Famous Abandoned Islands Around The World
What is lonelier than a lost pair of socks? An abandoned island indeed! But what could be the possible reason? No doubt once upon a time, it might have been a vividly flourishing, and happiness-filled place. However, twisted circumstances must have left it uninhabited. There are thousands of such types of islands in the world. To know so, find out below why some of the famous islands around the world are abandoned.
Hashima Island, Japan
Japan is like no other country in the world comprising many unique islands and places with appalling stories. Hashima Island is one such intriguing landmark but in an eerie way. It was once the world’s most densely populated island but is now totally bared. A fact unfurls that an underwater coal deposit right under the island lured the people in it. Soon, the place was packed with apartment complexes, a school, a hospital, and numerous restaurants to facilitate the miners and laborers. It was a thriving mini island, and eventually, its density record appalled the world. However, the people left as quickly as they came when the coal ran out.
The island is now in a dilapidated state that resembles a concrete ghost town in the heart of the sea. Hence it made it out as one of the highlighted abandoned islands on earth.
The Island of Dolls, Mexico
Will you freak out finding an island with no humans but hanging dolls? Well, there is one in Mexico. The Island of Dolls located in the channels of Xochimilco is one of the most peculiar top attractions in the region. Here is where it gets interesting how dolls ended up hanging on trees. A dead girl was found entangled among the lilies in a canal bordering the island. The horrific sight was discovered by the then-owner of the island before it was called ‘The Island of Dolls’. He then began to experience unexplainable situations that terrified him. To appease the spirit of the dead girl, he collected dolls from the trash and canals and placed them or hung them everywhere in the island. Oddly, the man died on the same spot he discovered the dead girl.
Poveglia Plague Island, Italy
The tiny island of Poveglia settles between Lido and Venice in the Venetian Lagoon, Italy. The period from the 17th century found this Island as a quarantine station for diseases and plague-stricken victims. Later, it became a hospital complex for mental care and asylum. Plagues, battles, and infections were common attacks on people in those days. Hence, victims over one million who were sent there had to live and die in isolation. Distressingly, an estimation of more than 50% of the soil consists of human ashes in the vicinity. This peculiarity often portrays the island in paranormal shows.
The Poveglia Plague Island has been vacant since 1968. A church converted into a lighthouse, a cabana, a hospital, a residential area for the staff tending the patients, and an asylum are the surviving structures on the island. Where the rumor stated, it is one of the haunted places on earth.
Ross Island in South Andaman, India
Before it became one of the ultimately abandoned islands, Ross Island was a base for the British Administrator of the penal colony in Port Blair. Located in the South Andaman Islands, it has passed through the control of several countries. In its prime time, it was often epithet as the ‘Paris of the East’. The British built homes and established sophisticated premises such as clubs, pools, dance halls, bakeries, and gardens. Not for long, an earthquake in 1941 shattered the whole place, and the Japanese invasion claiming the island for their war bunkers left the island unattended. In 1979, the Indian Navy set up a small post after they acquired the island for them. The island was later changed into the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island in December 2018.
The Village of Ukivok on King Island, Alaska
The ghostly Village of Ukivok still stands on the steep cliffside of King Island in Alaska. It was once a winter home of sea-faring natives who hunt crabs, seals, and other game for the chilly season. The natives spent their summer engaging their providence from hunting and gathering on the mainland while they spent the other subsistence activities on the King Island during winter. Hence, during its peak time, the village on the very island held about 200 inhabitants.
However, the perilous location was soon vacated after the Bureau of Indian Affairs shut down their school as a precaution to avoid the danger of rock slides. Nevertheless, the consequence forced the students to attend schools on the mainland. Therefore without the children to help gather subsistence, the elders and adults slowly migrated back to the mainland. Despite their moldering stilts and residences, they still survive for over 50 years. Also, the deserted school stood intact until today.
The Suakin Island Ancient Ruins
Who would ever think that the Suakin Island was a prosperous trading center after seeing the deserted ruins? However, the landscape is impeccable and is one of the underscores of abandoned islands in the world. Situated on the Red Sea, it breathes unspeakable history through its ruins.
The port in the Suakin Island was once crucially prominent to mighty empires for some 3000 years. It was veritably developed during the 10th century BCE and became an outlet to the Red Sea for travel and trade. It rapidly developed into a rich, prosperous, gated island port and gained a height of medieval luxury.
The 19th century introduced slave trading in the Suakin port, eventually turning it into a hub for the same. However, it faced a turndown to its prosperity as the slave trade diminished over the years. The ruins of the coral buildings and other indestructible structures are the only remnants of once a blossoming civilization on the island today.
Deception Island, Antarctic
Amongst other enchanting abandoned islands in the world, Deception Island in the Antarctic is the ultimate tourists and photographers’ paradise. Coveted, then deserted by many countries, this island was once a whaling station and home to several scientific research bases. However, in the late 1960s, the island allowed two volcanic eruptions to destroy the station and research centers into ashes. A stroke of sour luck indeed. In fact, the island is the caldera of an active volcano which explains why operating and building expensive things ain’t safe there.
Despite its uninhabited reason, Deception Island is a top attraction for avid travelers and tourists alike. Its otherworldly vistas and wildlife greatly lure many people. Explorers enjoy a bath in the island’s natural hot springs too.
McNab’s Island in Halifax, Nova Scotia
A certain merchant named Peter McNab settled on the McNab’s Island in Halifax, Nova Scotia in the 1780s. Thereafter, his descendants continued living on the island until 1934. Since then, virtually there was no evidence of inhabitant in the island. As of today, what remains of it are the ruins of the family homes who habitat in the prime time, a family burial plot, abanoned military forts and a shipwreck cove. You can also find a cholera quarantine potters fields, a worn out soda pop factory and a lighthouse. The island is an all-out landscape of countless derelic structures in racks and ruins. The overgrown greeneries almost decorated the deserted place into somewhat impressive sight. It is now one of the coolest abandoned islands for any avid travelers to visit.
Also read: https://liamtra.com/blog/post-pandemic-tourism-the-new-trends-we-will-see-at-hand/