In the early 20th century, three or four lighthouse keepers and sailors lived on the island, but since the 1920s it has been abandoned. Today the island is owned by the government and is a protected area. To maintain the ecosystem and ensure safety, visiting the island must be licensed.
6. Demilitarized Zone, Korea
DMZ Demilitarized Zone.
Seventy years after the war, demilitarized zone (DMZ) The 257 km long division dividing the two parts of the Korean peninsula is still uninhabited land. Once a center of conflict and still dotted with old villages and military hardware, the absence of humans has made the land a haven for wildlife.
This area is currently home to more than 6,000 species of flora and fauna. Of Korea’s 267 endangered species, 38% live in the DMZ. These include the Mongolian lizard, which lives on sandbanks and beneath rocks; otters swim along the river that runs between the two Koreas; Musk deer are endangered and Manchurian salmon have the largest habitat there.
Since 2019, people have opened along the DMZ 11 walking trails for peace, ranging from 1 to 5km long, as a way to “return the DMZ to the people”.
7. L, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
In Al Madam village, nature has the yellow color of sand.
Located 70 km from Dubai in the UAE, Al Madam is a small ghost town and in recent years has become a tourist attraction. Consisting of two rows of fully furnished houses and an elegant cathedral, the town looks like it was recently abandoned, leaving behind houses that are now being encroached by the desert.
Although the history of Al Madam is shrouded in mystery, according to media the village was built in the 1970s as part of a public housing project for the Bedouins – an indigenous Arab tribe of about 100 people. people who used to live here. It was abandoned just two decades later.
There is no answer as to why the village was abandoned, but researchers point to the rise of cities such as Dubai and Sharjah, which brought people in search of opportunities and easier living conditions. Now, lovely houses are gradually disappearing under the wild sand.
8. Fukushima, Japan
Japan established the 20km long Fukushima Quarantine Zone and evacuated more than 150,000 people.
The massive earthquake and resulting tsunami in 2011 caused the world’s second-worst nuclear disaster at the Fukushima power plant in northern Japan. Immediately afterwards, the Japanese government established the 20 km long Fukushima Quarantine Zone and evacuated more than 150 thousand people. Evacuation orders have since been gradually lifted and people have been encouraged to return to some towns and villages, but some areas remain isolated.
Nuclear disaster areas are by no means lifeless wastelands. There is an incredible diversity of animals in the quarantine zone, even the number of wild boars has become so large that controlling their population in these areas has become necessary. Other animals that thrive in the area include Japanese macaques, raccoon dogs, Japanese ibex and red foxes.
9. St Kilda, Scotland
Village Bay on Hirta Island, St Kilda. (Photo: Geographical).
The most remote part of the British Isles, located more than 60 km west of the Outer Hebrides, off the northwest coast of Scotland. Islands of St. Kilda offers dramatic natural beauty from huge cliffs and unusual beaches to crystal clear waters and submerged caves. In 1930, due to food shortages, lack of access to medical care, and a declining population, the 36 remaining islanders requested to be resettled on the mainland.
Because there is no human activity, St. Kilda has become a center of wildlife and a site of ecological concern, home to nearly 1 million seabirds, including the UK’s largest colony of Atlantic terns. The islands including Hirta, Boreray, Dun and Soay are now wildlife sanctuaries, recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.
The islands also have a unique type of wren and a species of mouse twice the size of the English vole. Boreray Island and its surrounding beaches are home to the world’s largest flock of ospreys, and all of the world’s Soay sheep are descended from Soay Island flocks.
10. Stack Rock Fort, Wales
Built more than 150 years ago, Stack Rock Fort is now home to seabirds and seals.
A long-abandoned island fort, located off the Pembrokeshire coast in west Wales. Built in the 1850s to defend against a maritime invasion, Fort Stack Rock initially housed a number of guns, troops, and officers, but its use diminished over the years. During World War I, it was garrisoned by a small number of soldiers and was disarmed in 1929.
Since being abandoned for nearly 100 years, the fortress has gradually been invaded by flora and fauna. The new manager, Nicholas Mueller, director of public interest company Anoniiem, which bought the fort and plans to maintain it as a “living ruin”, said there were chestnut trees and birds. Sea gulls are also common, including at least three types of gulls numbering between 300 and 500 on the fort at any one time.
Mueller said a few gray seals frequent the fort. Large black cormorants have formed flocks on the fort and can often be seen perching with outstretched wings.
