Want Some Space? These Are The 10 Countries With The Most Of It
One of the best things about travelling is being exposed to the customs of other cultures. This can range from food preparation and consumption, to national dress, to the politics of personal space. In some cultures the “kiss hello” is entirely normal, while in others it’s heavily frowned upon. Sometimes though, the idea of ‘personal space’ has nothing to do with culture and practice and everything to do with, well…actual space.
This CNN interactive chart maps population density in all of the world’s countries and many of its major cities. As we know, it’s not necessarily the biggest countries that have the highest number of people; in fact it’s usually the opposite.
So what are the countries where you’re likely to find the most amount of personal space?
If you’re after a somewhat solitary life, Greenland is your best bet for a quiet one with approximately 0.03 people per square kilometre. Mongolia, West Sahara and Namibia all scrape into the top five with less that two people per square kilometre, respectively. Australia isn’t far off though.
With most Aussies residing on the outer edges of the country and in capital cities or coastal towns, the nation as a whole is sparsely populated at best with just over three people to be found per square kilometre of land.
So over to the snug side; where should you go if you love being surrounded by people? Topping the list is the luxurious taxless island of Monaco with 25,718 people per square kilometre. Cosy indeed when compared to Greenland’s 0.03 people per square kilometre.
Macau, China, Nahrain, and Singapore also make the top of the densely populated list.
The 10 least densely populated countries:
#1 Greenland, 0.03 people per square kimopetre
#2 Falkland Islands, 0.25 people per square kilometre
#3 Mongolia, 1.87 people per square kilometre
#4 Western Sahara, 2.27 people per square kilometre
#5 Namibia, 2.90 people per square kilometre
#6 French Guiana, 2.91 people per square kilometre
#7 Australia, 3.09 people per square kilometre
#8 Iceland, 3.27 people per square kilometre
#9 Suriname,3.35 people per square kilometre
#10 Botswana, 3.54 people per square kilometre
The 10 most densely populated countries:
#1 Monaco, 25,718 people per square kilometre
#2 Macao, 22.477 people per square kilometre
#3 Singapore, 8,226 people per square kilometre
#4 Hong Kong, 6,654 people per square kilometre
#5 Gibraltar, 4,892 people per square kilometre
#6 Bahrain, 1,959 people per square kilometre
#7 Holy See, 1,818 people per square kilometre
#8 Saint Maarten, 1,379 people per square kilometre
#9 Malta, 1,364 people per square kilometre
#10 Bermuda, 1,237 people per square kilometre
