15 WEIRDEST PLACES where people live

Overview

This video is a fast-paced countdown through 15 extremely unusual places where people actually live, showing how communities adapt to harsh geography, tiny land areas, and even hostile environments. It moves from island micro-nations and deserted towns to extreme survival settlements, with lots of “wait, you can live there?!” moments.

Main plot / highlights (by standout entries)

1. #15 Comoros (Kos/Koroso in the subtitles) The video quickly frames the country with stats—small, multilingual, and agriculturally based—while emphasizing pressure from high population density and rapid youth growth. It also notes a large diaspora in France.

2. #14 Pitcairn Islands (Pitcairn) A striking “tiny population” story: only 47 permanent residents (recent figures). The video highlights repopulation efforts and extremely rare births, with the Bounty Mutiny history as a major background thread.

3. #13 Bahrain Presented as a densely packed island nation that relies heavily on imports for food (notably meat and fruit), balancing growth with regional competition.

4. #12 Nauru A classic “small but intense” example: very small land area, high density, colonial history, and population dynamics shaped by past repatriation and life expectancy.

5. #11 Supai Village (Havasupai) Emphasizes extreme remoteness in the Grand Canyon. Key details include male deliveries by mule and supplies being refrigerated before the mule trek. The community repeatedly faces devastating floods and expensive evacuations.

6. #10 Times/Temptstown, China (“an English ghost town”) A comedic/absurd angle: an entire town built to copy British market-town vibes (red telephone boxes, Victorian streets, church/pubs, etc.). It becomes a ghost town because house prices prevent permanent residents. It’s described as a “grotesque and extremely funny parody,” yet it still draws wedding photo shoots.

7. #9 Longyearbyen, Norway An Arctic science-and-history hub that grew out of American coal mining. The video highlights quirky rules like no cats and rifle requirements for polar bear safety. A creepy “policy” theme follows: it can be effectively “illegal to die” in town because bodies are preserved in permafrost, so terminal cases may be forced to leave.

8. #8 Wittenoom, Australia A grim cautionary tale—an asbestos mining town now largely condemned. The video notes the town being removed from maps/road signs, residents evicted, and demolition as the final chapter.

9. #7 Shibam, Yemen “Manhattan of the desert”: mud-brick high-rises that evolved as a vertical city solution. The video highlights the engineering of vertical housing and ongoing threats like erosion and past storm damage.

10. #6 Ganvė (Gbé/Guinés in subtitles), Benin A unique origin story—communities living on stilted waters to escape slavery and conflict. The architecture is water-based, with boats as primary transport and farming/fishing adapted to lake life.

11. #5 Slab City, California Counterculture “last free place” energy—off-grid desert living next to a bombing range. It includes community culture (library, music stages, art) and neighborhood identity like “East Jesus.”

12. #4 Tangdu / “Tandu Chang,” China Another surreal emptiness: a Paris-themed gated community (Eiffel Tower replica, fake cafés, etc.) that ends up with low occupancy. The comedy comes from feeling like you’re in an abandoned European dream.

13. #3 Rjukan, Norway “We fixed winter with tech”: sun mirrors reflect light into town during dark months, creating a spotlight area where people gather. The video notes early skepticism, then eventual tourism success.

14. #2 Kowloon Walled City (City of Darkness) The most chaotic visual description: super dense, improvised architecture, leaky pipes, wiring, and tunnel-like alleys. It ends with the government converting it into a park, alongside heavy costs and forced evictions.

15. #1 Miaki / Miyakejima (in subtitles: “Miaki Jima”), Japan A dramatic closer: an active volcanic island with poisonous sulfur gases, frequent eruptions, and the need for gas masks. Flights have been suspended due to toxic air, while the island remains open for adventurous tourism.

Jokes / memorable reactions (tone notes)

• The strongest comedic absurdity comes from #10 Temptstown and #4 Tandu Chang: entire European-themed towns in China become ghostly parodies rather than thriving communities—though they still attract photographers and visitors.
• #9 Longyearbyen adds dark humor/creepy “rules of living,” including the polar bear rifle requirement and near absence of local burials.
• #5 Slab City brings a playful counterculture vibe through community names and improvised living culture.

Key themes across the countdown

• Tiny geography + dense life (Nauru, Bahrain, Kowloon).
• Extreme environment adaptation (Supai floods, Nauru density, Shibam erosion, Miyakejima gas).
• Economic or political failure turning places weird (Temptstown ghost town; Tangdu Chang underfilled; Wittenoom asbestos collapse).
• Engineering solutions to nature’s limits (Rjukan sun mirrors; Shibam vertical mud architecture).

Personalities

No specific on-screen hosts or clearly identified named personalities are shown in the subtitles (except mentions like Martin Anderson related to the sun-mirror project, plus journalists/tourism advocate names tied to Supai).