Hashima Island
Hashima, or Gunkanjima Island, is an abandoned coal mining community 15km outside of Nagsaki, Japan. In 1959, the island had the highest population in the world with a density of 1.391 people per km^2. The island was abruptly abandoned in 1974 when the coal resources ran out an the workers living there were no longer needed. Travel to the island is prohibited.
The literal translation of the island means “Battleship Island” because of it’s silhouette.
Everything literally falls apart, in a relatively short period of time.
The abandoned school:
Here is an interesting video of a man returning to the island where he grew up:
via videosift.com
Kowloon Walled City
The Kowloon walled city had a long history with political and territorial disputes. After Japan’s WWII surrender in 1948 the area became a part of British Hong Kong. Squatters began to build, and when the city became part of the People Republic of China, even more were added. The city was a lawless haven, British government didn’t want to deal with it, and Hong Kong Police were not allowed to enter. The Kowloon walled city was an “in-between zone” ruled by nobody but the fearsome triads that ran the city.
View of the city shortly before demolition.
Inside the city’s alleys. In some areas, daylight was completely blocked out.
Shabby makeshift power lines littered the city and it’s rooftop.
The Kowloon Walled city was demolished in 1993. Check out this great video of the interior of the city from the movie “Bloodsport:
Pripyat
The infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant failure left this entire city abandoned. Because the residents were only allowed to take a single suitcase of items with them during the evacuation, almost everything was left behind. This gives the city the appearance that it’s inhabitants simply vanished - children’s toys, documents, photos, can all still be found withing thousands of abandoned apartments.
View of the city’s ferris wheel. Those of you who play Call of Duty 4 will recognize this.
Although radiation still exists, its possible to visit for a short amount of time without getting sick.
The swimming pool
Like other abandoned cities, Pripyat has been the setting of many movies and video games. Watch this incredible video of the city:
San Zhi
Outside of Taipei, Taiwan, lies the abandoned San Zhi Resort. What makes this abandoned place unique is the strange buildings. In fact, that could be why they are abandoned - faulty construction practices caused several of the worker’s death. Consequently the resort was never finished and it is said that the place is haunted by the workers who died building it.
A futuristic resort - now completely abandoned.
Haunted? Looks like it.
They don’t look safe. Some say the pods are made of a faulty kind of plastic, which is why the pods seem to be falling apart after such a short period of abandonment.
Know of any other modern abandoned cities I should include in this list? Feel free to comment.
Environmental disasters we don’t learn from! Sustainable, environmentally friendly and well planned stuff takes strong governments? Not so. Humanity wastes energy on war when we should be using it to produce survival units for individuals, commune farms, anything but the disastrous waste of war, and the waste shown here. Maybe the coming depression in the USA, combined with the recent downfall of the Soviet Union will be the thrust for a new paradigm of love and survival for mankind, but not likely without a horrendous disaster for humanity to shock the human psyche.
Well put Unde B …
I like the idea of a “Horrendous Disaster” .
Uncle B,
You are a twit. At best. (Trying to be polite, but far stronger words come to mind.)
First, the USA is not in for a major depression — in spite of Bush’s total mismanagement of the economy. You’re forgetting that the US rides the leading edge of the tech wave. Everyone (even the Japanese) follow us. Many nations have moved closer in certain technologies (like Taiwan in chip manufacture), but the theoretical edge of physics and engineering has been (and will remain) in the United States since the end of WWII.
We are so far ahead of any potential “competitor” that the only thing that could bring us down from the edge would be a fascist or communist regime pulling govt money out of research projects. (Fascists would buy tanks. Communists would try to grow more food and build palaces to the people. We know how well BOTH of those worked, now don’t we?) Neither is even vaguely likely. That tech edge makes our economy insurmountable, even with the approximately 100million of us who are carrying the weight of the other 200million Americans. (China is doing a right nice job of figuring out how to harness their wealthy people to carry the destitute. They might be a true competitor in 50 years.)
As for “a new paradigm of love and survival for mankind,” I can only say, “What the hell kind of cheap weed are you smoking?”
War IS the natural state of humans. We have been preparing for, fighting and recovering from war continuously as far back as the archaeological record goes.
There has NEVER been a period in which humans were not in conflict with each other. Better to master the preparation stage and ALWAYS be a step ahead. People bemoan the fact that the only hard industries left in the US are military contractors, mostly producing heavy weaponry and light rifles. Guess what? They’re the ONLY production that must stay local. As long as we have the ships and guns to keep the sea lanes open, everything else will come to us in due time.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cypherone/sets/72157600694356865/
More photos of San Zhi