Buriticupu, Brazil

With a population of 72,983, Buriticupu is no quaint backwater. The reality is a municipality struggling with severe environmental challenges - a disturbing 80-meter deep gully erosion has already destroyed 50 homes, leaving entire neighborhoods deserted. The region's former lush rainforest has been heavily depleted by logging, with over 50 sawmills operating around the clock in the 1990s. This reckless deforestation has increased runoff and rapid soil erosion, fed by the area's extreme rainfall of over 2,000 liters per square meter annually. Simply put, Buriticupu is a place for the hardy and resilient, not the faint of heart.