Top 5 most dangerous places in the world

October 6, 2008 by User Image B.M. Garrett

Take a glance at our list of the Most Dangerous Places in the world.

When you are planning your next holiday, this list may either help you avoid dangerous places where you stand a high chance of being kidnapped, murdered or both or it will help you find that death wish thrill that you have been seeking.

In any case, the list below highlights some of the most unstable and consequently most dangerous places of the planet, with some of the reasons why they find themselves in this situation.

Iraq

After the legacy of fear induced by Saddam Hussein, the American led invasion of Iraq in 2003 led to a ferocious civil war involving Al-Qaeda, Sunni and Shiite militias, Kurdish rebels, U.S. troops, black marketeers and criminals. It is consequently a ruined nation, wracked by violence with the deaths of over 600,000 Iraqi civilians.

Colombia

This country is renowned for kidnappings, with many hostages eventually being murdered. It is also ranked fourth in the world in terms of murders and political murders are highly popular among rebel groups, with mayors being a favorite target. Paramilitary groups are also involved in a bloody conflict with the government who wish to stop them exporting cocaine to the western world.

Sudan

Perhaps one of the most dangerous places in the world thanks to its inhospitable terrain and the 2 civil wars that have spanned the last 50 years of Sudan’s history since its independence, claiming 2 million civilian lives. Terrorism is rife and the government is in open conflict with Chad on account of the situation in Darfur.

Afghanistan

After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban took power and wreaked havoc on its society, particularly against women who found themselves the victims of shari’a law. It remains an extremely poor and undeveloped country, riddled with landmines planted by the Soviets, but today tribal rivalry, banditry and the opium trade continue to destabilize the country with the Taliban continuing to struggle against the US led liberation of Afghanistan.

Antarctica

I could not help adding this to the list. It is one of the most dangerous places for reasons other than war, banditry, gun crime or kidnappings. Temperatures in Antarctica regularly drop below -60°C (-100°F) with winds at over 100 km/h. Exposure to these conditions must be limited, otherwise certain death ensues.

Although you are most likely to never see any of the world’s most dangerous places, it’s still good to know what’s what in the world today.