Often referred to as the most remote community in the United States, the secluded community of Supai is located within the Grand Canyon in an area known as Havasu Canyon. Only accessible by helicopter, mule or on foot, it sits eight miles from the nearest road and feels like extreme living at the end of the Earth. 

The world's most remote populated island, Tristan da Cunha sits in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. 1,750 miles from Cape Town, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, the only settlement on the island, is home to less than 300 permanent residents.

Even though the island has a harbour, any large yachts or vessels have to anchor a distance from the coast. Local ferries operate as frequently as they can to and from the island, but with the weather only good enough 70 days a year, reaching the extreme location where people live is difficult. 

All the residents have access to modern-day amenities including a hospital that offers dental treatment and minor operations, as well as a grocery shop and post office, where the island produces its very own stamps. 

The northernmost community in the United States, Utqiagvik feels completely cut off from the world. With no roads connecting it to other settlements, the dirt roads that do exist lead just a few miles outside the main town.

The city is built upon a layer of permafrost that's up to 1,300 feet deep in some places, making life hard for the permanent population of around 4,000 residents. The warm season has an average high of just 2°C, and the winter lasts for 160 days a year, with more than two months spent in complete darkness.

Even though Utqiagvik is seen as a modern community, the locals still practice hunting, fishing and whaling to support the economy as well as for their own food. Only accessible by plane, the town has an airport which is the lifeline for any imports of vital supplies.

At a height of over 16,000 feet, La Rinconada in Peru is the highest human habitation in the world. Perched atop Mount Ananea in the Peruvian Andes, the high-altitude homes are only accessible by a mountainside road and can take several days to reach. 

The city itself is iced over for most days of the year and at such a height the air is so thin that the residents have had to adapt. They've also had to find ways of entertaining themselves which include meeting in cafés and setting up a local football team.

Even though the town is extremely poor, the economy relies on the unregulated gold mines that are carved into the mountainside. Miners work through the month without any pay but can take home as much ore as they can carry after their last shift.

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and is home to one of the most isolated communities on Earth, Migingo Island. With a reported population of over 500 people, made up mostly of fisherman crammed into less than 22,000 square feet, the island is far from paradise.

Inaccessible to those without boats, the crowded island is jam-packed with houses made from recovered tin and scavenged materials.

Many think of Antarctica as barren, empty land, however, there's a small Chilean community that call the icy expanse home. Villa Las Estrellas is as isolated as towns come with just 14 homes, one bank, a post office, a small school, church, gym and a souvenir shop.

Located on the Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva Base with a population of around 100, which gets smaller in the harsh winter months, the residents tend to be a rotation of scientists or personnel from Chile's navy and air force. Those on long-term stints often bring their families.

The hospital on the island is equipped for basic lifesaving procedures and a small pharmacy is also available. However, with limited facilities and only one doctor and one nurse, all emergency cases have to be flown to health centres in South America a mere 625 miles away.

Located in the Australian Outback, one of the most hostile places on Earth, is the town of Coober Pedy. 526 miles north of Adelaide, the landscape is often described as moon-like due to being dotted with mine shafts.

A town built on opal mining, the scorching sun and sky-high temperatures posed a problem to early 20th-century residents of the town. So they came up with a novel solution: underground homes or dugouts, far from the searing heat.

With a modern population of around 1,625 people, the opal industry has begun to decline, however, many of Coober Pedy's residents still live underground to escape the heat. The subterranean town may be remote but it's full of modern-day amenities including a constant water supply, restaurants, hotels, a school, church and even a small hospital.

An almost inhospitable location, the town of Oymyakon in Russia is closer to the Arctic Circle than it is to the nearest city. Frostbite blights the lives of the local residents in the isolated village, which has been labelled the coldest permanently inhabited place on Earth. 

With temperatures back in January 2018 plummeting lower than -58°C, pretty much everything is frozen in the village. Engines freeze, meaning many cars are left running all the time and face coverings are a must as eyelashes and even saliva freeze in an instant.

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 Sled Patrol, a Danish naval unit, so residents really are all on their own here.

Around 2,000 miles northeast of New Zealand sits the self-sufficient island of Palmerston. One of the 15 Cook Islands, the atoll has a population of around 35 people, all of whom permanently reside in one of the most isolated communities on the planet. 

Life on the island is one of isolation and simplicity, with the locals collecting rainwater for drinking and relying on fish and coconuts to get by. The community is self-reliant due to its fishing, a rainwater-catchment system and a solar generator.