Where are the quietest places on Earth?

[별고을]

Where are the quietest places on Earth?

Story by Stars Insider

17/ 03/ 2025

São Miguel Island

Native name: Ilha de São Miguel

Nickname: The Green Island

Lagoa do Fogo on São Miguel_in the Azores of Portugal on the planet_Earth

Lagoa do Fogo (English: Lake of Fire), as seen from Miradouro da Serra da Barrosa,

along the Água de Pau Massif

Lagoa das Furnas, ilha de São Miguel, Arquipélago dos Açores, Portugal

Lagoa das Furnas

Pasturelands in the Picos region:

the debris field that joined the Sete Cidades Massif and Água de Pau Massif 

that united the island of São Miguel.

ilha-sao-miguel-acores-deslumbrantes-natureza-lagoas

Miradouro-do-Castelo-Branco-azores

Lagoa do Fogo

Parque Terra Nostra

Centro de Interpretação Ambiental da Caldeira Velha

Gorreana Tea Factory

Furnas Lake

São Miguel, Azores

In the eastern mid-Atlantic, 1,800 kilometers west of the Strait of Gibraltar,

the Azores archipelago

lies at the junction of the North American, Eurasian, and African plates.

 île de Sao Miguel 

São Miguel Island

São Miguel Island (pronounced [ˈsɐ̃w miˈɣɛl]; Portuguese for 'Saint Michael'), nicknamed "The Green Island" (Ilha Verde), is the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. The island covers 760 km2 (290 sq mi) and has around 140,000 inhabitants, with 45,000 people residing in Ponta Delgada, the archipelago's largest city.

Where are the quietest places on Earth?©Shutterstock

In an increasingly noisy world, silence is a rare treasure. Fortunately, a growing number of organizations and individuals are dedicated to discovering and preserving quiet spaces. From Quiet Parks International, which identifies areas with minimal noise pollution, to acoustic engineer Gordon Hempton, who has devoted much of his life to locating the world’s quietest spots, efforts to find tranquility are on the rise. Many regions on our planet remain remote enough to offer an escape from the clamor of human civilization.

지구상에서 가장 조용한 곳은 어디입니까?©셔터스톡

점점 더 시끄러워지는 세상에서 침묵은 희귀한 보물입니다. 다행히도 점점 더 많은 조직과 개인이 조용한 공간을 발견하고 보존하는 데 전념하고 있습니다. 소음 공해가 최소화된 지역을 식별하는 콰이어트 파크스 인터내셔널(Quiet Parks International)부터 세계에서 가장 조용한 지역을 찾는 데 평생을 바친 음향 엔지니어 고든 헴튼(Gordon Hempton)에 이르기까지, 평온함을 찾기 위한 노력이 증가하고 있습니다. 지구상의 많은 지역은 인류 문명의 소란스러움에서 벗어날 수 있을 만큼 충분히 멀리 떨어져 있습니다.

Preserving our silent sanctuaries©Getty Images

Humans may be better at coping with the noise we create, but losing the natural quiet would be a disaster for our spirits. Peaceful, undisturbed places are treasures worth finding and safeguarding. If more people were calmed by the beauty of nature’s sounds, perhaps we’d all decide to lower the volume a bit.

Yangmingshan National Park, Taiwan©Getty Images

This park was awarded Urban Quiet Park status by Quiet Parks International in 2020. Areas that obtain the status must have noise levels of below 45 decibels, equivalent to the sound levels in the average library, and a maximum of eight short “noise disturbances” an hour, none of which can exceed 65 decibels. 

Zabalo River, Ecuador©Getty Images

In 2019, Ecuador’s Zabalo River area was designated the first Wilderness Quiet Park by Quiet Parks International. Spanning over 1 million acres (404,680 hectares), this serene environment remains free of noise pollution, thanks largely to the Indigenous Cofán people who have safeguarded this protected area for thousands of years.

Antarctica©Getty Images

Antarctica isn't just the world's southernmost continent, it's also the highest, driest, windiest, coldest, and iciest. This frozen expanse remains free from permanent human settlement, with no towns or villages, and only the occasional research station or expedition hut breaking its vast, silent landscape.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, US©Getty Images

In March 2023, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), located in the traditional homelands of the Anishinaabe people, was awarded Wilderness Quiet Park status by Quiet Parks International (QPI). The natural silence in the BWCAW can last for hours at a time, depending on the time of day, season, and factors such as air traffic patterns.

Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana©Getty Images

Covering 1,506 square miles (3,900 square kilometers), the Makgadikgadi Pan in northeast Botswana is one of the world's largest salt flats. Once the bed of the now-vanished Makgadikgadi Lake, its wildlife is scarce during the dry season, making it a perfectly quiet spot surrounded by desert. 

Landmannalaugar, Iceland©Getty Images

Landmannalaugar, named after a hot pool beneath the Laugahraun lava field, offers travelers miles of solitude in Iceland. Not only can you wander without seeing another soul, but you'll also encounter incredibly silent volcanic patches scattered throughout the region.

Kielder Mires, England©Getty Images

Northumberland’s Kielder Mires, England’s largest blanket bog, is nestled on the western edge of Kielder Water and Forest Park. Spanning 250 square miles (648 square kilometers), it's home to 150 million trees, making it England's largest planted forest. A few years ago, it was named the quietest place in Britain, thanks to its distance from the nearest road or flight path.

Kelso Dunes, Mojave Desert, US©Getty Images

Famed for its vast vistas and challenging environment, the Mojave Desert is a quiet haven due to its lack of wildlife, planes, or cars. The scorching summer heat keeps casual visitors at bay, leaving only the intrepid travelers to bask in the sound of silence.

Haleakalā National Park, Hawaii©Getty Images

Haleakalā Crater on Maui, a dormant volcano, is renowned as the quietest place on Earth. Stepping into the crater is supposed to be a life-changing experience, as the decibel levels are so low that even whispers can sound like shouts.

Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, Australia©Shutterstock

This site is home to one of the world's largest radio telescopes, which listens to radio waves from outer space—only possible in truly isolated areas. The surrounding expanse in the Western Australia outback is a designated Radio Quiet Zone, where electronic devices like mobile phones, radios, and televisions must be turned off.

Grasslands National Park, Canada©Getty Images

Canadian poet Lorna Crozier once described Grasslands National Park as a “sanctuary of silence, one of the last on the planet. Under the wind, under our heartbeats, we hear the earth breathing.” Spanning more than 348 square miles (900 square kilometers), the park is divided into two blocks, each with its own distinct personality. 

Sources: (National Geographic) (Quiet Parks International) (Viator) (Cirrus Research) (Travel + Leisure)