"Remote" is measured differently depending on the context
Geographers and travel writers use different definitions depending on what they are measuring β pure distance from other landmasses (like Point Nemo), distance from any other inhabited place (like Tristan da Cunha), or simple practical difficulty of access (like a village cut off by mountains most of the year). A place can rank highly on one definition and not another.
Isolation is becoming rarer, not because places move, but because access improves
Many places once considered extremely remote have become far more reachable over the past few decades as air travel, satellite communication, and road-building projects expand into previously cut-off regions. The list of the world's most remote inhabited places shrinks slightly every decade as infrastructure catches up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does anyone actually live at Point Nemo?
No β it's a point in open ocean with no land at all, so nobody lives there or could. It's occasionally used as a real destination for decommissioned spacecraft to be intentionally crashed into the ocean, since there is essentially no risk of hitting anything.
What is generally considered the hardest inhabited place to physically reach?
Tristan da Cunha is one of the most commonly cited examples, since it has no airport and depends entirely on an infrequent, multi-day boat journey, making it harder to reach on short notice than many places that are technically farther from a major city.