Across the globe, some of the most breathtaking landscapes remain startlingly empty. Countries like Kazakhstan, , Australia, Mongolia, Namibia, Libya, Suriname, Canada, , and Greenland cover vast swathes of earth- with the land mass often more than 99% uninhabited-yet barely a soul lives there.

Collectively, their populations barely top 130 million people. That might sound like a lot until you compare it to a much smaller country like , whose population exceeds 125 million and where there are more than 800 people per square mile. In Greenland, which tops the list of sparsely-populated countries, there is less than one person people per 10 square miles. The UK has an average of 723 people per square mile.

Why, despite such spectacular natural beauty, are these places so empty? The answers lie in a combination of climate, geography and history. Take the icy expanse of Greenland, with its vast ice sheet covering 80 per cent of the island. Here, the Arctic cold and endless snow make permanent settlements almost impossible. Similarly, Canada's harsh winters, rugged terrain and immense forests discourage large-scale settlement. The country spans almost 3.85 million square miles but is home to only 38 million people.

Meanwhile, the blazing heat and relentless deserts of Libya and Namibia carve out inhospitable conditions for habitation. Water is scarce, and the land resists cultivation, forcing most communities to cluster together in more hospitable areas. Namibia, for instance, has just 2.5 million residents spread over roughly 318,000 square miles

Isolation plays a massive role too. Suriname and Botswana have sprawling forests and savannahs but remain cut off from major trade routes or industries that might encourage population growth. Suriname, nestled in the dense jungles of South America, holds just over 600,000 people within 63,000 square miles, with large parts of the country untouched by roads or cities. Geopolitical instability, war, and cultural history also shape these nations. Mongolia's traditions of nomadic herding mean most people live spread across the 603,000 square miles of steppe, though its capital Ulaanbaatar boasts over 1.4 million citizens

Australia bucks the trend with a paradox: while over 99% of its land is nearly empty, it boasts booming cities like Sydney and Melbourne that pulse with life. Still, the vast Outback remains a formidable, sparsely populated wild

Put together, these 12 enormous countries have fewer populations than Egypt or Japan, where fertile lands and economic hubs encourage dense populations. So, while the emptiest countries showcase some of Earth's most spectacular scenery, a mix of climate extremes, geography, culture, and history ensures they remain the world's great frontiers of solitude. For travelers, that emptiness is a rare and captivating allure - a chance to witness the planet's wild beauty, largely untouched by crowds.

See our table, below, that reveals how the UK's population of 68 million people, squeezed into 94,000 square miles (at an average density of 723.4 people per square mile) compares to the least populated countries in the world and the most populous by area - Japan.