In total, it extends to an area of around 22,000 sq km (8,494 sq mi).
According to a Cambridge study, less than 1.4% of the forest area in the Northern Mountain Forest Complex is affected by humans. The vast majority of the area remains unexplored.
Machapuchare, also known as the Fish Tail Mountain, is located in the Annapurna Himalayas in Nepal.
This mountain is sacred to the local people because they believe that Lord Shiva lives at the top. For this reason, no one is allowed to climb to its summit.
This remote island in Greenland is considered one of the most northerly points of land on Earth (the definition of which is still up for debate).
Discovered by a Danish scientist in 1978, this bank of gravel and silt may or may not exist today. This is because islands like these can disappear depending on levels of ice and sea level.
These imposing rock formations are a must-visit in Venezuela. But it's not just their remoteness and the fact that they're difficult to climb that make them one of the last unexplored places in South America.
The mystery lies inside. Tepuis have complex caves and crevice systems that have been isolated from the outside world for centuries. A very small percentage has been explored.
Located off the coast of Japan, this is the deepest oceanic trench on the planet. It measures about 2,550 km (1584 mi) in length and 69 km (43 mi) in width.
Several expeditions have been made since it was first discovered in 1951. One in 2014 was turned into a documentary called 'Deepsea Challenge.' Still, this remains one of the most remote, unexplored areas of our planet.
This peak can be found on the border of Tibet and Bhutan. Despite several attempts, no one has successfully climbed to the top of this mountain.
Climbing was banned by the Bhutanese government, so Gangkhar Puensum remains the highest unclimbed mountains in the world.
This cave, located in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, is one of the world's largest natural caves.
In 2019, explorers discovered an underwater connection between two caves. It's estimated that only about 30% of the natural park has been explored.
Cape Melville National Park is located in the Shire of Cook in Queensland. Not so long ago, in 2013, three new species were discovered there.
Located in the southwest corner of the South Island, the country's largest national park is home to amazing scenery and biodiversity. But there are designated Wilderness Areas where people can't go.
The Republic of Sakha, also known as Yakutia or Yakutiya, is as big as India. Its extreme climate make it one of the hardest places to live on Earth, and, of course, such a large area has many unexplored pockets.
The Namib Desert is one of the most inhospitable places in the world. Stretching for 2,000 km (1,200 mi), a large part of the desert remains isolated.
Despite being one of the island's main attractions, most of Madagascar's limestone forest remains unexplored.
Located in the country's far east, the Kamchatka Peninsula is home to unique fauna and flora. It can get really cold in the winter, and not even the (over 300) volcanoes can warm it up.
This slice of Chile's wilderness is still one of the most untouched places on Earth. The Northern Patagonian Ice Field, which stretches for 4,200 sq km (1,600 sq mi), is one of its most isolated areas.
This remote mountain range remains largely unexplored. In a recent expedition, scientists discovered almost 100 new species of animals and plants.
The second highest peak in the country remains one of the last unexplored mountains in Africa.
Sources: (Grunge) (Mental Floss)
See also: Famous sites to see before they disappear from the Earth
The last unexplored places on Earth
Click through and start your journey of discovery
TRAVEL Unexploited
We've been to the Moon, so surely we know every corner of our planet, right? Not quite. Many places on Earth remain largely unexplored. From unclimbed mountains, to the depths of the oceans and rainforests, there are still many ecosystems to be discovered. And not only are there unexplored places, there are also still uncontacted peoples out there! Earth is indeed a big place, and we've not seen it all.
In this gallery, we've compiled a list of some of our planet's unexplored places. Click through and start your journey of discovery.