15. Bear Island is 247 miles from mainland Norway, located near the archipelago Svalbard. It has been used for oil mining and fishing in the past, but is now uninhabited apart from researchers working at its meteorological station.
14. Tromelin is 367 miles from Mauritius (which the island belongs to), and 1,700 miles from continental Africa. It is just seven metres above sea-level at its highest point. It is uninhabited apart from a small number of meteorologists.
13. North Sentinel Island is 400 miles from the nearest continental mainland in Myanmar and is part of the Andaman Islands. It is most famous for its inhabitants, an indigenous tribe with a population of around 300 that reject any contact with the outside world.
12. Fernandina Island is one of the most remote places in the Galapagos Islands, lying over 500 miles from the closest mainland in Ecuador. It has no human population aside from researchers, and is the largest of the Galapagos' "pristine islands" — those that have not had new species introduced.
11. Floreana Island is 621 miles from the closest mainland in Ecuador and is the southernmost island of the Galapagos, making it the most remote. It has a population of around 100 people.
10. Raoul Island is the largest of the Kermadec Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies 670 miles from New Zealand and was uninhabited when it was discovered by western sailors, but Polynesian artifacts have since been found, indicating an ancient community once thrived there.
9. Macuarie Island is located 664 miles from the nearest mainland in New Zealand and is most famous for its wildlife. There are no more than 40 people living on the island at any time, but there are around 850,000 penguins.
8. Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean is the most deserted island in the world. It was discovered in the 18th century and annexed by Norway in 1928. It's 1,053 miles away from the nearest land in Antarctica, and is completely uninhabited aside from sporadic research expeditions.
7. Tristan da Cunha is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world. It lies 1,200 miles from the nearest inhabited land, and 1,500 miles from the nearest continental land, South Africa. It has 265 permanent inhabitants, but as there's no airport, so a boat is the only way in or out.
6. The tiny island of Niue is 1,500 miles from New Zealand, with a predominantly Polynesian population of 1,300. It is an independent nation with its own flag and currency, but has a diplomatic relationship with New Zealand.
5. The Keeling Islands (also known as the Cocos Islands) are a territory of Australia but lie 1,709 miles away from Perth. The population of the islands is estimated at just over 600.
4. Île Amsterdam — an outpost in the southern Indian Ocean with a population of just 30 — is 1,500 miles away from the nearest settlement in Mauritius. The nearest continental mainland is Africa, 2,000 miles away.
3. The Kerguelen Islands in the South Indian Ocean are 2,051 miles away from the nearest populated location in Madagascar. There are no indigenous inhabitants, but France maintains a permanent presence of 45 to 100 researchers. The place is so remote, the group of 17 islands are also known as the "Desolation Islands".
2. Easter Island is 2,182 miles away from the nearest continental land in Chile. It's famous for the 887 ancient statues created by the island's aboriginal inhabitants.
1. Pitcairn Island is the furthest island from a mainland in the world, with a population of just 49. The nearest airport is 330 miles west in the Gambier Islands, but the nearest mainland is New Zealand, which is 3,390 miles away.
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