# Nuclear Armageddon - Just How big and how much?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-armageddon-just-how-big-and-how-much/79086>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 31, 2001, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-armageddon-just-how-big-and-how-much/79086 "2001-08-31T07:40:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Heath\_Doolin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Heath\_Doolin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heath_Doolin)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2001, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-armageddon-just-how-big-and-how-much/79086/1 "2001-08-31T07:40:01Z")

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So World War 3…we got bombs. They got bombs

BIG bombs from what I hear. Bigger than anything we can think of when we dropped atomics.

So a full scale assault ensues. Is there any place that can survive or are the bombs and target sites numerous enough to carpet bomb and wipe out everything? Will the freakos living in butthollow, Montana survive as they say or will they end up as dust?

Me I live 50 miles from L.A. so I know I am a greasy stain but in case I want to go Mad Max, where do I need to be?

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**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2001, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-armageddon-just-how-big-and-how-much/79086/2 "2001-08-31T12:52:00Z")

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I think if there was a nuclear holocaust, I read somewhere your best bet would be South America, specifically Brazil. Seems air currents to Brazil come from Africa, where I doubt a lot of nuclear activity would be going on, unless Gambia is starting a nuke program anythim soon.

You’d also be protected from fallout from the Pacific I think by the Andes mountains . . er not sure about that this is all off the top of my head.

How long before the radiation and fallout would wipe you out there, I dont know.

I also suspect there are other places in the Southern Hemisphere that would be safe for at least a while. In the United States I’m guessing the only places might be along Northern California and Southern Oregon, since the fallout from LA, Seattle, Portland would blow east. But then the fallout from China would fly over in a day or so, and there you go, goodebye.

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**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2001, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuclear-armageddon-just-how-big-and-how-much/79086/3 "2001-08-31T13:37:23Z")

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The master has [answered](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_232.html) this one. The relevant part of Cecil’s answer is:

> [@](#):
>
> Some years ago an editor at The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists used wind data and a list of probable targets to calculate that Tierra del Fuego would be the last place on earth to be affected by radioactive fallout. Tierra del Fuego happens to be a godforsaken rockpile just off the southern tip of South America.

Realize that nukes are not targeted to carpet bomb the planet (think overlapping circles of destruction sufficient to cover all landmasses). Instead you usually see multiple nukes targeted on the same spot to ensure its destruction. As a result Tierra del Fuego is your best bet given its distance from anything worth bombing and (as mentioned) wind currents that avoid fallout.