Its remote location means that Svalbard has been able to retain the pristine natural wonders that the arctic circle is famous for and develop its reputation as the wildest place in Europe.
But large and truly wild or wilderness areas have become very rare in Europe, limited to the Svalbard area of northern Scandinavia, mountain areas of Southern Europe and forest areas in Central and Eastern Europe, including the southern Carpathians area.
Polesia is Europe's largest remaining inland wetland wilderness. Some of the continent's last 'wild' rivers meander across the landscape, through a vast patchwork of extensive carbon-storing peatlands and forests, islands, lakes, bogs, and wet meadows.
Sweden. Sweden is a land covered by forests, rivers and lakes and is home to some fantastic wildlife. Over 65% of the land is covered by beautiful forests and the country provides perfect habitat for mammals such as bear, wolf and elk, as well as an many interesting bird and butterfly species.
Nobody is certain how much wilderness Europe has left, but the best estimates say it's 1 percent or less. Most of this land is in the east, where bison roam Poland's Biaowie'za Forest, old-growth trees carpet the Carpathian Mountains, and taiga blankets the Russia-Finland border.
Brazil. It is the country with the greatest biodiversity of flora and fauna on the planet. Brazil has the highest number of species of known mammals and freshwater fish, and more than 50,000 species of trees and bushes, it takes first place in plant diversity.
Greenland. At 970,000 square km, four times the size of the UK, Northeast Greenland National Park is the largest protected area on the planet – and entirely deserted.
In the EU. 6 Large carnivore species are present in Europe: Brown bear (Ursus arctos), Wolf (Canis lupus), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the highly threatened Iberian lynx (Lynx pardina), Wolverine (Gulo gulo) and Golden jackal (Canis aureus). All mainland EU countries host at least one large carnivore species.
Discover a truly enchanted paradise where nature is in control of everything, The Doñana National Park is the largest natural reserve in Spain and in entire Europe! Protecting two animals in danger of extinction: the beautiful Iberian lynx and the royal eagle!
France hunts more species than any other European countries. For example, 64 bird species, twice as many as the European average. And of those 64, 20 are endangered. It is incomprehensible that we continue to shoot endangered species.
Perucica is Europe's largest rainforest, covering 3 500 acres of land in enchanting, ancient growth. Running down deep valleys and along the slopes of towering limestone peaks, this part of Europe still feels wild and little-explored... making it the perfect place for adventure!
The bison is Europe's heaviest land mammal, weighing up to 800 kg. Although they are naturally shy it is possible to see them in the wild. In Poland, the bison is considered to be the country's national animal. The Polish population is one of the largest, with more than 1,800 animals now reported to live in the wild.
The European Union is home to five species of large carnivore. These include the brown bear, the wolf, the wolverine and two species of lynx, the Eurasian lynx and the Iberian lynx. Historically these species have all suffered dramatic declines in numbers and distribution as a consequence of human activity.
There are many more animals to view in the countries of Europe. Other popular animals are red or roe deer, European pine martens, chamois, golden eagles, otters, hedgehogs, varieties of owls and falcons, sables, foxes, wild boars, seals, and sea birds like the beloved puffin.
Romania is home to 60% of Europe's brown bears. There are believed to be over 200,000 brown bears in the world, of which 6,000 of them roam Romania's forests in the Carpathian Mountains - the largest population of bears in Europe.
Romania - Home to over 7000, Romania has the largest bear population in Europe.
Northeast Greenland National Park is the largest terrestrial protected area in the world.
The Nile crocodile, found in sub-Saharan Africa, is the most aggressive animal in the world.
Badgers are the UK's largest land predator and are one of the most well-known British species.
Greenland is the largest country with no arable land, while the smallest nation—the small city-state of Vatican City—has none as well. According to the FAO, the world's arable land amounted to 1.38 billion hectares (5.34 million square miles) in 2019.
Costa Rica. Everyone knows that Costa Rica has incredible biodiversity, so nature lovers have to add this country to their travel list.