The safest place in your home during a radiation emergency is a centrally located room or basement. This area should have as few windows as possible, and the farther away it is from the windows, the better. Iceland is a small island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean, with a population of just over 300,000 people and an area of 103,000 square kilometers. It is one of the safest countries in the event of nuclear war due to its isolation, lack of military and geothermal energy.
Iceland does not have a standing army or any other military force, meaning that there would be no one to point a nuclear weapon at. The only people who would be at risk would be those working in vital infrastructure, such as power plants or airports, but even these workers could take refuge underground and be safe from radiation exposure. Additionally, Iceland generates all its electricity from geothermal sources, so even if the entire power grid were to go down, Iceland would still have energy thanks to its natural hot springs. Greenland is the largest island in the world, located in the Arctic Ocean between Canada and Iceland.
It is an autonomous Danish territory with a population of approximately 57,000 people and a rich cultural heritage. The Maldives are an archipelago of 26 atolls with more than 1000 individual islands located in the Indian Ocean south of India and Sri Lanka. Bhutan is another potential safe haven for those looking to escape nuclear war due to its strict regulations on tourism and its 70% forested mountain coverage. The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) ranks the Philippines as the 20th safest country in the world out of more than 180 countries evaluated.
In terms of sheltering during a nuclear attack, FEMA identifies brick or concrete buildings as the safest forms of shelter. Basements or higher apartment floors are also recommended for safety. Antarctica could be another safe place due to its ban on nuclear weapons detonation, but it is not suitable for living due to its harsh environment. In order to protect yourself during a nuclear attack, it is best to go to the basement or center of the building and stay away from outside walls and ceilings.
Maintain a distance of at least six feet between yourself and people who are not part of your household and wear a mask if possible. It is also important to have an exit strategy in place in case you need to evacuate quickly. Finally, it is recommended that you form communities with like-minded people who can pool resources and information in order to survive a nuclear exchange. Mile-high cities can also provide some protection from nuclear fallout due to their elevation.
While there are still some places on Earth that would be relatively safe in the event of a nuclear war, major powers are unlikely to give up their nuclear potential completely.
