Eurasian Pole of Inaccessibility – Qoqek, China - Atlas Obscura

Eurasian Pole of Inaccessibility

Qoqek, China

Eurasia's most difficult place to hang out, and farthest point from sea access. 

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Not to be confused with the Southern Pole of Inaccessibility, the Eurasian Pole of Inaccessibility is just as inaccessible. 

A pole of inaccessibility refers to the place on its geographical location that is the most problematic to get to. Obviously remoteness can be an altering distinction depending on changing conditions, so the term is defined differently among explorers, who are usually the only people it concerns. 

When pinpointing the Eurasian Pole of Inaccessibility, one is looking for the most far-flung point of the continent that is farthest from the ocean. There is debate on just where this point lies, depending on whether you take the Gulf of Ob into consideration as “ocean” or not, or how you define the coastline. The general consensus at this time is that the truly most inaccessible point is at 46°17′N 86°40′E near the Kazakhstan borer in north-western China. 

Some argue that dismissing the Gulf of Ob is a vast oversight, and that the true pole is located near a historical gateway significant in the story of East and West migration called the Dzungarian Gate. With the gulf included as part of the ocean, the new lat/long of the most far-off point would be 45.28°N 88.14°E.

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May 30, 2013

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