Missão Velha, Brazil

With a population of just 36,822, Missão Velha is a sleepy backwater in northeastern Brazil's Araripe Basin. The town sits atop a late Jurassic geological formation, but its geological significance is unlikely to impress most expats. Bureaucracy is a persistent headache, as the formation spans multiple states. And while the region has yielded a trove of fascinating fossils, from fish to dinosaurs, the local economy offers little beyond subsistence farming. This is not the place for those seeking an easy tropical lifestyle - Missão Velha is best suited for the most intrepid and adventurous of expats.