UNUSUAL ISLANDS
Added on: 8th May 2015
HOWLAND ISLAND
This US territory in the Pacific Ocean is where Amelia Earhart was
supposed to land on her around-the-world journey. Since then the
island, along with her fateful journey, has been under much scrutiny.
HASHIMA ISLAND
Today this former Japanese mining colony resembles a deserted
battleship, but at one point in history it was actually the most
densely populated place on the planet. The Japanese crammed it full of
forced labourers from China and Korea during WWII. As you can
probably guess, visiting the island can be quite a spooky experience.
THE FLOATING ISLANDS OF LAKE TITICACA
Entirely man made, these floating island are woven together out of
reeds by a local tribe called the Uros. A long time ago the tribe
likely made these floating islands their home in order to avoid trouble
with other local tribes. These days the Uros still inhabit the floating
islands and make their living off of fishing and tourism.
EASTER ISLAND
Belonging to Chile, this Pacific island is littered with hundreds of huge
statues known as Moia. No one knows why the ancient Polynesians
built these statues but one thing is certain – it wasn’t easy!
GREAT BLUE HOLE
Found off the coast of Belize, this isn’t really an island. It’s
actually the opposite of an island! It’s a huge sinkhole in the ocean
floor that is surrounded by an atoll. Teeming with aquatic life, the
Great Blue Hole is considered one of the world’s greatest dive spots.
NORTH SENTINEL ISLAND
As part of the Andaman Islands, this island is “administered” by India
but its locals have resisted contact ever since its discovery. In fact,
any attempts to even get near the island with a helicopter are
typically met with spears!
POVEGLIA ISLAND
Starting with the Romans who sent all of their plaque victims to this
island near Venice, for most of history it has been a dumping ground
for the sick and diseased. In 1922 a mental hospital was built on
the island and according to legend some crazy experiments took place.
You may have guessed it but today the island is uninhabited and none
of the locals even want to visit.
RAMREE ISLAND
Infested with saltwater crocodiles, during WWII nearly 500 Japanese
troops were eaten alive here. In fact, the incident is listed in the
Guinness Book of World Records as the
“greatest disaster suffered from animals”.
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