The safest places
7/12/11 21:30![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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talkpoliticsSure, it's country bashing month, but what about the reversed? I mean the safest countries, or the places you'd prefer to use for sanctuary if/when the shit hits the fan: in case of a global economic meltdown, huge social unrest at your place, civil war, or even if a WW3 breaks out for example. Just hypothetically. You'd need a plan B, right? Well surely there are some corners of the globe that would make you forget about the trouble that's happening elsewhere. Quiet, calm and peaceful places where no one is peeking over your shoulder and breathing down your neck, and where things aren't that "exciting" in terms of political turmoil. So I've come up with 10 such places. Feel free to add more if you're bothered at all.
Switzerland. It's known for keeping neutrality. Besides it's full of picturesque little corners surrounded by the Alps, which creates a sense of coziness and protection. The neighbor Austria is also among the "sober" ones when it comes to dealing with, or causing global problems... in that it does its best to keep its nose away from those.
Costa Rica. Been there once and it's a true paradise! It's one of those countries who are not messing into others' business. Also it wins points for its high ranking in the global peace index, and the living standard that's way higher than the rest of the region. And though it's located next to some turbulent regions, I'm sure many Central American people would kill to get citizenship there.
New Guinea. No, I'm not kidding! If we're talking about secluded places, that's the one. There are still some areas of New Guinea that remain a complete mystery to the rest of the world. These mountains offer some of the most isolated corners in the world. If your purpose is presumably to barricade yourself, in this country you can be sure you're completely separated from the rest of the world.
Canada. Second biggest territory in the world, and next to the US, but still full of vast wilderness. And it's got the longest land border, which is simultaneously the calmest. Really, does anything interesting happen along the Canadian-US border? Or in Canada itself, to that matter? Perfect place to hide at times of global cataclysms. Not to mention the extremely high living standard!
The Seychelles. The main resource here is isolation. These isles are in the middle of the Indian ocean, and the beauty and serenity reigns everywhere. No surprise you'd quickly forget about your troubles once you've stepped there. And the locals probably don't have a word for "conflict". Just don't send any more tsunamis, please!
Finland. This frozen land is always in the top 10 of the most peaceful and neutral countries at times of global conflict. Not only you'd get huge amounts of vodka to extinguish the depression from the endless winter nights, but you'd find no difficulty with becoming invisible amidst all this idyll and peace far, far in the north. And Santa lives there! So you can rely on getting your Christmas presents first.
Tuvalu. Ever heard of this island republic? Let's just say it's located on a group of atolls in Polinesia, in the western Pacific. And it's an exceptionally quiet and friendly place. This country is the third least famous and the fourth smallest country in the world. Enough said, I think? Try to find it on a map.
Iceland. Well, they've got some recent troubles but nevertheless, this remote volcanic piece of rock in the Northern Atlantic is the perfect place for exodus, if need be. Most of it is high mountains, glaciers, geysers and volcanos. Basically the country has no military, and no land borders to patrol (and no nearby enemies to guard its coast from). Despite the bank collapse, people there enjoy a very high living standard, and their society is structured in a very simple and efficient way. The perfect place to live a simple and undisturbed life, if you're not bothered by the horrible weather...
Bhutan. Can you believe that people in this poor country in the Himalayas are among the happiest people in the world? Bhutan ranks 8th among the most satisfied citizens, way ahead of America and Japan. Its culture rests upon ancient traditions (there are laws about the clothes you wear in public), and its state religion is one that promotes peace and harmony, which has made those people exceptionally calm and even-tempered. Because of its geographical position, and despite China's proximity (and Tibet's), it's still a very good place for hiding from the world.
New Zealand. Where without it! The most, most, MOST secure, neutral and safe place on Earth, undoubtedly is New Zealand. It's got maximum isolation and is meanwhile very advanced economically and socially. It's far away from any potential rivals, and in fact NZ doesn't have any political enemies or industrial competitors in the region (Australia is a special case). The transparency, democracy and freedom of speech indexes are at their maximum, New Zealand consistently ranks among the best of the best. It's no surprise that it now ranks #1 in the global peace index.
Switzerland. It's known for keeping neutrality. Besides it's full of picturesque little corners surrounded by the Alps, which creates a sense of coziness and protection. The neighbor Austria is also among the "sober" ones when it comes to dealing with, or causing global problems... in that it does its best to keep its nose away from those.
Costa Rica. Been there once and it's a true paradise! It's one of those countries who are not messing into others' business. Also it wins points for its high ranking in the global peace index, and the living standard that's way higher than the rest of the region. And though it's located next to some turbulent regions, I'm sure many Central American people would kill to get citizenship there.
New Guinea. No, I'm not kidding! If we're talking about secluded places, that's the one. There are still some areas of New Guinea that remain a complete mystery to the rest of the world. These mountains offer some of the most isolated corners in the world. If your purpose is presumably to barricade yourself, in this country you can be sure you're completely separated from the rest of the world.
Canada. Second biggest territory in the world, and next to the US, but still full of vast wilderness. And it's got the longest land border, which is simultaneously the calmest. Really, does anything interesting happen along the Canadian-US border? Or in Canada itself, to that matter? Perfect place to hide at times of global cataclysms. Not to mention the extremely high living standard!
The Seychelles. The main resource here is isolation. These isles are in the middle of the Indian ocean, and the beauty and serenity reigns everywhere. No surprise you'd quickly forget about your troubles once you've stepped there. And the locals probably don't have a word for "conflict". Just don't send any more tsunamis, please!
Finland. This frozen land is always in the top 10 of the most peaceful and neutral countries at times of global conflict. Not only you'd get huge amounts of vodka to extinguish the depression from the endless winter nights, but you'd find no difficulty with becoming invisible amidst all this idyll and peace far, far in the north. And Santa lives there! So you can rely on getting your Christmas presents first.
Tuvalu. Ever heard of this island republic? Let's just say it's located on a group of atolls in Polinesia, in the western Pacific. And it's an exceptionally quiet and friendly place. This country is the third least famous and the fourth smallest country in the world. Enough said, I think? Try to find it on a map.
Iceland. Well, they've got some recent troubles but nevertheless, this remote volcanic piece of rock in the Northern Atlantic is the perfect place for exodus, if need be. Most of it is high mountains, glaciers, geysers and volcanos. Basically the country has no military, and no land borders to patrol (and no nearby enemies to guard its coast from). Despite the bank collapse, people there enjoy a very high living standard, and their society is structured in a very simple and efficient way. The perfect place to live a simple and undisturbed life, if you're not bothered by the horrible weather...
Bhutan. Can you believe that people in this poor country in the Himalayas are among the happiest people in the world? Bhutan ranks 8th among the most satisfied citizens, way ahead of America and Japan. Its culture rests upon ancient traditions (there are laws about the clothes you wear in public), and its state religion is one that promotes peace and harmony, which has made those people exceptionally calm and even-tempered. Because of its geographical position, and despite China's proximity (and Tibet's), it's still a very good place for hiding from the world.
New Zealand. Where without it! The most, most, MOST secure, neutral and safe place on Earth, undoubtedly is New Zealand. It's got maximum isolation and is meanwhile very advanced economically and socially. It's far away from any potential rivals, and in fact NZ doesn't have any political enemies or industrial competitors in the region (Australia is a special case). The transparency, democracy and freedom of speech indexes are at their maximum, New Zealand consistently ranks among the best of the best. It's no surprise that it now ranks #1 in the global peace index.
(no subject)
Date: 7/12/11 20:21 (UTC)Btw a recent survey put Luxembourg at 1st place in terms of safety as well as happiness. And no surprise, because its GDP per capita is times higher than that of the rest of the industrialised countries.
(no subject)
Date: 7/12/11 20:52 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/12/11 20:59 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/12/11 22:07 (UTC)Is it about OWS? I don't think so. Then don't expect anyone to be bothered.
On-topic: German-speaking cities occupy top places in best-cities survey (http://www.citymayors.com/features/quality_survey.html).
Top 10 cities:
Wien
Zürich
Auckland
München
Düsseldorf
Vancouver
Frankfurt
Geneva
Bern
Copenhagen
(no subject)
Date: 7/12/11 22:08 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 7/12/11 23:14 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 8/12/11 00:50 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 8/12/11 04:27 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 8/12/11 06:42 (UTC)