LowEndTalk member @ServerBachelor started an interesting thread about what qualifies as an “exotic location” in 2025.

There’s no precise definition.  In our community, it means a location where you don’t see many offers or where there aren’t many providers.  Of course, it changes almost minute by minute.  For example, Uruguay was never considered an IT hub, but Google opened a new DC there in Canelones in 2024.  So is Uruguay still “exotic”?  Most would say so, though we’ve had other offers there.

On the other hand, we’ve never had an offer from Papua New Guinea or Tuvalu.  Even some countries with huge populations are rarely featured.  For example, we’ve only had a single offer in Mexico.

Some countries are so geographically close to powerhouse IT centers that it probably doesn’t make sense for providers to host there.  Norway, for example, is a stone’s throw from the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, and Finland, all major locations.

Here’s @ServerBachelor‘s categories, in decreasing order of “exoticity”:

1. Most Pacific islands, Iran, Libya and other North African countries, Chinese mainland, anywhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, Turkmenistan, Antarctica
2. Belarus, Russia, most of Central and South America, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Central Asian countries, other Arab Gulf States, Balkan states, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South and Southeast Asia, most Middle Eastern states besides Iran
3. Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, UAE, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Australia, New Zealand, Baltic states, Scandinavian countries, Singapore, Japan, Italy, Czechia, Slovakia, Austria
4. Belgium, Luxembourg, Moldova, Romania, UK
5. Netherlands, Germany, France, United States, Canada

I think this is spot on.  Category #5 are the “super centers” with an abundance of options.  Of course, even within some of these geographies, one could find “exotic” regions.  For example, in the US, there are few datacenters in Alaska or Hawaii.

I would probably move Singapore to category 4, as we see a lot of offers there.  And I’d probably move Moldova to #3, because we see less than others in that category.  A case could be made for putting the UK in #5.

But other than minor tweaks, I think this is pretty accurate.  Any you disagree with?

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raindog308

Dread Lord of LowEnd Content at LowEndBox

I'm raindog308, techno polymath and long-time LowEndTalk community Administrator. My technical interests include all things Unix, perl, python, golang, shell scripting, vintage operating systems such as MVS, and relational database systems such as Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL.

I also enjoy using LEBs! I have an empire of little guys for VPNs, larger guys for apps, and big guys for databases and storage. When I'm not in front a screen I'm into German Shepherd dogs, quality knives, target shooting, theology, tabletop roleplaying games, and forest hiking.

I enjoy writing technical articles here on LowEndBox to help people get more out of their systems. You can find me on LowEndTalk @raindog308

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