5 Incredible Places Where Humans Have Adapted to Extreme Environments

🏔️Humans have adapted to extreme environments, such as the polar bear surviving in cold temperatures and bacteria thriving in nuclear reactors.

🏝️The residents of Tonle Sap in Cambodia have built floating villages, with structures that rise and fall with the water levels.

❄️Oymyakon in Siberia is the coldest inhabited place on Earth, with temperatures dropping below -71°C.

🌞The residents of Coober Pedy in Australia live underground to escape the extreme heat, while mining opals.

🏰The Bates family established the Principality of Sealand on an abandoned military fort, declaring it their own country.

How do floating villages in Tonle Sap work?

—During the wet season, water levels rise, and buildings in the village sit on bamboo poles or empty barrels. Residents swim or travel by boat. In the dry season, walking between places is possible.

What is the coldest inhabited place on Earth?

—Oymyakon in Siberia holds the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded, reaching -71°C.

Why do people live underground in Coober Pedy?

—Coober Pedy is rich in opals, and miners have excavated their own underground shelters to escape the extreme heat.

Is Sealand recognized as a country?

—While the UK government has never formally acknowledged Sealand as a country, it admitted that it does not have legal jurisdiction over the principality.

What is the Cold Pole Festival?

—The Cold Pole Festival takes place in Oymyakon, Siberia, at the end of every winter to celebrate the end of long nights. Activities include races, fishing competitions, and vodka.

00:00Living organisms are capable of surviving in extreme environments, from the polar bear in cold temperatures to bacteria in nuclear reactors.

05:20The residents of Tonle Sap in Cambodia have constructed floating villages that can rise and fall with water levels.

09:01Oymyakon in Siberia is the coldest inhabited place on Earth, with temperatures dropping below -71°C.

07:15Coober Pedy in Australia has underground houses to escape the extreme heat and while also mining opals.

09:19The Principality of Sealand was established by the Bates family on an abandoned military fort, declaring it their own country.