In a major nuclear war, countries in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly the U.S., Canada, Russia, China, and most of Europe, would likely not survive due to direct strikes, radioactive fallout, and severe nuclear winter. Other vulnerable areas include the Middle East, North Africa, and Korea. The global catastrophe would cause widespread famine and civilization collapse.
For years, experts have pointed to two main cluster of countries that could offer the greatest safety in the event of a third-world war: South America's Southern Cone and a select group of Pacific Island Nations.
Where is the safest place to be if a nuclear war breaks out?
The safest places in a nuclear war are geographically remote, low-population countries with abundant food, like New Zealand, Australia, and parts of South America (Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil), as they are far from likely targets and better positioned to avoid catastrophic famine from "nuclear winter". Iceland is also a contender due to isolation and geothermal power, while underground shelters or deep basements offer immediate, short-term protection from fallout.
Several countries are being considered as safe havens, including Antarctica, Iceland, and South Africa, due to their isolation, neutrality, or self-sufficiency. Other nations like Fiji, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, and Switzerland are also viewed as potential refuges.
An underground area such as a home or office building basement offers more protection than the first floor of a building. Shielding - The heavier and denser the materials - thick walls, concrete, bricks, books and earth - between you and the fallout particles, the better.
Russia and the United States collectively possess nearly 90% of the world's nuclear weapons, holding the vast majority of the global total, with figures around 12,000 warheads between them, even as other nations like China increase their arsenals. While Russia holds the largest number, the U.S. is second, and together they dwarf the stockpiles of other nuclear powers like China, the UK, France, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea.
The 7-10 Rule for nuclear fallout is a simple guideline stating that for every seven-fold increase in time after a nuclear detonation, the radiation exposure rate decreases by a factor of ten, helping estimate decay for emergency planning. For instance, if the rate is 1000 Rads/hour at 1 hour, it drops to 100 Rads/hour (1/10th) at 7 hours, and to 10 Rads/hour (1/100th) at 49 hours (7x7), providing a rough way to gauge safety.
If you come under small-arms attack, i.e., pistols, submachine guns, rifles, machine guns: You should hide in a protected room at home (for example, in the bathroom, on the stairwell) away from windows and doors.
Who has the most nuclear weapons? Russia has the most confirmed nuclear weapons, with over 5,500 nuclear warheads. The United States follows behind with 5,044 nuclear weapons, hosted in the US and 5 other nations: Turkey, Italy, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
For a UK war stockpile, focus on essentials: water (10L/person/day), non-perishable food (tinned goods, dry pasta/rice, pet food, tin opener, cooking oil/spices), power/light (battery/wind-up radio, torch, spare batteries, candles), first aid (kit, essential meds, hand sanitiser), documents/cash (copies in waterproof bag, physical money), hygiene (wipes, soap, sanitiser), and specialised items (baby/pet supplies, iodine tablets for fallout, a camping stove/fuel, a multi-tool). Build up supplies gradually, focusing on 72 hours of self-sufficiency initially, but aim for longer.
The world today has quite a few states armed with nuclear bombs, namely, Russia, the US, China, France, the UK, India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. Even though it is far from being a perfect deterrent, the doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) has been rather effective.
Your own home is generally the safest place to be in times of unrest. Stay inside – do not go outside to “get a better look,” as the last thing you should do is get involved in the chaos. You should have enough food and water to last at least 72 hours (three days).
If possible, cover your shoes and clothes with an additional layer (e.g. plastic, tissue). On return, remove the additional layer, shoes and outer layer of clothing and then wipe or wash exposed areas of skin with soap and water.
Since I do not foresee that atomic energy is to be a great boon for a long time, I have to say that for the present it is a menace. Perhaps it is well that it should be. It may intimidate the human race into bringing order into its international affairs, which, without the pressure of fear, it would not do.
I'd say my country lol: Chile. At least in South America, imo, has the most secure geography, it's secluded by the Andes, the Atacama desert at the north and Patagonia at the south. I don't see a way you could successfully invade the country.
