Imagine being so far from civilization that the closest people to you… are in outer space. Welcome to Point Nemo, the most remote spot on our planet and one of the quietest.

📍 What is Point Nemo?

Point Nemo is officially known as the oceanic pole of inaccessibility. It’s the place in the ocean that is farthest from any land a watery void that’s practically unvisited and almost entirely lifeless.

It was first calculated in 1992 by Croatian survey engineer Hrvoje Lukatela, who pinpointed it at coordinates 48°52.6′S 123°23.6′W exactly 1,670 miles (2,688 kilometers) from the nearest land.

The name “Nemo” comes from Jules Verne’s fictional deep-sea captain from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Fittingly, “Nemo” is also Latin for “nobody” a poetic name for a place where no one lives.

🌍 What’s Around Point Nemo?

Surprisingly, nothing is close to Point Nemo. It’s surrounded by thousands of kilometers of ocean in every direction. The three nearest land masses are:

• Ducie Island (Pitcairn Islands) to the north
• Maher Island (Antarctica) to the south
• Motu Nui (part of the Easter Islands) to the northeast

All are 1,670 miles away a nearly equal distance. But here’s the kicker: when the International Space Station flies overhead, its astronauts are only 250 miles (400 kilometers) away, making them the nearest humans to this remote spot.

🚀 A Cemetery for Spacecraft

Because of its extreme isolation, Point Nemo has become a kind of spacecraft graveyard. The ocean floor nearby is scattered with hundreds of old satellites and decommissioned space stations, deliberately crashed here to avoid populated areas.

Even the International Space Station is expected to end its life here in 2031, joining the underwater junkyard deep below.

🧬 Almost No Life Yet Still Polluted

Point Nemo lies inside the South Pacific Gyre, a huge circular ocean current that diverts nutrient-rich waters away. As a result, the area is one of the most lifeless parts of the ocean no fish, no coral, almost nothing.

Yet, even here, plastic pollution has arrived.

In 2018, boats in the Volvo Ocean Race took water samples and found 26 microplastic particles per cubic meter. That may not sound like much, but in a place once untouched by man, it’s a stark reminder of how far our plastic waste has spread.

🚢 Why Use Point Nemo?

So, why Point Nemo? Here’s why it’s perfect for crashing spacecraft:

• Remote: Far from human life and land
• Safe: Minimal marine life or fishing activity
• Stable: Out of major shipping lanes
• Predictable: Minimal currents or surprises

🛰️ Final Thoughts

Point Nemo is an eerie, fascinating place utterly remote, eerily quiet, and yet part of the human story both above and below the Earth. From satellites falling from the sky to microplastics drifting in from afar, it’s a reminder of how connected and responsible we are for every corner of our planet.