Driven by awful living conditions, poverty and extreme violence, many are those who make the hard decision to leave their homelands in search for a ray of hope, bliss and eventually some prosperity. Naturally, some flee their homes due to the warfare in distant regions somewhere out there in the Middle East and simply pick the peaceful life that could offer their families a feeling of safety and peace of mind.

Sadly, not all of us have had the chance to lead a normal life, lacking all those dreadful moments of a possible bomb ticking and ticking until eventually blowing up. Even now, at this very moment, there are a whole lot of dangerous and extremely violent regions on this planet we don’t really think about when waking up in the morning. Without a doubt, such places are filled to the brim with extremists and murderers probably lurking around every corner in these dreadful cities. And since the number of such hellish places is endless, we’ve laid eyes upon a total of 25 violent cities and hotbeds of extreme rage and madness.

25. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Regarded as the largest city in Chihuahua – being a Mexican state – Ciudad Juarez boasts a population of about 1 and a half million people. Once considered a truly perilous area, Juarez is actually said to have returned a bit of its positive image. Indeed, we know it’s not much, but after all, it’s still something, right? Generally said, for all those of you who haven’t heard of Juarez’s notorious reputation, what you should know is that the city’s often called the “Murder Alley”. Well, this “interesting” fact must have come from somewhere, right? With this in mind, you’d better avoid walking down the streets in Juarez late at night.

24. Cuernavaca, Mexico

Meet the wild city of Cuernavaca being ranked as another alarming place that should be taken into consideration when ranking the most dangerous cities on earth. With its drastically increased crime levels and drug trafficking, it’s certainly no wonder why the largest city in the Mexican state of Morelos has become such a violent region that’s hardly recommended for traveling. And if by any chance you happen to turn on the TV to check out what’s going on out there, you’d often hear about attacks, police drug operations as well as murders in the Mexican city of Cuernavaca. We’ve told you that this city is not the best one for family trips, haven’t we?

23. Campina Grande, Brazil

Here we proceed with another quite peculiar city you’ve hardly expected to see on our list of 25 crazy and violent places around the world. But it’s simply they way things are. There’s no escape from the truth itself. Campina Grande is actually one of the most populous Brazilian cities which has been famous for rebellion, violence and illegal activities. With this, it definitely seems like Campina Grande isn’t paid much respect by its locals. What’s even more, the city’s inhabitants don’t bother to publicly disrespect authorities and law enforcement in general. After all, you need to have guts to do so, right?

22. Baltimore, USA

Frankly, if you have never visited Baltimore, we barely advise you to change that. For the last couple of years, Baltimore hasn’t stopped its notorious image from growing more and more out of control. Additionally, it’s exactly the region of Baltimore that’s often described as one of the most unpleasant areas in the United States with dangerous neighborhoods which could offer no safety or peacefulness. With such a negative presentation, who would want to visit this place or take their significant other on a romantic trip there? That’s simply nonsense. Just to give you an example, Baltimore’s Grove Park and Berea top the list of Baltimore’s worst and most dangerous quarters. All in all, the crime rate around here is about 9,000 per 100,000 people.

21. Kingston, Jamaica

In case that you’ve been wondering where to take your family for the sunny weekend ahead, we can certainly help you out with this one. Of course, we have no clue what you like and what you don’t in terms of climate, surroundings or level of privacy. However, we can definitely shrink your number of possible travel options with a total of 25 places you should absolutely avoid. Kingston is just a fresh example of a previously lovely place which, unfortunately, has become a hotbed of cruel crimes and drug trafficking. You may not know this, but the drug exportation is surely beyond dangerous. So keep this in mind if you consider going there on vacation.

20. San Salvador, El Salvador

In case you’re planning on visiting San Salvator anytime soon, let us give you a few juicy details on what’s going on nowadays there. San Salvador is actually a very charming spot that’s sadly filled to the brim with hardcore criminals, especially in certain regions. A perfect instance of that is the quite regular gangland murders which, sadly, happen very often in and around San Salvador. Besides, Salvador features really high levels of violence, robbery, assault, shootings, extortion, etc. Would you like us to go into deeper detail about it? Perhaps not, right? With this in mind, it’s quite obvious why San Salvador is not the perfect spot for vacations.

19. Cali, Colombia

Well, we’re truly sorry to destroy your splendid thoughts about Cali. However, you won’t believe how drastically high its crime rates have become. If truth be told, it’s no longer your safe and cozy place where you could stroll down the streets at night in total comfort and seclusion. You can’t do that out there in Cali anymore. Rather, what you’re very likely to witness today is drug addicts and criminals all over the place. Of course, it’d be quite logical to think of the urban areas as considerably less protected regions. However, we can bet that you have no idea that this city is actually ranked one of the most violent areas worldwide. How crazy, huh?

18. Durban, South Africa

You may not have realized it until now, but Durban has certainly become quite a dangerous spot making people run for the hills in a search for peacefulness and normal living environments. Actually, the rumor has it that the southern parts of the African continent have always been a hotbed of terrorist attacks and bombings; and with its location that’s right in the center of violence, the South African city of Durban is no exception to these beliefs. Actually, together with Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg, Durban city can always be found on quite negative statistics and black chronicles, to say the least.

17. Johannesburg, South Africa

South Africa, and particularly Johannesburg, is certainly and example of all those places which don’t really make you feel comfortable when it comes to notions such as safety and security. Locals often narrate moments when they’ve felt extremely insecure when heading home at night simply because of being fair-skinned. And here, we don’t talk about racism towards the Johannesburg whites, to put it shortly, but about something else that’s a lot more complicated than that. Every 1 in 3 people has experienced mugging in one form or another or has heard such stories an acquaintance of theirs has gone through. Indeed, this number is pretty big, and so is the anxiety of being robbed or, God forbid, physically harmed.

16. Distrito Central, Honduras

A municipality located in the Francisco Morazán department of Honduras, Distrito Central is probably the most peculiar example on this list. The population of the area doesn’t surpass 1.2 million and the the density of this region is about 790/square km. Generally, Distrito Central has always been said to be a hothouse of extreme crime and illegal activities. As such, it certainly doesn’t feature what you’ve probably thought, right? In fact, Distrito Central is anything but a hospitable spot offering tranquility, attractions, fun outdoor activities or welcoming folks. You’d better clear your mind of such irrational thoughts right away.

15. Palmira, Colombia

Described as a considerably small place, Palmira certainly represents Colombia’s short-tempered personality and unwelcoming nature. Located nearby another restless region, namely Cali, Palmira doesn’t really look like the most perfect and dream-like area, does it? Besides, unlike Cali, Palmira’s population may be relatively smaller, as it reaches only about 300, 000 inhabitants, however, Cali’s actually less dangerous and violent. As crazy as it seems, Palmira is actually believed to be having great issues with the cartel activity. With this in mind, Latino America has absolutely proved itself as an immense source of violence, gang activity lacking any law enforcement.

14. Maturin, Venezuela

With its total population of about 500,000 people, Maturin is just another fine example of how awful and distressing the situation really is in Venezuela. Much like many other South African countries, or even the Middle East for that matter, Maturin has been struggling with heavy gang activities alongside a whole lot of other problems from both a political and an economic viewpoint. And just in case you’ve been thinking about visiting this place, the corruption in and around Maturin is quite high, so you’d better not stroll along its streets unless you’d enjoy being robbed of your belongings.

13. Caracas, Venezuela

Well, well, well, it seems like Venezuela has been dealing with a variety of economic and political issues recently. You may not have heard of this, but Hugo Chavez’s political system and government has hardly manage to bear any fruit so far. Rather, from the look of things, it definitely looks like it does more damages to the country’s state than any good. Naturally, you can’t expect the locals to be happy about it, can you? As a logical consequence, the chaos and confusion in Caracas, Venezuela is so perfect that you would not want to set foot in this place for sure. Believe us, you would not want to be there anytime soon.

12. San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Officially known as The Republic of Honduras, the city is actually often referred to as the Spanish Honduras. With its total population jumping over 8 million inhabitants, Honduras spans about 112,500 square km. Previously thought of as a quite famous tourist attraction gathering lots of attention from the vast world, The Republic of Honduras today is hardly that desired following the increased levels of crime, violence as well as trafficking activity all over the place. The Spanish Republic alongside its hotbed of crime, namely the capital San Pedro Sula and other greater urban areas like La Ceiba, are just small examples of the unpleasant picture for potential visitors.

11. Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa

Nowadays, the Nelson Mandela Bay surely falls among some of the top dangerous places that no traveler would want to visit. Just to illustrate how bad the situation truly is down there, Nelson Mandela Bay’s number one issue is its safety and peacefulness. When these two major problems are combined with the basically destroyed and sinking economy of this exact region, you can’t come up with much promising news for the locals, can you? Generally, Cape Town and particularly the Nelson Mandela Bay, offer pretty high homicide rates and this is certainly a feature we simply shouldn’t ignore.

10. Kashmir, India

Here we go with another exclusive example of a highly hazardous place for traveling and family vacations. As ironic as it is, Kashmir, India, may really sound like an adventurous place, however it’s not really the safest one; and if you think that Kashmir is the only wild region throughout India that could absolutely send chills down your spine, wait until you learn about another northern hot spot known as Jammu. Both of these areas definitely feature notorious reputations regardless of their diverse and exotic scenery. Besides, these two regions are actually believed to be the most occupied ones, so you should probably keep this mind before making the decision to go there. As a matter of fact, the State of India and Pakistan have clashed swords, metaphorically speaking, many times over their heavy differences and heated disputes over the Pakistan’s capital borders.

9. Peshawar, Afghanistan

Considered as the link to Pakistan’s neighbors, the pretty frightful city is often depicted as an extremely hot spot where outbreaks of oppression and rage come alive. What’s even more, it’s exactly Peshawar that actually serves as the main entrance to the violent country of Afghanistan. If we must turn to the local stories and rumors, the Afghan nation is anything but “nice” and “peaceful” when it comes to the invasion of all these Western men. With that, traveling when the sun sinks below the horizon wouldn’t be the best thing to do, would it?

8. Gaza City, Palestine

Referred to as one of the deadliest areas in the world, Gaza City in Palestine has certainly earned its place on our extremely hot and scary list of 25 dreadful hotbeds of rage and violence. The population of Gaza City is estimated at about 1.8 million dwellers which definitely turns it into one of the most populous regions on the planet. Let’s take the Gaza City’s Strip alongside its West Bank as an instance. Both of them feature a strip that’s more than 20 miles long, and practically bursting at the seams with Palestinian folks; and even though this exact region is hardly under a siege by Israel any longer, the heavily crowded Gaza City still offers extremely heavy border checkpoint norms.

7. Kabul, Afghanistan

Even though Kabul may not sound like the most dangerous place on the planet, you’d be pretty surprised to learn how bad the situation really is out there. Regardless of its decent looks, which could be compared to many European countries, with lush and exotic 4 and 5-star hotels in and around Afghan capital, Kabul has never stopped being a target for a whole lot of deadly attacks. What’s even more, the Afghan capital is actually a potential hotbed of extremists where kidnapping and explosions are not the most unlikely view out there. A fitting example of such dangerous targets are all military buildings, public transportation, embassies, as well as the city’s landmarks.

6. Mecca, Saudi Arabia

If we compare Mecca, Saudi Arabia, with many other hell-like places in the Middle East, we can definitely arrive at the conclusion that Mecca meets a significant decrease in violence and cataclysm. Especially after the Arab Spring a few years back, which led to heated protests that blew out of proportion, a major section of the Middle East was practically taken over by the Protestants. Of course, this does not mean that Mecca is safe and peaceful nowadays. It’s hardly the case at all. However, the levels of extreme rage and murder have decreased significantly out there.

5. Sana’a, Yemen

Yemen’s capital is actually an example of one of the oldest and most storied cities on this planet. Altogether with two other equally violent cities, such as the Syrian cities Damascus and the bloody Aleppo, all of them make up the list of some of the most ancient regions in the world which are believed to have been continually inhabited for thousands of years. Of course, today’s situation in all three of those cities is quite distressing. The military forces are weakened as opposed to the increased risks of murder and kidnapping of women and children. With this in mind, Sana’a is probably not the most hospitable place to go to, right?

4. Damascus, Syria

What seemed at first to be a calm protest back in 2011 quickly turned into a civil war that enveloped an entire country. As a consequence, the Syrian city of Damascus went through a really destructive attack tearing the city apart. Regardless of the common beliefs that the military forces and the government itself have taken charge of the frantic situation, more or less, Damascus is surely another quite dangerous place to be around. When talking about its present-day situation, the terrorist organizations occupying the area are very likely to keep their attacks going round and round until eventually destroying and capturing the city.

3. Aleppo, Syria

Regarded as the largest Syrian city, Aleppo has become the center of attention, especially after photos of a little boy covered in blood have surfaced. Even though the breaking news has melted away, the present-day situation out there hasn’t really improved. In other words, the ancient city, which at one time offered such incredible world heritage sites, has been entirely destroyed and unrecoverable. What’s even more, there are still no future indications of smoothing out the “heavy differences” between the opposition and the Syrian government itself. Unfortunately, Aleppo is very likely to remain an unbelievably dangerous place for traveling and visiting.

2. Baghdad, Iraq

Following the bloody invasion back in 2003, the distant city has certainly become an embodiment of what a perilous place looks like. Entirely fraught with danger, Bagdad has surely been on top when it comes to high risks of attacks and bombings since 2003. This extreme increase in the street rage and unbearable violence has already reached its peak. Naturally, as a traveler, you would not want to end up in the middle of shootings, would you? With this in mind, traveling beyond the safe zones in this war-torn city is totally inadvisable, if not forbidden.

1. Karachi, Pakistan

Meet another large and heavily crowded Pakistani city, which has fallen into the list of extremely dangerous places in the world that nobody is advised to travel to. As the 2^nd largest city in Pakistan, Karachi houses more than 23 million inhabitants as the density goes about 15,000+ individuals per mile. In terms of safety and attacks, Karachi certainly deserves a spot on our frightening list of the 25 most violent cities in the world. Keep in mind that the situation in Karachi today is anything but promising and flourishing. Apart from the fact that millions of its inhabitants joined the warfare, more than 100,000 people are believed to have been murdered.