Guatemala, Guatemala A concentration of maximum danger within a city of maximum danger that is the capital of an outstandingly violent nation. The last 40 years of Guatemalan history is a bloody trail of atrocity, corruption and disaster culminating in 42 homicides per 100,000 residents.

Culiacán, Mexico Since 2000, more than 60 journalists have been killed in Mexico alone. Not included in that figure are thousands more who have been murdered in broad daylight, making Mexico one of the most dangerous places in the world.

Goiânia, Brazil Crime and violence rates are exceedingly high in Brazil. In 2013, the country’s homicide rate—62 per 100,000 inhabitants—was the fourth-highest in Latin America and has more than doubled since 2002.

Detroit, Michigan Detroit has been named the nation’s most dangerous city for the second year in a row, according to a study of FBI crime statistics. There were a recorded 386 murders for 606,585 inhabitants in the last year alone. Detroit is one of the most violent cities in the United States.

Barquisimeto, Venezuela Barquisimeto is estimated to have had 804 homicides for 1,120,718 inhabitants each year. In 2011, the Global Study on Homicide, published by the UN, placed Venezuela as the South American country with the highest rate of crime and violence.

Teresina, Brazil Teresina is also a city notorious for its high rates of crime and violence. The city has produced an alarming 416 murders for 840.600 inhabitants per year. It is reported that violence has particularly exploded since the recent economic boom in Brazil.

St. Louis, Missouri Despite decreasing crime, rates of violent crime and property crime in both the city and the metropolitan area remain higher than the national metropolitan area average. The current murder rate stands at 3,624.3 per 100,000

Belém, Brazil In Brazil, the impunity rate – the rate at which those crimes go unsolved – is 98%, according to Brazil’s National Human Rights Commission. When it comes to a drug-related death, it seems that many are getting away with murder. Because of these looming murders and death threats many Brazilian newspapers and TV stations have simply stopped reporting on narco violence and corruption altogether.

Salvador, Brazil Salvador City in Brazil had a shocking 2,391 homicides for 3,642,482 inhabitants, making it one of the most violent cities in the world. The irony is that Salvador City is also known as Brazil’s ‘capital of happiness’ because of its countless popular outdoor parties and street carnivals.

Cuiabá, Brazil The city of Cuiabá has reported an estimated 549 homicides per every 884,601 inhabitants. The city of Cuiabá is also the fourth Brazilian city on the most dangerous cities in the world list.

Vitoria, Brazil Vitoria in Brazil had a shocking 1,018 homicides for 1,685,384 inhabitants. In January, a one-year-old girl was murdered during a robbery, sparking worldwide outrage and mourning. As a result, the city now has a notorious reputation for its high crime and murder rates, placing it securely on this list.

Cape Town, South Africa 41 homicides per 100,000 residents, Cape Town remains notorious as an international murder capital that offers enticing tourist infrastructure and a vibrant cultural life. However, the tourist attractions cannot fill the gapingly apparent gulf between the rich and poor in Cape Town.

San Salvador, El Salvador Currently, according to the UN, an estimated 13 percent of the cocaine that reaches the US is smuggled through El Salvador. The drug trade has caused the city endless bloodshed in an extraordinary volume of killings.

Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela Guayana in Venezuela reported 578 homicides for 1,050,283 inhabitants. In February 2012, the Venezuelan Observatory began the Campaign to Sensibilize the Value of Life in Venezuela, hoping this campaign would spread the message of peace. If action such as this is continually taken, one can only hope that the violence and homicide will decrease dramatically.

Natal, Brazil The city of Natal, Brazil estimated that 549 homicides occurred for 884,601 inhabitants. The city of Natal is also the fourth Brazilian city on the most dangerous cities in the world list.

São Luís, Brazil Sao Luis is another South American city on the list and it had 509 homicides per 1,014,837 inhabitants. For a town well-known for its seaports and beautiful, surrounding sea, it is a terrible sadness for the city to be suffering from such high levels of homicide, violence, and gang warfare.

Cali, Colombia The city of Cali in Colombia ranks number 7 on the list, and much of this violence is a result of the drug cartels and guerrillas. It is estimated that there are 1,1819 homicides per 2,294,653 inhabitants. This wave of violence has occurred largely since 1995 after the Rodriguez Orejuela brothers were captured.

Fortaleza, Brazil Fortaleza in Brazil had 1,628 homicides per 2,452,185 inhabitants, which places it in the 14th spot on the list. Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil, however, that does not make it a desirable place to live, as the high level of violence and murder is already beginning to drive residents away.

Valencia, Venezuela Crime is a pervasive issue across Venezuela. Venezuela was ranked the most insecure nation in the world by Gallup in 2013 due to poor political and economic environment in the country. The murder rate has increased to 44 per 100,000. The rise of murder in Venezuela has been attributed to the corruption, drug trade, and poor judiciary system.

Maceió, Brazil The beautiful city is full of anguish, as there were reportedly a shocking 801 homicides per 932,748 inhabitants in the city this year alone.

Distrito Central, Honduras Honduras has the highest murder rate in the world. In 2012, Honduras had a murder rate of 90.4 per 100,000 population. There were a total of 7,172 murders in Honduras in 2012. Honduras is considered a major drug route to the U.S., and smuggling has increased after the 2009 Honduran coup.

João Pessoa, Brazil Joao Pessoa is another dangerous city in Brazil. There was a whopping 508 homicides reported for 723,515 inhabitants. In December, president Dilma Rousseff stated that three in every 1000 Brazilian teens are murdered before turning 19.

Acapulco, Mexico The once-popular tourist destination of Acapulco in Mexico has seen a rise in murderous violence between drug lords and criminals. Many tourists now avoid the sunny destination. The city reported 1,170 murders for 818,853 inhabitants.

Caracas, Venezuela Caracas, Venezuela is also in a dire situation, as the city finds itself ranked at #3. It is reported that only eight of 100 crimes that take place will actually be punished, and there’s an average of 3,862 homicides per 3,247,971 people.

San Pedro Sula, Honduras Tragically Honduras’ San Pedro Sula takes the number one spot with 1,218 murders for 719,447 inhabitants in 2012.