With global tensions continuing to make headlines, a viral list circulating online is asking a pretty wild question: where would you go if World War III actually broke out?

The list names 12 places that could potentially be safer during a major global conflict, based on factors including geographic isolation, food production, natural resources, political neutrality and distance from major military powers.

And two Latin American countries made the cut: Argentina and Chile.

The viral ranking lists Fiji, Tuvalu, New Zealand, Indonesia, Iceland, Argentina, Chile, Switzerland, Bhutan, Antarctica, South Africa and Greenland as potential safe havens.

There’s an important catch: this isn’t an official scientific ranking of the “safest countries” during World War III.Versions of essentially the same list have circulated online for years, and experts caution that the outcome of a global war would depend enormously on where fighting occurred, whether nuclear weapons were used and what happened to global food and energy systems. The Citizen

🇦🇷 Why Argentina?

Argentina’s biggest advantage could be something surprisingly simple: food.

The country has enormous agricultural capacity and is geographically far removed from many of the world’s biggest potential military flashpoints. In a conflict that severely disrupted international trade, countries capable of producing large amounts of their own food could have an important advantage. Seasia.co

Argentina is also far from much of the Northern Hemisphere, where many of the world’s nuclear powers and major military alliances are concentrated.

Interestingly, Argentina isn’t currently among the world’s very most peaceful countries overall. The 2026 Global Peace Index ranks it 72nd globally, meaning its appearance on these World War III lists has more to do with geography, agriculture and resources than everyday measures of peacefulness. Global Peace Index

🇨🇱 Why Chile?

Chile has another geographic advantage: the Andes on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other.

Its extraordinary north-to-south geography gives the country natural barriers, while its agriculture and extensive natural resources could provide additional resilience if international supply chains collapsed. Seasia.co

Chile also performs relatively well on conventional measures of peace. The 2026 Global Peace Index ranks Chile 52nd worldwide and second in Latin America and the Caribbean, behind Uruguay. Global Peace Index

Could Anywhere Really Be “Safe”?

That’s where the viral graphic oversimplifies things.

A large-scale nuclear conflict wouldn’t only affect countries that were attacked. Scientists have modelled scenarios in which smoke entering the atmosphere dramatically reduces global temperatures and food production — potentially creating severe food shortages thousands of kilometres away from the fighting. DOI

One peer-reviewed study examining resilience to a potential nuclear winter identified Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu as island nations that could be comparatively resilient. Even then, researchers warned that trade disruptions, energy shortages and failures in manufacturing could create serious problems. PubMed

So no, there isn’t really a guaranteed World War III escape plan.

But if you’re looking at the map from a Latin American perspective, Argentina and Chile have some interesting advantages: distance, land, food, resources and geography.

And apparently, if everything goes sideways…

South America might suddenly become some very valuable real estate. 🌎😅