The Most Inaccessible Place On The Planet: What Is Point Nemo And Where Is It Located? (5 photos)

There are many unusual and unique places on our planet, and there are some that have never been visited by humans. Some of them are either very difficult or impossible to reach. Point Nemo is one of them, a unique territory in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean.

I'll tell you what it's famous for and what's remarkable about it.





What is Point Nemo

Point Nemo is considered the farthest place on the planet from the coast. The nearest piece of land is more than 2,500 km away. It is called a point rather conditionally, in fact it is a site that occupies about 37 million m².

The place got its name not because of the clown fish from the cartoon of the same name, but there is still an artistic concept here. It was named after Captain Nemo from the adventure novel by Jules Verne "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", written in 1870. By the way, the word nemo is translated from Latin as "nobody". This name is logical and fully reflects the essence of the Pole of Inaccessibility: for a long time, scientists believed that no one lived here.

The Pole of Inaccessibility is a more scientific name. If we explain it in simple terms, then this is a place that is as far removed from civilization as possible, which is very difficult to get to. There are four poles of inaccessibility on Earth: continental (in northern China), at the North and South Poles, and oceanic - this is the Nemo point.

Is there life at Point Nemo



Point Nemo is also called a spaceship graveyard. After their “shelf life” expires, spacecraft are sent from orbit “to rest” here, where they pose no danger to humans or nature in general. Photo: NASA/ Unsplash

The chances that SpongeBob lives here are negligible, but still not zero. For a long time, it was believed that there was no life in the local waters - only bacteria and sponges survive. Fish and other aquatic inhabitants need food, which can be found near land or near the bottom. But at Point Nemo the ocean is too deep - about 3 km, and the nearest coast is far away. In addition, due to the powerful gyre of currents, useful substances necessary for underwater inhabitants do not get here. The situation is further complicated by the presence of an ozone hole above the point. A strong flow of ultraviolet radiation passes through it - it prevents the emergence of life.

In 2005, oceanographers finally managed to discover an underwater inhabitant at Point Nemo, previously unknown to science. It turned out to be the yeti crab. It got its name due to its white color and claws covered with feathery bristles, more like fur. It was found at a depth of just over 2 km. Now scientists are sure that this is not the last species of living creatures found at the Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility.

Who of the people was at Point Nemo





If Jules Verne lived in our time, he would definitely be inspired by the story of the traveler Fyodor Konyukhov. He became the first person in history to cross the ocean alone in a rowboat and pass through Point Nemo.

Instead of the planned 100-120 days, he spent 154 days in the ocean, most of which were stormy. The traveler said that he had to survive a 12-point storm: with such values, the height of the waves is more than 16 m, and the wind speed is 32.6 m/s, a wind of such strength is capable of uprooting trees and destroying houses. According to Konyukhov, such waves crashed onto the boat four times per minute. Their length was about 300-400 m. During the storm, he was in a sealed compartment of the boat and was fastened and remained alive thanks to mathematical calculations, caution, the genius of the engineers who created the boat, and his own courage.

Fyodor Konyukhov said in numerous interviews that, having approached the Pole of Inaccessibility, he experienced a feeling of complete loneliness. Photo: Svklimkin/ Wikimedia



Interesting facts about Point Nemo



Several hundred spacecraft are stored at the bottom of Point Nemo. The ISS was supposed to join their list in 2024, but the station was decided to be used until 2028. But in a few years, it will also become part of the underwater cemetery

In 1997, scientists managed to record an unusual noise coming from Point Nemo. Journalists believed that these were signs of a life form still unknown to science, while ordinary people thought that these were monsters. Scientists, however, were in no hurry to draw conclusions. Everything turned out to be much more prosaic: the low-frequency sound was created by cracking ice.

Interestingly, the ISS is much closer to Point Nemo than land: only 400 km.

If by some unfortunate chance you find yourself at Point Nemo, you will not be able to be saved. There are no planes, cargo or ocean liners flying here. The closest people are in space.

Interestingly, even before the point was discovered, science fiction writer Howard Lovecraft wrote in his story "The Call of Cthulhu" about a sunken city where an underwater monster sleeps. The coordinates he gave are only 1° different from the coordinates of the Pole of Inaccessibility.