Yet there are people who live in those places. Pointless? That statistic really puts in perspective for me how much empty space there is in the world.

Personally speaking, the main reason I wouldn’t want to live in any of those places is because of the lack of people — cities and buildings can be designed around the terrain… but if no one else is there, what’s the point?

Counterpoint: Las Vegas is in the middle of a desert - yet immensely popular.