And now it's time for Who Smarted?
Oops, pardon me.
Sorry.
Excuse me.
Could you scooch over a tad?
Your armpit is kind of right near my face.
Now it's in my face.
Sorry, pal.
Hey, smarty pants.
In case you were wondering, I'm on a crowded bus.
A very crowded bus.
Like, super crazy crowded.
I can barely breathe in here.
You don't exactly smell like roses either, my friend.
No, no, no.
I didn't mean you.
I just meant... Never mind.
I gotta say, sometimes life in the big city gets to you.
Sometimes I wish I could just go somewhere in the middle of nowhere, you know?
With no people.
Or at least, like, very few people.
Yeah, I'm right there with you, pal.
No, no.
I'm saying I don't want you there.
Or anyone.
I want to be alone.
No offense.
None taken.
And I'm agreeing with you.
We're all packed like sardines in here.
Makes me kind of wish I was in Greenland.
Greenland?
Or maybe one of those tiny islands in the South Pacific.
You know, somewhere with a teeny tiny population.
Somewhere where no one's face would smash into my armpit every time the bus stops.
Sorry.
Yeah, a place with way fewer people sounds great right about now.
Come to think of it, is the least populated place on Earth anyway?
And how come so few people live there?
And was it always like that?
Those are great questions, and lucky for you, I've got all the answers, pal.
You do, armpit guy?
Absolutely.
I'm more than just a random armpit.
I'm Andy, the anthropologist.
Studying people, places, and societies is what I do.
Wow, you just never know who you're going to meet on a crowded city bus.
Okay, smarty pants, let's learn more about the least populated places on the planet.
Of course, I do think we should get off the bus first.
Right now, it seems like the most populated place on the planet.
I second that.
Can you reach the button to get off at the next stop?
I think so.
It's just past your armpit.
Hang on, Smarty Pants.
It's time for another whiff of science and history on... Who Smarted?
Who Smarted?
Who's smart?
Is it you?
Is it me?
Is it science?
Or history?
Listen up, everyone.
We make smarting lots of fun on Who Smarted?
Ah, that's better.
Say, where'd we get off, Andy?
Seems like we're somehow in the middle of nowhere.
I wish.
We're just on the outskirts of town.
Well then, where is the middle of nowhere?
I bet they have a tiny population.
Hmm.
Middle of nowhere.
Middle of nowhere.
Well, I suppose the more anthropological way to say that would be the most remote place.
And I'd say it doesn't get any more remote than the Pitcairn Islands.
The Pitcairn Islands, huh?
Yep.
They're a group of four islands in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean.
And they've got a pretty tiny population.
Well, they're not exactly a country.
They're British Overseas Territory, but they are one of the most remote regions in the world, putting them, as you say, in the middle of nowhere.
In fact, the islands themselves are really far from each other.
There are four islands, Pitcairn Island, Henderson Island, Dusty Island, and Owino Island.
They're scattered over several hundred miles of ocean and only one of them, Pitcairn Island, is actually inhabited.
Inhabited meaning people live there.
Exactly, as opposed to uninhabited, which means nobody lives there permanently.
Of course, the inhabited island only has 47 people.
There were more people on the bus.
Yeah, don't remind me.
So how does that happen, Andy?
Well, most of the population are all descendants from one single sea voyage.
Wait, as in they descended from the crew of one single ship?
Yep.
Back in 1789, there was a ship that sailed all the way from England called the HMS Bounty.
But somewhere along the journey the ship's crew mutinied or revolted against the ship's captain, kicking him and 18 others off the boat.
They then sailed to Pitcairn Island along with a few Polynesians they picked up in nearby Tahiti.
And pretty much everyone who lives on the island today is a descendant from that one group of Brits and Polynesians.
Wow, what a crazy story.
So the island was probably mostly uninhabited when they got there?
For the most part.
Over the centuries the population of the Pitcairn Islands fluctuated slightly, but it's always small.
In the mid-1800s, 193 people lived on the island.
But some moved away to nearby islands and never came back.
On the one hand, it sounds nice not having to share space with too many people.
On the other hand, living on a super remote island in the middle of the ocean sounds a little lonely.
Do they even have a pizzeria?
What other low population places do you know of, Andy?
Well, here's an example of a place that's actually gigantic, but has a super small population.
I'll give you a hint.
It's a huge island, and its climate is pretty cold most of the year.
What do you think, Sparty Pants?
Do you know the place Andy the Anthropologist is talking about?
Shout out your answers.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
I'm hearing lots of answers.
So, what is it?
If you said Greenland, great job.
Greenland has a population of 57,000 people.
Wait, 57,000 people?
That's a pretty big jump from the 47 people living on the Pitcairn Islands.
I'm sure there's places with less than 57,000 people.
What kind of anthropologist are you anyways?
Let me see your degree.
Hang on, trusty.
Let me explain.
Greenland is over 830,000 square miles large.
It's about one quarter of the size of the United States, three times the size of Texas and five times the size of California.
And while 57000 people may seem like a big number thanks to population density, it's actually not much at all.
Ah, I see.
For a place that big to have less people living there than the amount of fans who attend a professional football game or a Taylor Swift concert.
That's pretty crazy.
Oh, and what is population density exactly?
Population density is the number of people living in a place relative to its size.
In Greenland, there's only 0.36 people per square mile.
Wait, that's less than one person.
That's less than half a person.
Yep, when you spread 57000 people out over Greenland's 830000 square miles, that means huge parts of the island have nobody living on them.
In fact, Greenland is the least densely populated region in the world.
Gotcha.
I gotta say, that doesn't sound too bad.
But why do so few people want to live there?
It looks so pretty, and the name Greenland sounds so fun and enticing.
Well, it is pretty, but it's very, very, very cold.
In fact, most of the island is frozen solid.
If you look at a map of Greenland, you'll see 80% of the island is covered by a permanent ice sheet.
That means that its population of 57,000 live in just a few small communities along the shoreline.
I see.
Talk about an ironic name.
Okay, so Pitcairn Island is sparsely populated because it's so remote.
And Greenland is sparsely populated because so much of it is unlivable.
Are those the only reasons why a place has a tiny population?
What do you think, Smarty Pants?
The answer is no.
Remoteness and harsh conditions aren't the only reasons a place might have a tiny population.
Occasionally, a small population can be explained by a place having a very specific function or economy.
Oh, like a ghost town that's only inhabited by ghosts who use ghost money to buy ghost pizza?
Um, no.
Such a place does not exist.
It was worth a shot.
So what kind of place is Andy talking about?
Here's a clue to one.
If you guessed the Vatican City, you're right.
While not actually a city, Vatican City is a tiny sovereign country located within Italy.
It's one of the world's smallest, in fact, with a population of just 764.
That is tiny.
But what exactly did you mean when you said it has a specific function or economy?
Well, the Vatican City is where the Pope lives.
He serves not only as the head of the Catholic Church, but also as head of the state.
And every one of the 764 residents of the Vatican either work for the Catholic Church, the state, or they're family members of someone who does.
Gotcha.
Smarty Pins.
True or false?
Even though the Vatican is tiny, less than a quarter of a mile or half of a kilometer, it has the busiest pharmacy in the world.
If you said true, you're right.
The Vatican Pharmacy was founded in 1874 and receives 2,000 visitors per day.
Wow.
How did you know that?
Trusty narrators know stuff too, pal.
Nice.
It's also fascinating to think over twice the population of the country are walking in to buy breath mints and cough syrup every day.
Good point, Andy.
The reason this pharmacy is so busy is because it's famous for having medicines that are hard or even impossible to find elsewhere in Italy.
And in true Vatican style, the head of the pharmacy is a monk.
Moving on, as we've learned, there are many different types of regions and even countries with a low population.
And there's always a reason for it.
Now, I want to know, what is the craziest one you've got?
Well, let me ask you this.
Would you want to live in the coldest town on Earth?
Nope, I absolutely would not, Andy.
I think most people would agree with you, trustee.
Except, of course, the 500 or so that do live there.
There being Oymyakon, Russia, which is consistently the coldest inhabited place on the planet.
It's deep in eastern Siberia and the average winter temperature is minus 50 Celsius or minus 58 Fahrenheit.
Minus 58?
How do people survive?
Lots and lots of fur.
And staying indoors as much as possible.
But guess what?
What?
That's not the craziest one.
What?
I know of a place that has such a tiny population that if the two of us went there it would triple the population.
Triple the population?
How could two people triple the population?
Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?
I think so.
Oh boy, Smarty Pants, have you figured out how that's possible?
I'll give you a moment to think about it while we take a short break for a word from our sponsors.
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But off mic, I prefer to keep my adventures in the safe space of my own backyard.
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Now back to Who Smarted?
Okay.
Smarty Pants.
Anthropologist Andy says there's a place with a population so small that if the two of us moved there we'd triple the population, which means the current population.
There is how many?
If you said one, you're right.
Wait, wait.
Are you saying there's a place that has a population of only one person?
I sure am.
Oh, wow.
That must be the loneliest person in the whole world.
Nah, I wouldn't worry about that.
Not to mention, being the only person in town keeps you surprisingly busy.
The town in question is Monowai, Nebraska, here in the United States.
And the only resident is a 90-year-old lady named Elsie Ehler.
Whoa.
Whoa's right.
One person in an entire town, and it's a 90-year-old lady.
How could that be, Andy Anthropologist?
Well, you see, in the 1930s, Manawai had a population of about 150.
But those people moved on to bigger towns and cities where there was more work and more opportunities.
Over the years, the population continued to dwindle down until it was just Elsie and her husband.
And after he died in 2004, she officially became the only resident.
And you're telling me she's not lonely?
It doesn't seem that way.
As the only resident.
She's the mayor, she runs the library and she runs the town's only tavern, where she works six days a week.
She's become so famous people drive over from all around the region to visit the Monowai Tavern and have a burger and chat with Elsie.
Oh, good.
It sounds like she's not lonely at all.
Hey, look, it's our bus back.
Come on.
Excuse me.
Pardon me.
You know Andy, even though I was complaining before about living in a city and being on an overcrowded bus surrounded by lots of people, I wonder if I could actually live in a sparsely populated or tiny little place.
I'd probably get pretty bored.
Same here, trusty.
Plus, it would get pretty lonely.
Not for me.
Oh.
I thought you said you would get lonely being mostly by yourself.
I would, but then I realized I'm never actually alone.
Because I've got the smarty pants with me.
And your armpits.
A big shout out to Crosby and Henry, two longtime Smarty fans from a longtime Smarty family in Fort Ann, New York.
Thanks so much for smarting with us since the beginning.
We love that you think the topics are always interesting and we love that you love Who Smarted for making learning fun.
This episode Least Populated Places was written by Phil Jeremy and voiced by Brad Rader and Jerry Kolber.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn.
Our associate producer is Max Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex-Davis.
Who Smarted? was created and produced by Adam Tex-Davis and Jerry Kolber.
This has been an Atomic Audio production.
Who Smarted?
