wilderness

Area of uninhabited land that has never been disturbed by humans, usually located some distance from towns and cities. According to estimates by US group Conservation International, 52% (90 million sq km/35 million sq mi) of the Earth's total land area was still undisturbed in 1994.

In the USA wilderness areas are specially designated by Congress and protected by federal agencies; some are ‘forever wild’. The Wilderness Act of 1964 resulted from many years of protest; today there are more than 650 designated wilderness areas.