Cooped Up? Get Uncooped.

In today's society where blossoming technology connects even the most distant people and places, it's becoming more and more difficult to truly escape. I can't even count the number of times when what seemed like an escape into the wilderness was interrupted by squawks into a cell phone or dust spewed from a monstrous trailer toting along a full kitchen, bathroom and entertainment center. For wilderness lovers, the true escaping is becoming increasingly elusive. 

Aiding the search, the above map was created by the European Commission's Joint Research Center and the World Bank. It displays a color coding of the entire world according to how remote locations are. The key was devised as a measure of how long it would take for one to travel from the locale in question to a city of 50,000 or more. It took into account road networks, airport and water travel, as well as more advanced factors such as altitude, border crossings and terrain features that could slow one down. The darkest sections are the most remote.

While the map makes some surprising, and perhaps disheartening, findings (e.g. less than 10% of the world is over 2 days journey away from a city, according to New Scientist), it provides a very unique, interesting look at the world. Use it to find your next true escape. Your best bet would be Tibet--three weeks journey from the nearest city. New Scientist via Dvice

• maps
• remoteness
• wilderness