Wilderness

Wilderness or wildlands are Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human activity, or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally referred to terrestrial environments, though growing attention is being placed on marine wilderness. Recent maps of wilderness suggest it covers roughly one-quarter of Earth's terrestrial surface, but is being rapidly degraded by human activity.

Even less wilderness remains in the ocean, with only 13.
2% free from intense human activity.

Back to Hiking & Backpacking →

Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

WIKIGEAR

Gear up for the outdoors — hiking, camping, and survival gear guides, reviews, and the tools every adventurer needs.

Get new guides by emailOccasional emails. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

InformationAbout Contact Privacy Policy Terms of Service Disclaimer Affiliate Disclosure Cookie Policy

Every species, image, fact, and figure is drawn from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, used under public-domain and Creative Commons licenses. No content is AI-generated.