Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in some of the most extreme corners of the earth? From the coldest and most isolated settlements to earthquake epicentres, polluted cities and even radioactive hotspots, some people spend their entire lives in the world's harshest environments. Click or scroll on to take a look at homes in these challenging locations and discover the measures that residents take just to survive...

Located in Svalbard, a group of islands in Norway, Longyearbyen is a small former coal-mining town known for its spectacular views of the Northern Lights. With a striking landscape of snow-topped mountain peaks, long stretches of ice and glittering glaciers, it's the northernmost settlement on earth that's populated all year round.

Nestled just north of the Arctic Circle, this remote outpost experiences the natural phenomenon of the midnight sun in the summer months and a 24-hour polar night in the winter. It has a human population of just over 2,500. However, it's the sizeable number of polar bears that draws visitors from all over the world.

With freezing conditions and inquisitive local wildlife, living in Longyearbyen can be challenging. Locals are taught to avoid confrontations with the roaming polar bears by staying on high alert, retreating calmly and carrying high-powered game rifles. 

With more and more people interested in moving to the Svalbard archipelago, housing, like this Airbnb, is starting to become scarce. Due to thawing permafrost, homes are destabilising, and the danger of avalanches in the summer is high. There is also a limited road network, so locals have to learn how to drive snowmobiles in the winter and navigate the glacier, all while avoiding the polar bears. 

Catania is an ancient port perched on Sicily's east coast, home to centuries-old homes. This picturesque Italian city sits at the foot of Mount Etna, one of Europe's biggest and most active volcanoes. After a devastating eruption in 1669, most of Catania was destroyed and more than 20,000 of its citizens were killed. Gradually, Catania was rebuilt and is now known around the world for its grand Baroque architecture.

The 11,014-foot tall volcano has erupted frequently over the past 2,700 years and, in more recent times, officials have taken steps to try and protect the residents of Catania. When Etna erupted in 1993, Italian officials managed to save the town of Zafferana Etnea, diverting lava streams around the town through the use of barriers and trenches.

One of the more recent major volcanic events took place on 26th December 2018. Ash and lava were spewed into the sky, triggering a huge 4.8-magnitude earthquake. The tremor injured 28 people and caused buildings and monuments around the city, which is home to more than 300,000 residents, to crumble.

This was the first lateral eruption in a decade, with lava leaking out of the side of the volcano instead of the summit, posing a greater risk to the residents of Catania. The last eruption before the 2018 disaster was in spring 2017, while prior to that, activity in 2015 caused dramatic volcanic lightning.

The eruption and earthquake in 2018 left around 400 people homeless, and many properties uninhabitable. Mount Etna later erupted in May 2019, but thankfully the eruption did not endanger the people of Catania, as the lava spewed upwards from the summit. A further eruption began in February 2021, but Stefano Branco, head of the INGV National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology, described this latest outburst as "not at all worrying". In fact, volcanic activity can be quite beautiful – when it's not deadly.

With an ever-present layer of smog hanging over its skyline, in 2018 the suburb of Gurugram in northern India was named the world's most polluted city, according to Greenpeace and AirVisual. Also known as Millennium City, it's located south-west of India's capital, New Delhi.

Renowned as one of India's tech hubs, Gurugram is home to a number of international firms, including TripAdvisor and Uber. The developing city is full of new construction – a major source of dust which has created high levels of air pollution. The issue isn't helped by a meager public transport system, resulting in more residents regularly using their cars.

In October 2018, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board issued a five-point agenda to combat air pollution in the city. These include sprinkling water on roads, preventing traffic congestion, providing electric heaters to outdoor security guards in the winter to stop the burning of firewood, and a ban on dumping and burning rubbish in the open.

Unsurprisingly, those in the slums and on the streets of Gurugram are the most vulnerable, as they spend the majority of their time outside and are unable to escape the toxic smog. In neighbouring New Dehli, which has been named the most polluted capital city in the world, the government previously placed a temporary ban on construction activities and waste-burning, as well as increasing parking charges to dissuade people from driving into the city.

In contrast, the rich in Gurugram have been encouraged to take extra measures by staying indoors and purchasing expensive air purifiers. Selling for between $127 (£100) and $509 (£400) a pop, only the wealthy can afford them – and paying out for one in every room really adds up. Those looking for extra reassurance can also hire clean air consultants who will come to your home, test the pollution levels for any hidden hazards and suggest filters and fixes. 

If you think your winters are cold, try visiting Yakutsk. The Russian city is one of the world's coldest continuously inhabited places, with an average annual temperature of -10°C and average figures in January dropping down to an incredible -41°C. The frozen city is regularly engulfed in a blanket of freezing fog that can restrict visibility to just 32 feet. Water and gas are delivered to homes and businesses through giant overground pipes due to the freezing temperatures.

The population of around 336,000 locals have to get used to the constant chill. In 2008, the city hit the headlines when burst pipes caused the two nearby villages of Artyk and Markha to lose their heating for several days. During the big freeze, locals had to gather around wood-fired stoves, which only added to the fog shrouding the city. 

The port settlement sits on the banks of Russia's Lena River, an abundant source of fish that fills the local markets – in the winter months,  locals have to fish through holes on the frozen river. Back on land, the temperatures get so cold that residents have to wear fur from head to toe, while even wearing glasses can be problematic – in temperatures of -45°C the metal can stick to skin.

As a general rule, it's important to spend as little time as possible outside in the winter, as just five to ten minutes of fresh air is enough to cause fatigue. Locals also have a tendency to leave their car engines running all day while at work to prevent them from freezing, which further increases the incredible amount of fog that abounds.

This typical apartment building in the city centre has cracked down the middle due to the cold. Many of the houses here are made from concrete panels and are built on stilts. This ensures the underside of the building is ventilated and also prevents the permafrost from heating up beneath the foundations and melting. Made up of soil and rocks, permafrost will remain stable as long as it's frozen.

An ancient Berber city, Ghadames is located in the Libyan desert. With virtually no rainfall all year long, it's prone to extremely hot summers, with a record high of 55°C. Also known as the Pearl of the Desert, it's packed with alleyways that have been clad in heat-reflecting white plaster to shield the locals from the boiling sun. 

Designed to survive the challenging conditions, the houses in the town cluster together to form a rough circle, with the outer walls of the homes located on the city's perimeter thickened to create a fortified settlement. While a Roman garrison was located here from 19BC, the structures that we see today are from the 13th-16th centuries.

The architectural style of these houses sets Ghadames apart from the other surrounding pre-Saharan cities. A Unesco World Heritage Site, the town's iconic mud and lime huts help to protect the residents from the intense heat. Remarkably, the old town is almost completely covered, except for small ventilation holes in the mud. 

Inside, the historic homes have a minimum of two floors, with one used for storing goods and the other for family living. The rooftops themselves not only protect the residents from the scorching sun but function as a second city, with walkways that make it easy to move from one house to another. 

New housing has been built outside of the lime-washed barrier wall, and this is where the majority of people in Ghadames now live. However, when the scorching summer sun hits, some residents return to the old town to shelter from the heat. 

The small town of Ittoqqortoormiit in Greenland is the most remote inhabited community in the western hemisphere. Its closest neighbour is the Northeast Greenland National Park, the world's largest national park. Overrun by polar bears, reindeers and walruses, the only human presence in the park is the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish naval unit, so residents really are all on their own here.

The tiny outpost is made up of a scattering of small wooden buildings, painted in bright shades of blue, red, yellow and green. These homes are perched on a coastal bluff made from gneiss, which is some of the oldest rock on earth.

For around nine months of the year, sea ice blocks the town's access to civilisation, meaning hunting and fishing are the only ways the local residents can survive. With a small population of just 450, residents in this isolated spot derive an income from hunting and summer tourism. 

Ittoqqortoormiit's inhabitants have access to a local pub that opens just once a week, a supermarket filled with freeze-dried food, plus a small souvenir shop and post office, all located in the centre. To reach the nearest airport, residents have to fly by helicopter or, in warmer months, they can take a boat.

Even though it truly is one of the most remote places on earth, the tiny wooden huts that dot the landscape of Ittoqqortoormiit are more than adequate. Equipped with modern amenities, they provide a spacious and cosy spot to shelter from the cold. The town's only guesthouse can be booked through Nanu Travel.

The sixth-largest city in Mexico, Tijuana is a border city located just south of California. Divided into eight boroughs, the bustling main street of Avenida Revolución is a tourist trap lined with souvenir shops and lively bars. However, Tijuana was ranked the most dangerous city in the world due to its staggeringly high homicide rate, according to a 2019 report by advocacy group Citizens' Council for Public Security. 

Begun in 1994, the Mexico/United States border wall runs through Tijuana. A series of vertical barriers stretching 1,954 miles in total, it was intended to reduce the number of people crossing into the US. The city's urban sprawl now extends around 15 miles east from the Pacific Ocean, to the spot where Tijuana's last houses scatter into the scrubland to meet the wall. 

While mostly safe for visitors who stick to the well-lit tourist zones, major drug cartels do operate near the border, accounting for much of the city's sky-high homicide figures. Staggered on hillside terraces, these homes sit just the other side of the primary fence between Mexico and the US.

With 138 killings per 100,000 residents in 2019, Tijuana experiences an average of seven homicides a day. Most of the violence in the area stems from the human trafficking and drugs trades, which are orchestrated by various criminal gangs. The dramatic spike in murder rates in 2018 was said to be in part due to a turf war between the infamous Sinaloa gang and the fast-growing Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación.

However, as with many cities, there's more than one side to this Mexican hotspot. The city is also home to a booming luxury property market, with many desirable beachfront mansions up for grabs. Tijuana is known for its huge craft beer scene too, with micro-breweries popping up en masse, turning this unexpected locale into something of a culinary capital.

On 26 April 1986, the city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine became the site of the worst nuclear accident of all time when reactor four at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded. Radioactive materials were released into the air, affecting large swathes of Ukraine, Belarus and western Russia. The reactor is at the centre of a 1,000-square-mile exclusion zone which has been reduced to a ghost town.

The nearest city to the power plant, Pripyat's soil, water and air are still contaminated with radiation to this day and are likely to be for the next 20,000 years, although the levels will lessen as time goes on. Void of human life, nature is nevertheless flourishing, with towering trees surrounding the area's abandoned high-rises.

During the disaster, more than 300,000 people were evacuated. Today, despite the radiation levels, the area has become something of a dark tourism attraction, with thousands of visitors taking tours around the eerie city. As previous residents were told to pack for a few days away, the crumbling homes here still contain an array of personal belongings.

However, there are a small number of people who still call the exclusion zone home. These self-settlers, mostly women in their 70s and 80s, are the last of the survivors who returned to their family houses after the explosion. Known as babushkas, they are among around 1,200 people who returned after the accident, with just 130 remaining today. 

With no cars in the area, the babushkas visit each other's homes on foot to play cards and chat. Inside, the properties are frozen in time with original wallpaper, flooring and furnishings intact. While they have electricity, there's a lack of running water and little to no contact with the outside world. However, the women do receive a fixed state pension. Talk about extreme living...

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