Definition of agoraphobia:  an irrational fear of open areas or places, where there is little or no easy way of escape.

1. Ayers Rock

Ayers Rock (or Uluru – the official Aboriginal name) is situated 275 miles from Alice Springs, and is located almost in the centre of Australia.

Ayers Rock is a monolith comprised of left over sediment (arkose sandstone) which has formed over hundred of millions of years, and is the only visible part of a huge underground rock slab (the size of which is not known).

The dimensions of Ayers Rock is approximately 1,141 feet high, 2.2 miles long & 1.2 miles wide.  It would take a couple of hours to walk around the base of Ayers Rock which is approximately 5.8 miles.

Set in miles of open brush if you are agoraphobic, you would not want to be here as there’s nowhere to hide! 

2. Bonneville Salt Flats

Bonneville Salt Flats (so named after the US army officer, Benjamin Bonneville, who explored the area) is located in Northwestern Utah.  It is approximately 159 square miles, and is the remnant of the ancient Lake Bonneville.

A salt flat is caused by the evaporation of an expanse of salt water – in the case of Bonneville Salt Flats, this has taken thousands of years of years to form.

Flat, white and very expansive – it’s every agoraphobics nightmare.   To get a a better understanding of how expansive the salt flats are, check out the view on Google maps!

3. Grand Canyon

Located in the Northwest corner of Arizona (in the Arizona Desert), the Grand Canyon is a natural formation which was created by the Colorado flowing through it.  It has been calculated that it has taken approximately 3-6 million years to form!

The chasm is 277 miles long, in places can be up to 18 miles wide and is approximately 1 mile deep.

Standing on the North, West or South Rims, you can literally see open space for miles and miles and miles….

4. Sahara Desert

The Sahara desert covers approximately 9,000,000 square kilometres, and is supposedly the largest and hottest desert on the face of the Earth.  Stretching across Northern Africa, from the Red Sea to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean, it also has boundaries on the Mediterranean Sea, Sudan, Egypt & Atlas Mountains.

Some of the sand dunes have been known to reach a height of 465 meters (taller than the Empire States building!) – think of the size of the sandcastles you could build….

5. Arctic Circle

It is estimated that the expanse of ice within the Arctic Circle covers approximately 10 million sq km.  However, it has been estimated that 621,000 sq km of the Arctic Circle has melted in the last 30 years.  Temperatures range from 16 degrees in Summer with 24hrs of sunshine during Summer Solstice, to -35 degrees in Winter with 24hrs of darkness during Winter Solstice.  So you have a choice – stand in a wide open space in the light, or stand in a wide open space in the dark… what would you choose?

6. Yellowstone Park – Idaho

Yellowstone National Park covers approximately 3,472 square miles – 15% of which is open grassland area.  The remainder of the park is covered by either water or Forest..  However, before all you agoraphobics think of running to the safety of the trees, take into account you will have to avoid the 300 geysers, the 10,000 hydrothermal features and not forgetting the native grizzly bears that reside within the park (and no they will not be as cute as Yogi & Boo Boo).  Even if you do happen to make it the safety of the forest – you still have to survive the many Earthquakes that the region experiences, approximately 2000 each year (average of 5 earthquakes a day).

7. Antarctica

Antarctica is larger and much colder than the North Pole (found in the Arctic Circle), comprising of approximately14 million square km of ice.  The temperature rarely gets above 0 degrees Celcius, the coldest temperature ever recorded is -88 degrees Celcius, and with winds reaching up to 300 km per hour the conditions are extremely harsh.  Due to these harsh conditions, other than scientific bases, no one lives there on a permanent basis.    Therefore not only would you be in the open, you would be pretty much alone as well (apart from the occasional seal or penguin for company).

8. Mojave Desert – California

The Mojave Desert (named after the native tribe of Americans) is the smallest but driest desert in America.  Although classed as small, it still covers 22,000 square miles.  The desert mainly falls within Southern California, but it also crosses into the boundaries of Nevada, Utah & Arizona. The temperature can range between minus 7 degrees Celcius in the Winter, up to sweltering 54 degrees Celcius during Summer.  El Mirage Lake (a dry flatbed lake) located in the Mojave is a large, dry expanse of land which is used as a backdrop for some famous films, music videos & TV programmes.  Examples being Shania Twain’s video “That Don’t Impress Me Much”, Terminator 2 & Knight Rider.  Hot, dry and open space – another nightmare location for agoraphobics.

9. Yorkshire Moors – United Kingdom

Located in North Yorkshire,  the Yorkshire Moors cover an area of approximately 554 square miles.  The Moors were formed over several million years, during the Jurassic period, and have geological examples of Lower, Middle & Upper Jurassic (such as Ravenscar rocks, Oxford Clay, Tabular Hills, Corallian  rocks & Kimmeridge Clay).  The Moors have been home to several communities through the ages;  Mesolithic & Neolithic, Bronze & Iron ages, Romans, Anglo Saxons & Vikings to name but a few.  There are approximately 12,000 archaeological sites, 700 of which are ancient monuments, so it’s no wonder it attracts millions of tourists each year.  Towards the end of summer, the Moors are covered in a carpet of lush purple heather, so even though you may be out in the open, at least it looks pretty! 

10. Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China was first built during 7th Century B.C, but has had to be maintained and rebuilt over the years following damage during Mongolian attacks.  The wall is approximately 4,000 miles long, but was not built in one section.  The wall was built in several smaller sections, being extended during the reign of different dynasties.  It is estimated that over 1 million people lost their lives whilst helping to build the wall, so it is often referred to as “the longest cemetery on Earth.”  It is the longest man made structure in the world, but contrary to popular belief – cannot be seen from the space with the naked eye.  The Great Wall can be seen from space, but only by using binoculars or a digital camera with a high power zoom lens.   If you are agoraphobic and are dropped off in the middle of the Great Wall of China, not only is it open (elevation of 600m in places) – but you’d have a very, very, very long walk to try and find an escape route!