The strangest and most mysterious islands on our planet. Mysterious ghost islands

Most of the islands on Earth are quite well studied, their secrets were revealed decades ago, but there are still some mysterious and little-studied pieces of land. Some have been mapped for centuries on the world map, and then suddenly evaporated. The secret and sometimes dangerous possibilities of remote islands long abandoned local residents are of interest. It happens that a piece of land suddenly appears in the middle of the ocean and baffles experts. The islands are completely isolated from the mainland, so their flora and fauna are usually unique and look more like an alien botanical garden. We have made a selection of the ten most unusual islands known today.

Isla Bermeja

On the maps of the 18th century, you can find a tiny island off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula - Isla Bermeja - this is the most distant of all the islands that Mexico wanted to dominate. This island would be the point in resolving the offshore oil dispute that arose between Mexico and the United States. But in 2009, the Mexican National Autonomous University stated that the island does not exist, at least at the point indicated on the map. A special team was sent to search, but the attempts were unsuccessful.

Presumably, the island was located 55 nautical miles (almost 102 km) from the border of the Mexican waters. By incorporating this land into its possessions, Mexico could expand its oil production territories. The actual absence of the island did not stop the head of the Mexican Maritime Committee, he was determined to continue the search, making the assumption that the island could go under water.

Mexican conspiracy theorists have expressed their point of view on this matter: the US could have bombed the island, or it could have been destroyed due to natural disasters. The head of the Naval Committee did not support the idea of ​​the bombing, noting that it would not be so easy to hide it.

The disappearance of the ghost island was originally recorded in 1997, when the morflot expedition did not find it. Recorded data that before the disappearance of the area of ​​the island was about 80 km2, it would be the very starting point of the new body of water in Mexico. Today border area are the Alakranes Islands. In an attempt to expand its territory, Mexico has had the opposite effect.

Renaissance Island

In the 20s of the 20th century, the authorities of the Soviet Union were in search of a special territory, the following factors were important to them: an isolated piece of land, surrounded by desert and not part of the USSR. Only two places met the stated requirements. The choice fell on the Renaissance Island in the Aral Sea (on the border of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan). A secret biological weapons laboratory was built there, where the agents of plague, anthrax, smallpox, brucellosis, tularemia, botulism, and Venezuelan encephalitis were genetically altered so that drugs were powerless against them.

Physicist, microbiologist, colonel of the Soviet army Gennady Lepeshkin spent almost 20 years on the island. According to him, 300 experimental monkeys were in the laboratory, and special devices measured the level of pathogens in the air. The organism of the monkeys could not resist the pathogens of the above diseases, subsequently they were sent to laboratories where they checked the blood and measured the extent to which the disease progressed. According to Lepeshkin, the animals died quite quickly, after which the scientists did an autopsy. 1,500 people were involved in the project; they lived in the only settlement here, Kantubek, where all conditions for a comfortable existence were created. It was paradise where residents could swim in the sea and sunbathe on the coast.

But the Aral Sea dried up over time and the island united with the desert, today the city of Kantubek is a ruin that was plundered after the Soviet Union ceased to patronize it. Scientists suggest that now this laboratory is quite safe. Almost all pathogens were destroyed by the hot sun. There are only concerns about anthrax, because it can be "on standby" for centuries.

When Soviet people left the territory of the island, anthrax pathogens were buried in the ground, in order to avoid violating the agreement on the prohibition of biological weapons, adopted in 1972. Already in the 21st century, representatives of the United States and Uzbekistan visited this place and destroyed all the warehouses that still kept traces of experiments. Representatives of the US Department of Defense are confident that anthrax spores have been destroyed, but who knows, maybe they will still make themselves felt.

Bannerman

This island is located on the Hudson River, very close to New York, it can only be reached by boat from the metropolis, the journey will take about 30 minutes, there is no other way to Bannerman Island. Visitors ask only one question: where does the castle come from on the island? Frank Bannerman VI made his fortune selling defense products, which he bought at government auctions after graduation. civil war in USA.

Bannerman was looking for a place to store the relics, and his son David advised to pay attention to the island of Polepel, which Bannerman bought in 1900. On the island, the owner built a warehouse and built a small castle on top.

After Bannerman's death in 1918, the buildings fell into disuse, a storm in 1950 destroyed the boat, and the island was abandoned. On August 8, 1967, the warehouse caught fire, and the state of New York, which bought the island itself and everything built on it in 1967, declared this land closed. In 2017, the island was reopened as a tourist site.

The island that appeared after the earthquake

In the autumn of 2013, there was a strong earthquake in Pakistan: 39 people were killed, many buildings were destroyed, and ... new island! Pakistan estimated the quake at 7.7, while US researchers in Colorado claimed it was 7.8.

Local residents reported that they saw the formation of the island, which is located near the port of Gwadar, its width is 100 m, and its length is 9 m. Pakistani authorities say that, most likely, due to the movement of layers from the sea, a piece of land appeared, but the final theory the emergence of the island can be formed only after careful research.

Mysterious Island

American astronomers discovered an interesting phenomenon when they were analyzing NASA data received from the Cassini station (an automatic interplanetary station created to study the planet Saturn, its rings and satellites). When comparing earlier photos with new ones, a team of scientists from Cornell University discovered a "mysterious island" measuring 20 by 10 km in the sea on Titan (Saturn's largest moon).

There is a possibility that these are just waves that were formed as a result of strong winds, or gas bubbles that rose from the bottom of the sea. However, it is possible that this is the most real island, formed from solid particles that can float on the surface under the influence of high temperatures, or particles that do not sink, but do not float away, much like silt in river deltas on Earth. To understand for sure what is happening, NASA plans to send a watercraft to Titan to study the satellite and its seas more thoroughly.

floating eye island

In the Argentine province of Buenos Aires, in the delta of the Parana River, there is an island in the shape of an almost perfect circle, its diameter is 120 meters. It is located between the cities of Campana and Zarate, around the island there is a channel of a similar shape, which, when viewed from a height, looks more like a moon, thanks to the round land area inside the channel. Together, the island and the channel form something similar to an eye, hence the nickname of the island, which is also floating: it rotates around its own axis. Filmmaker Sergio Neuspiller discovered the site in 2016 while scouting the area for scenery for his film.

This discovery changed the plans of the director and his team, now they are planning to shoot a documentary about the island.

Socotra

Socotra Island, off the coast of Yemen, looks more like another planet. Due to the remoteness of the island from the mainland, its nature is unique, and the climate is very dry and hot. A third of native plants are no longer found anywhere else in the world. Fortunately, most of the island has been declared a protected area.

Some of the native plants resemble turnips that have grown upside down. Another representative of the local flora - the dragon tree - looks more like an inverted tree: it has almost no leaves, and the branches are more like roots. It is widely used for medical purposes, the production of dyes for fabrics, incense, stain for wood. The native bottle tree can store water in very dry climates, it has a thick trunk, and very thick branches at the base end in short branches with green leaves.

The island is surrounded by turquoise waters, there are many limestone caves in which the only mammals that can survive in such a climate live - bats. On the walls of the caves, you can find messages in different languages, which, according to researchers, could be left by sailors who stayed here between the 1st and 6th century AD. The natives of this island are also unique: their DNA belongs to a haplogpuppe that is no longer found on earth. There is also an assumption that the gardens of Eden were located here. In 2008, Socotra Island was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Diego Garcia

Attol Diego Garcia is located south of the Maldives and looks like a slingshot, its area is only 44 km2, there is white sand and impenetrable jungle. This island was home to 2,000 Chagossians, local Aboriginal people, until the British government forced them to relocate (1968 - 1973) so that the US could build a naval base here in exchange for the British agreeing to lease the island, as its position is strategically important: between West Africa, the Middle East, Southwest Asia, which allows the US to control the situation in Asia and the Middle East.

In 1991 during the Gulf War, in 2001 during the war in Afghanistan and in 2003, when active fighting in Iraq, this island was a supporting base for air force. The remote island is also being used as a secret American prison, but the United States, of course, denies this.

Partridge

Partridge Island belongs to Canada and is located near St. John's Harbor, New Brunswick. In 1930, it became a quarantine station: immigrants stopped here on their way to Canada to prevent the spread of diseases that they could bring with them.

About 2,500 Irish people came to Canada during the Great Famine in 1847, they were quarantined on this island.

The quarantine was aimed at detecting cholera, typhoid, smallpox, scarlet fever, dengue fever and measles. Newly arrived immigrants were sent to the kerosene shower, and then they washed with hot water. Many of those who came to Canada were sick, and the island could not cope with the number of people. Due to the large influx of Irish people, it was called the "Canadian Emerald Isle".

Immigrants who could not overcome the disease were buried here in mass grave. It is said that the grass on its surface is brighter than the nearby lawns because it is nourished by the bones of the Irish. In 1941, the island was closed, today only photographers visit it.

Easter Island

A group of American researchers hoped to solve the secret of the natives of Easter Island. How did they manage to organize life and agriculture thousands of kilometers from the mainland?
Europeans arrived on the island in 1772, and scholars believed that the native Rapa Nui tribe mixed with Hispanics before they arrived. But an analysis of materials from local museums showed that nothing of the kind happened. If this is true, then the civilization of Rapa Nui developed autonomously, and the natives independently created and moved the famous stone statues on the island.

Marauders who kidnapped Rapa Nui to sell them as slaves reduced the number of local residents from a few thousand to a hundred. And internal strife and disease destroyed the remaining natives, leaving their origin a mystery - now no one will reveal the secrets of the island.

Our planet is full of secrets and mysteries, especially its most remote corners. Mankind has always shown interest in new lands and great civilizations. Who knows what other discoveries will come up in the future.

Most of the islands in the world have been studied for a long time, their secrets were explored many years ago, but some of them are still covered with mystical fog. It happens that the islands on the map suddenly disappear. Dangerous, top-secret objects have been forgotten or destroyed on remote islands. Sometimes strange things happen that scientists can't explain. It seems that these islands are created by some magical force. Cut off from the rest of the world, they are home to unusual, unique plants and animals, as if they came from other planets. And some of them are amazing in their history.

Here is a list of the strangest and most mysterious islands in the world:

Isla Bermea, Lost Island

Maps from the 1700s show Isla Bermea, a few miles from the Yucatan Peninsula, the most remote part of Mexico. It was of great national importance, because thanks to it, Mexico possessed part of the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico, which was also encroached upon by the United States. After the discovery of the loss in 1997, the best forces of Mexico were sent to search for him, but by 2009 he had not been found and was officially declared non-existent. Several theories have been put forward as to why this mysterious phenomenon, including US intervention, global warming and others, but a unanimous opinion was never found. At the same time, the zone of economic influence of Mexico as a result was sharply reduced.

It was discovered in the 19th century in the Aral Sea. In Soviet times, biological weapons were tested on it. It was ideally suited to the required parameters - isolated, surrounded by desert and located on the territory of the USSR. Contrary to international agreement, it was a laboratory for the development of substances that cause anthrax. Tests were carried out on animals. After they learned about the laboratory in Washington, it was decided to urgently liquidate it. The causative agents of the disease were placed in special containers, filled with chlorine and buried on the island. People, documents, part of the equipment were taken out, the rest was abandoned. It is claimed that all chemicals, pathogens and bacteria were destroyed or died on their own in unsuitable conditions, but no one can know for sure. When the Aral Sea dried up, Vozrozhdeniye Island first became a peninsula and then completely merged with the mainland (in 2009).

Bannerman

Bannerman Island is located on the Hudson River, half an hour from New York. It can only be reached by boat. It is famous for the fact that the ruins of a luxurious castle are located on it. Where can he get there? - you ask. And it was built by the American tycoon Frank Bannerman, who made his fortune on the resale of military equipment. When he needed a warehouse for storing weapons, he purchased this island and built a castle there. However, after his death in 1918, the island became dangerous, and all construction on it ceased. Eventually, in 1920, about 200 tons of gunpowder on the island exploded, destroying most of the complex. Later, the state of New York bought the island, but the fires and destruction did not stop on it, and it was closed to visitors. Only in 2017 it was reopened to tourists.

earthquake island

In September 2013, a powerful earthquake struck Pakistan, which became a real disaster for the country. But besides this, as a result of it unexpectedly, a new island was formed. It is small - about 200 meters long and 30 meters wide. A crowd of astonished people gathered on the shore watched as a small hill rose from the sea. Scientists believe that the island is most likely a mud volcano that surfaced due to strong tremors.

Astronomers have been closely watching one of Saturn's satellites, Titan, for a long time, because there is a suspicion that it may contain water similar to Earth's. And in 2013, astronomers discovered the appearance of a new island on it. So far, no one knows what it is, perhaps it's just waves or bubbles of gases floating up from the seabed. However, it can also be an accumulation of solid particles that form land. The appearance of this mysterious island only strengthened the assumptions of scientists that there could be simple life forms on Titan, although its conditions are absolutely unsuitable for humans.

In 2016 in hard-to-reach places found in the province of Buenos Aires in Argentina unusual lake perfectly round shape, in which a slightly smaller, equally perfectly round island floats. From a bird's eye view, the island has the shape of a crescent, since the island, although constantly moving, is always in contact with the ground. The lake itself, together with the island, resembles an eye. Found his film crew led by director Sergio Nespiler during the search suitable place for the filming of his sci-fi film. As a result, instead of him they removed documentary"Eye", dedicated to this amazing miracle of nature.

Socotra

Socotra Island off the coast of Yemen in the Indian Ocean looks like another planet. Because of its unique climate - extreme heat in summer and warm winters - many unusual plants and animals have formed on it, most of which are not found anywhere else on earth. Outwardly, they look so unique that once you see them, you will never forget them. There are trees here that look like a flowering elephant's leg, like cucumbers, like upside down turnips, there are dragon trees with red juice the color of blood. The rarest black pearl in the world is also mined here.

Diego Garcia

The island belongs to large archipelago Chagos in the Indian Ocean. First it belonged to France and then to England. It was inhabited mainly by slaves and settlers who came here for hired work. In the 1960s, the inhabitants of the island were evicted by the United States, which located their military facility there. In particular, they carried out their operations from there during the fighting in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2000, the UK acknowledged that the eviction of the natives was illegal, but due to an agreement with the US, returning them home is impossible.

Located in Canada off the coast of the port of St. John. In the 18th century, it housed the first quarantine station. Later, during the potato famine of 1847, thousands of immigrants who came to Canada passed through this island. To prevent the spread of diseases such as typhus, scarlet fever, yellow fever, and cholera, newcomers were doused first with a kerosene shower and then with hot water. Those who were sick were not allowed to leave the island, and they died and were buried in a mass grave. According to rumors, the grass in this place is a rich emerald color, as it is nourished by the bones of the dead.

The island was discovered on Easter Day in 1722 by Dutch sailors. The first thing that struck them on the island was the giant stone statues, over 10 meters high. Today, scientists count about 900 such statues on the island, and one can only guess about their origin. Locals believe that they contain the power of the ancient gods. In 1774, Captain Cook visited the island, and found that many of the statues had been broken and toppled, and the number of people on it had been greatly reduced. The island became practically uninhabited. It turned out that because of the cult stone statues, the forest was cut down on the island, as a result of which famine, internecine wars and cannibalism began. And then Peruvian soldiers took away the locals, turning them into slaves. Today the island is part of the state of Chile and is open to tourists.

An island is, by definition, a piece of land surrounded on all sides by water (lake, river, sea or ocean), and always rising above the water, regardless of the tides. In such places, living organisms develop somewhat differently, because on the islands they are almost completely isolated from the rest of the world, forming their own small ecosystems. No one knows exactly how many islands there are on our planet, but there are likely more than a million of them, including the smallest patches of land and such large lands as Greenland. Some of the islands are very different from others, and in front of you is a selection of just such amazing places.

10. Bouvet Island

At first glance, there is nothing special about Bouvet. However, this island is considered the most isolated place on our entire planet. Now Bouvet is completely uninhabited, and, most likely, it will remain so for a very long time. Bouvet is located about 2,200 kilometers from the southernmost cape of Africa and almost the same distance from Antarctica. In addition, the island is considered the southernmost land of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, and since 1927 it has been officially owned by the Norwegians, who periodically send their scientific expeditions to the area to observe the migration of whales.

Anyone who has ever seen this place with their own eyes (most often professional sailors) will tell you for sure that Bouvet is one of the most eerie and harsh islands in the ocean. Approximately 90% of the surface of this land is covered with a thick layer of ice, and its shores are surrounded by almost vertical volcanic slopes, high glacial ledges and underwater reefs. All this makes Bouvet incredibly difficult to disembark from the ship, and the safest way to get to the island is considered to be from a helicopter. If you're still not afraid, listen further... Ice-bound land is in the path of the strongest winds. There are some of the most violent storms on the planet, and the waves in the Bouvet area rise to the height of a 6-story building. Add to this all the constant threat of hitting an iceberg, and you get one of the most dangerous places on the planet. An elderly sailor once said that "there are no laws beyond 40 degrees south latitude, and beyond 50 degrees there is no God himself." So you can imagine how bad it is there.

This island was first discovered in 1739 by the French navigator Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, but he incorrectly indicated the location of this land on the map, and it took another 70 years to re-search for it. The second time people appeared here already in 1808, and in 1964 an expedition that went to Bouvet made a shocking discovery. In a small lagoon where large numbers of seals tend to congregate, the explorers found an abandoned and half-submerged boat that was still in good enough condition to sail. At first glance, this ship looked like lifeboat, and, perhaps, people sailed on it, shipwrecked. But there were no markings on the boat to tell where it came from or who it belonged to, and the nearest trade route located at least 1,600 kilometers from here. There were no signs of life on the coast, although some equipment lay near the water near the abandoned boat. There is a version according to which this ship belonged to Soviet expedition to Antarctica in 1959, and part of the crew wanted to explore the harsh shores of Bouvet, but so far there is no confirmation of this version. It seems that scientists will not soon be able to unravel this mystery.

9. Lasqueti Island

And here's another island that doesn't look all that outstanding, but you should know that Lasqueti, which can be reached by ferry from Vancouver in about an hour, is the most highly educated commune in all of British Columbia (Canadian province). The island is the size of Manhattan and is home to approximately 420 residents, 70 of whom are children, and the remaining 350 people, according to the islanders' official blog, are "poets, artists, physicists, fishermen, lumberjacks, farmers, designers, professional musicians, writers in demand , small producers, farmers and professional consultants in education, engineering, forestry and alternative energy sources.

What is especially surprising and worthy of respect, the locals are almost completely independent, self-sufficient and do very well without the rest of the world. They generate electricity mostly from solar panels, windmills, hydroelectric power plants and, to a lesser extent, from conventional fuel generators. Some islanders went further and decided to live without electricity at all, preferring to it the good old fire, so pleasing to the eye and soul. The island has no paved roads, no sewer system, and fresh water sometimes it flows in a very thin stream, depending on the time of year and the weather. The only way to get here, or leave Lasketti, is by ferry crossing, which makes 1-2 sailings a day and 5 days a week, if the weather conditions are not dangerous. Most of the population provides their own food, refusing to depend on anything that can be obtained on the mainland. There is enough space on the island for vegetable gardens and livestock. Money on Lasket is not so valuable, because the inhabitants are happy to share everything they need with each other. On the island there is one pub, one cafe and a free shop where members of the commune exchange the necessary things. One local breeder has more than 40 St. Bernards, and almost a thousand wild sheep graze on the island.

It happens that strangers sometimes arrive here who want to either move to this friendly commune, or spend some time on an unusual island. The locals do not interfere with this at all, but they say the same thing to everyone who wants to: “Whenever you want to come, whatever you expect to find here, please remember that Lasqueti is not some kind of utopian paradise, it is not” organized community”, and not everything you might think about. It's just a relatively remote island inhabited by a small, tight-knit community of eccentric and independent people with their own unique culture and identity. Come with an open mind, a determination to learn something a little different from the things you are used to and without clear expectations. Resist the urge to pass on to us your vision of what this place should be. It is what it is, and we like it that way.”

8. One island has a lake that has an island that has another lake that has another island

The largest island in the Philippines has a lake that has its own island, which also has a lake that again contains another island. Sounds very confusing, doesn't it? Let's find out! First, the most big Island Philippines is Luzon (). About 50 kilometers south of Manila (Manila, the capital) there is a lake called Taal on it. The most interesting thing about this lake is that until recently it was part of the ocean. However, after a series of volcanic eruptions in the 18th century, this bay became a lake, as volcanic debris completely blocked communication with the ocean. Now, instead of a wide canal, there is only a narrow stream connecting Taal with South China Sea. For several centuries salty water Taala became fresh thanks to numerous rains, and the local animals, trapped in this reservoir, adapted to the new living conditions. One of only two species of freshwater snakes that exist on the planet lives in this lake. In addition, grays lived in Taal until the 1930s. bull sharks until they were driven to extinction by the locals.

More ... In Lake Taal there is Volcano Island, which is a volcanic crater rising above the water. The caldera (volcanic valley) inside the island is also filled with water, and the Filipinos call this body of water Lake Yellow (Yellow Lake, from English yellow lake). And all because the water in this lake is really green-yellow, when compared with Taal Lake. And finally, the last island in this chapter is a tiny piece of land called Vulcan Point. For many years this place was considered the largest island of the third order, but thanks to the service Google Maps in northern Canada was opened even more large island of the same type on Victoria Island. Only now the Canadian islands do not really have any names, and, given their remoteness, there, most likely, no one ever visits. But the Philippine Taal Lake with its islands is one of the country's most popular attractions.

7. floating islands

It may sound incredible, but the world is full of floating islands, and they look completely different. Most often, these islands float in the midst of lakes and swamps, where vegetation and other floating organic matter breaks off the coast and migrates through the water until they either join another coast or are torn into even smaller pieces during inclement weather. These "floats" can be of different sizes and thicknesses, and the largest of them sometimes reach an area of ​​​​several hectares.

Floating islands are found not only in small reservoirs, but also in the oceans, and there they grow to incredible sizes. Surely now someone remembered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, although this is not an island of algae, mud or peat at all. infamous garbage patch It is made up of tiny pieces of plastic that travels along the sea currents, and most often it is almost invisible above the water, so it should not be considered a full-fledged island.

Have you ever heard of drifting islands of pumice? Such patches of drying are formed when underwater volcanoes throw lava into the sea, which turns into a porous volcanic rock in the water, just like pumice. This mass can float across the ocean for months and even years, overcoming distances of thousands of kilometers, until the pores of the island absorb so much water that, as a result, the drifting volcanic rock still sinks to the bottom. If such a pumice island is large enough and floats long enough, it may even grow grass and palm trees. Some scientists believe that it is thanks to such floating patches of land that some species of animals and plants migrate across the ocean from one coast to another. According to an even bolder theory, it was these pumice islands that played a key role in the origin and spread of life on Earth.

In 2012, the underwater volcano Havre Seamount erupted, creating another floating island the size of almost the whole of Israel - its area was about 19,400 square kilometers! Migrating land has been seen in the south Pacific Ocean in the area of ​​Raoul Island between New Zealand and Fiji. Lieutenant Tim Oscar of the Royal Australian Navy described the object as “the strangest thing he had ever seen in his 18 years at sea. It seemed that the rock seemed to float on the waves 60 centimeters above the surface of the water and shimmered with bright white light. It was like a ledge on an ice shelf.”

In 2006, sailors on their way from Neiafu Island to the shores of Fiji were happy to witness the formation of such a pumice island. Mariners even walked over it for several hundred meters until they changed course. If the travelers had lingered there longer, their engine would have become clogged with volcanic debris, and they would certainly have been stuck at sea indefinitely.

6. Ottoman Atlantis

The most picturesque part of the Danube is the place where the river passes through a series of narrow and almost vertical gorges, making its way through the northern Carpathians and southern part Balkan hills. It is here that the mighty Danube literally squeezes through a channel 150 meters wide, and the depth in the center of its channel reaches over 50 meters. Such gorges are called "cauldrons" or "cauldrons". In this area, making its way along a narrow path and hitting the ledges, the river in some places looks just like water boiling in a cauldron. A few decades ago, in one such Danube "cauldron" there was inhabited island… He had a lot different names, but most often it was Ada Kaleh. This Danubian piece of land was about 1.75 kilometers long and about 400-500 meters wide. The first official mention of Ada Kale dates back to 1430, when the Teutonic Knights named the island Saan. It is said that Herodotus himself mentioned this land in one of his books back in the 5th century BC, but this version has not yet been confirmed.

The most famous name still remains Ada-Kale, which is translated from Turkish as “island-fortress”. From the 16th to the 18th century, the strategically advantageous location of this Danubian island repeatedly involved it in many conflicts, which took place mainly between the two empires of those times that fought for power in this region - between the Austrian and Ottoman empires. The island got its name not without reason, because in 1689 a real fortress was built here, which was broken and rebuilt several times throughout the history of the confrontation between the great powers. After the signing of the Sistovo peace treaty of 1791, which marked the end of the fourth Austro-Turkish war, Ada-Kale was in last time handed over to the Ottoman Empire. In the 19th century, the island lost its military value to the Turks, and they began to gradually weaken their influence in the Balkans. By the second half of the 19th century, the Turks recognized the independence of Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and agreed with autonomous status Bulgaria. Ottoman Empire began to retreat from European lands, but left its exclave in the middle of the Danube (the territory of one country surrounded by the lands of another) - the island of Ada-Kale with almost a thousand inhabitants exempt from all taxes, dues and military duty.

In 1923, when the Ottoman Empire fell and the Republic of Turkey appeared on the map, the inhabitants of the island voted to join Romania. Still tax-free and surrounded by incredibly scenic views, Ada Kale has become a tourist destination, sort of small Eastern world, lost right in the middle of Christian Europe. Here you could admire the narrow and crowded Turkish-style streets, enjoy traditional black tea, drink Turkish coffee, treat yourself to Turkish sweets and appreciate local tobacco.

Unfortunately, in the mid-1960s, the ruling parties of communist Romania and Yugoslavia agreed to build a large hydroelectric plant (Iron Gate I) downstream of Ada Kale, which meant that the island's days were numbered. By 1971, the dam was ready, the population of the island was evacuated, and soon he completely disappeared under water. For the safety of navigation, the highest buildings of the island, including the famous mosque, were blown up.

5. Hashima Island

This is a fairly small piece of land (about 65 thousand square meters), and it is located 15 kilometers from the infamous city of Nagasaki. Hashima Island is also called Gunkanjima (Gunkanjima, translated from Japanese as "island warship"). The second name of this place speaks of its appearance very eloquent. Hasima is one of 505 uninhabited islands belonging to Nagasaki Prefecture in southern Japan. Despite the fact that no one lives on Gunkanjima, this island is still surrounded by concrete walls, and since the late 1950s it has even been called “Midori nashi Shima”, which means “island without greenery”. The thing is that almost every square centimeter of this land is filled with cement, and its territory is occupied by an industrial labyrinth of apartment buildings, courtyards, streets and winding stairs. In its best years, almost 5,500 people lived on Hasim, which at one time provided the island with the title of the most densely populated place in the history of mankind.

In 1810, coal deposits were discovered here, and the mine was opened already in 1887. In 1890, the Mitsubishi company, which was then only a transport company, bought the island and launched industrial coal mining here in underwater mines at a depth of up to 600 meters below sea level, which continued until 1974. During its existence, the mine produced about 15.7 million tons of coal. The city hall, a school were built on the island, kindergarten, hospital, cultural center, cinema, swimming pools, club and a few more entertainment centers. But from the 1930s until the very end of World War II, the majority of local residents and workers were Korean conscripts and Chinese prisoners of war, who were forced to work in heavy production. During these years, about 1,300 people died on Gunkanjima. The miners died from exhaustion, starvation, disease, and accidents. In the 1960s, Japan switched from coal to oil as its main source of energy, and the coal mines lost their value. Hasima is no exception. After the closure of the mine in 1974, the island was abandoned, and it remained abandoned and empty until 2009. Since 2009, one of the safe and specially equipped parts of the island has been open for tourist excursions. In addition, the Japanese authorities wanted Hasima to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, but South Korea opposed this initiative. In 2015, the governments of the two countries came to a common compromise. Japan reluctantly but still agreed that the description of the object should mention the horrors that took place on the island in the 1930s and 40s. In 2012, Hasima appeared in several shots of the action movie 007: Skyfall as the lair of Raoul Silva, the main villain and enemy of the famous spy James Bond.

4. Snake Island

Somewhere 150 kilometers off the coast of the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, an island is lost, literally teeming with snakes. There are so many of these creatures, and they are so poisonous, that the Brazilian authorities completely banned excursions to Snake Island. The only people allowed to land on the coast of Queimada Grande (Queimada Grande, official name) are the military, who inspect the automatic beacon once a year, and some scientists who come here on rare expeditions. Although even such qualified specialists can claim to visit the island only accompanied by a doctor in case of a snakebite.

Brazilians are so afraid of the snake island that they even came up with a whole series of sinister myths and rumors about it. One story says that a fisherman who landed on the shores of Queimada Grande in search of bananas was found only days later in his boat and bitten by snakes. Another story is about a lighthouse keeper and his family. All of them died in one night, when deadly snakes began to make their way into their house through all the cracks and windows. In fairness, it is worth recognizing that until 1920, the lighthouse really had to be serviced manually, and therefore people here died more than once from snake venom. And there is also a legend about pirates who brought all these terrible snakes here to protect the treasures of the robbers.

But the true story of the origin of island reptiles is not so romantic, although it is no less interesting. Approximately 11 thousand years ago, during the end of the last ice age, the island was still part of the mainland. But when the waters of the World Ocean began to rise, the snakes that lived on earth turned out to be isolated from the rest of the world. They were lucky that there were practically no dangerous predators left on the island, and these hissing scaly creatures began to multiply uncontrollably. Local snakes feed on migratory birds that come to the island for a short rest. Venomous snakes usually bite their prey, wait for the toxins to weaken the prey, follow it, and eventually eat the unfortunate creature. But snakes from Keimada Grande do not have the ability to chase bitten birds, so they had to learn how to produce a special poison, much more powerful than their relatives from the mainland. That is why birds die almost immediately from the bite of local snakes.

The main inhabitants of the island are island botrops, and they can only be found on Queimada Grande. Marcelo Duarte, a scientist at Brazil's Butantan Institute, is investigating the snake's venom and sees it as a potentially valuable ingredient for future medicines. He admitted that the venom of the island botrops has already shown promising results in the treatment of heart disease and circulatory system problems, and may also be useful in the fight against cancer. Unfortunately, the interest of researchers and animal collectors has caused a real rampant poaching. The price for one such snake on the black market is about 10 - 30 thousand dollars, and because of this, the number of island botrops has decreased by almost 50% over the past 15 years! Today this species is listed in the Red Book and is on the verge of survival.

3. North Sentinel Island (North Sentinel)

North Sentinel Island is located in the Bay of Bengal and belongs to the Andaman archipelago. The last tribes of people live here, refusing to make contact with the rest of the world. Approximately 50 - 400 natives live on the island, and such an inaccurate figure is easily explained by the fact that the local tribes do not want to communicate with anyone. They tried to make friends with the Sentinelese several times already, but each time everything ended in conflict, and the researchers were constantly shot from bows. The local people defend their territory very aggressively and do not let anyone near them. Perhaps it was this manner that preserved the almost primitive way of life of these tribes. In addition, the island is surrounded by shallow reefs, which makes its coastal waters quite dangerous for navigation. The natives have lived in isolation from the rest of the world for almost 60,000 years, that is, since the first settlers from Africa reached this land, which means that the Sentinelian population must have the most ancient genetic composition. In 1880, a British expedition landed on the coast of an unfriendly island, and after several days of searching, its members encountered 6 islanders - a couple of old people and 4 children. The natives were brought to Port Blair (Port Blair, a city on the island of South Andaman), but the old people soon fell ill and died. In the end, they decided to return the children back to their island.

Subsequently, several more attempts were made to establish contact with the islanders, but none of them were successful. In 1981, a ship got stuck on the local reefs, and the Sentinelese tried to capture the ship. Due to severe bad weather, the rescue team reached the accident site only a week later, during which the ship's crew held back the aggressors with rocket launchers, metal pipes and axes. The wreckage of the ship is still visible in satellite images. In 2006, 2 lost fishermen got to North Sentinel Island, and the natives killed these strangers without hesitation. When a helicopter arrived on the scene, sent for the bodies of the poor fellows, he was met with a volley of bows, and the rescue team was unable to pick up the corpses.

With the exception of the use of metal fragments torn from a sunken ship, the Sentinelese by all indications lead a Stone Age lifestyle. They are hunter-gatherers, not engaged in agriculture, and the boats that the natives carve from trees can only sail along the small rivers of the island. The authorities of India, to which the entire archipelago is assigned, have endowed North Sentinel Island with a special status in order to protect ancient tribe from outside influence. Unfortunately, local tour operators still organize so-called "safaris" and bring excursion groups to the island in armored boats.

2. Ball's Pyramid

Balls Pyramid is a 560-meter rock of volcanic origin, the remains of a long-destroyed volcano that exploded about 7 million years ago. Resembling a sail, Bol-Pyramid is recognized as the highest volcanic cliff on Earth. In addition, the waters around this island are one of the best scuba diving areas in all of Australia. The rock is located 643 kilometers northeast of Sydney and relatively close to Lord Howe Island. Lord Howe was once home to a rare species of stick insects, Dryococelus australis. At 12 cm, the insect was the heaviest stick insect in the world. Unfortunately, in 1918, in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe island, a cargo Ship, and it took 9 days to fix it before the ship could continue its journey. During the repair work, ship rats penetrated the land, and there they began to multiply at an incredible rate, along the way, snacking on tasty stick insects. In just 2 years, this insect completely died out.

In 2001, a pair of scientists who learned that someone had seen dead stick insects here in the 1960s decided to inspect the rocky sail of Balls Pyramid. After diligent searches, they could not find anything at all, and when the researchers were already descending from the cliff, they saw a lone tea tree bush making its way right through the stones. Under this bush, enthusiastic scientists found not one or two, but 24 stick insects at once. These insects were the last representatives of their kind on the whole Earth! Later, one of the researchers said: “Seeing them was like traveling to the Jurassic period, when insects ruled the world.” No one knows how these stick insects managed to get to a harsh rock surrounded by a rough sea. Probably one of their ancestors flew here on a bird or something like that. 2 years after the discovery, scientists returned to the island again and took a couple of individuals with them, calling them Adam and Eve, to try to breed the rarest insects in captivity. After another 5 years, in 2008, there were already 700 adults of stick insects, and another 11 thousand eggs were in the incubation stage. To date, the same tea tree bush on Balls Pyramid Island is still the only place in the world where these insects live in the wild.

1. Garden of Eden. Literally…

Believe it or not, the Bible gives enough exact description real place where Eden was. In the book of Genesis, chapter 2, there is a mention of a river that flowed through the Garden of Eden, and according to Scripture, this river had 4 main tributaries, 2 of which are known as the Tigris and Euphrates (Tigris, Euphrates), located in the territory of modern Iraq. Two other rivers, Pishon and Gihon (Pishon, Gihon), remain unfound. In addition, these mysterious rivers were supposed to flow through the lands of Havilah and Cush (Havilah, Cush), about which nothing is known either. It is their absence on modern map and led many experts to believe that the descriptions from the Bible were more metaphorical than anything else.

Don't rush to leave! Senior geologist Ward Sanford has discovered two dry riverbeds in the southern Arabian Peninsula. Theoretically, the water from them once flowed into the Persian Gulf. The scientist also said that during the last ice age, sea levels were lower than today, and the weight of continental glaciers pushed up areas with narrow straits. This means that the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea may not have existed at that time, and instead of them there used to be land. In this case, the 4 mentioned rivers could well have flowed somewhere in the area that is now under water.

Places similar to Eden have been mentioned by other cultures. For example, in ancient Sumerian manuscripts, which are now about 4,000 years old, they talk about the semi-mythical lands of the island of Dilmun. There are similar stories in old verses and even in the ancient Eastern book “Epos of Gilgamesh” (Gilgamesh). The descriptions of these places are very similar to the biblical Eden, and the legendary Garden of Eden could well inspire ancient authors from different cultures to tales of beautiful lands in which human civilization originated. Some records refer to Dilmun as great empire and an important shopping center at the crossroads between ancient Mesopotamia and the valley of the Indus River. Traces of this civilization were later discovered on the island of Bahrain. In the Old Testament, the prophet Ezekiel alludes to the fact that Eden was also a kind of shopping mall, just like Dilmun. It turns out that Bahrain may well be the very place where the Garden of Eden from the Bible once was. By the way, in the Epic of Gilgamesh there is also a story about a snake, and in Bahrain, 2000 years after the events described in the ancient Eastern book, there was a cult of snake worship.

There are many places in the world that are associated with such mysterious and mysterious stories that even scientists still cannot unravel them, although they try very hard. Would you like to try helping curious scientists uncover the secrets of three of the world's most mysterious islands?

Easter Island and the mystery of stone idols

Easter Island is perhaps the strangest island in the world. Several hundred giant stone statues from 3 to 20 meters high are scattered throughout the island - the smallest are as high as a one-story house, and the largest as high as a five-story house. Who built them and why is unknown. All the statues have a very strange appearance: absurdly large heads with low foreheads, long noses and outstretched ears rise on short necks.

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The most big statue on Easter Island

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medium sized statues

Until now, these stone idols (the locals call them "moai";) do not give rest to scientists around the world: it is completely unclear how unknown ancient people could place statues that weigh several tens of tons around the island.

The researchers found that the “workshop” where the moai were built was located on the slope of the volcano in the western part of the island. Moai are carved from solid blocks of petrified ash, which were mined from this volcano. At its foot, about 150 unfinished statues were found scattered on the ground. WITH one gets the impression that something unexpectedly stopped the ancient sculptors, and they suddenly quit their work. This find added new questions to scientists: why did the construction of statues stop? What happened to those who built the stone giants?

Now about 5 thousand people live on Easter Island. The islanders are well aware of the legend that once there was a war between the tribes of “long-ears” and “short-ears.” The “short-ears” (perhaps these are the Polynesians who once captured the island) won, and the “long-ears” were completely exterminated. In another legend, there was even a description of how the statues moved around the island, but this description only confused scientists even more - the legend says that the stone idols walked around the island on their own, on their own feet.

In many ways, the famous Norwegian scientist and traveler Thor Heyerdahl managed to get closer to unraveling the secrets of the island. In 1955-1956 he made an expedition to Easter Island. Based on its results, the scientist wrote the famous book "Aku-aku" (it can be read online). The scientist conducted excavations on the island, talked a lot with local residents, studied their legends.

In 1986, Thor Heyerdahl once again returned to the island with the Czech engineer Pavel Pavel (both his first and last name were the same: Pavel). Together they organized an experiment in dragging stone statues from one place to another. The statues were moved in an upright position (so that it looked as if they were walking on their own, because this is what is described in the legend) with the help of ropes - much like we would drag a wardrobe from one corner of the room to another. It took 17 people to move one 20-ton statue. This experiment proved that it is still possible to move the statues around the island (you just need to have a lot of pulling and strong ropes), and ancient people could do it even with the simplest devices.

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Statue moving experiment

But still, most of the questions and mysteries of Easter Island still remain unanswered.

Santorini (Thira) and the mystery of the sunken Atlantis

Approximately 2.5 thousand years ago, the ancient Greek scientist Plato described a mysterious country called Atlantis. In his descriptions it is said that it was “an amazing kingdom in terms of size and power”, very highly developed and rich. The inhabitants of Atlantis - they were called Atlanteans - lived in incredible luxury, did not know any troubles. But one day Atlantis suddenly disappeared, completely immersed in sea waters.

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One of the images of Atlantis according to Plato's description

Historians around the world are still puzzling over the question of whether the mysterious Atlantis actually existed. If so, where was she and why did she disappear? Did Plato make all this up? But why? Most likely, the myth of Atlantis appeared for a reason, but as a result of some events that actually happened.

One of the most plausible explanations for the myth of Atlantis came from excavations on a small Greek island Thira (its other name is Santorini). Scientists managed to establish that about 4 thousand years ago on Santorini happened the strongest eruption volcano. It was so strong that most of the island was submerged under the water of the Aegean Sea, and a column of smoke was visible at a distance of hundreds of kilometers. A huge cloud of ash from this eruption even caused the death of an entire people living on the neighboring island of Crete.

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The central part of the island of Santorini submerged under water after a volcanic eruption

It is quite logical that stories about this catastrophe could reach Plato, who lived about a thousand years after the eruption.

Under a layer of ash several meters thick, archaeologists discovered on Santorini the remains of buildings and works of art (paintings, dishes), which indicate that a highly developed civilization really once lived on the island. However, not all scientists agree that Santorini is the sunken Atlantis. The main inconsistency is that Plato described Atlantis as a large and powerful state, and the island of Santorini is very small.

French explorer Jacques Gossard has already found more than a dozen different places on Earth, where Atlantis could be. Moreover, they are located not only in water, but also on land. And try to figure out which one is correct!

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Jacques Gossard's conjectures about the location of the legendary Atlantis

Perhaps someday scientists will be able to finally unravel the mystery of Atlantis. Whether the resort Greek island of Santorini is related to this legendary country remains a mystery.

Island of Juventud (Pinos) and the mystery of pirate treasures

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In the Caribbean Sea, not far from the western tip of Cuba, there is a small island called Juventud. Turns out he was the prototype. the famous Island Treasure from the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. And probably a lot of gold is buried on it. The question is where is it stored?

The island was discovered by Christopher Columbus himself almost 600 years ago. Soon the island of Pinos (as Juventud used to be called) became a haven for numerous pirates who robbed Spanish ships plying between Europe and America. For three hundred years, pirates have been repairing ships here, replenishing supplies of drinking water and making caches of treasures (they were afraid that they would be robbed and hid valuables in the hope of one day returning and taking the treasure). The hiding places, of course, were kept secret and marked only on special maps, which were then also hidden in a safe place.

The most famous pirate Francis Drake also visited the island. Most likely, it was his memoirs that formed the basis of the descriptions of Treasure Island in Stevenson's novel. For example, on Pinos there is a hill called the Spyglass - exactly the same hill is described in Treasure Island, remember? On this hill, the heroes of the book repelled the attacks of the pirates. Here's how it happened:

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Can you imagine how much gold can still be buried in the bowels of the island? Even in the 20th century, treasure hunters often came there in the hope of finding pirate caches. One of them even succeeded! In 1954, American Ted Wicker found a chest full of gold and jewels on an underwater reef near the shore. This discovery once again confirmed that the island still reliably keeps the secrets of pirate treasures. But will even one of these mysteries ever be revealed?

Trips

There are many strange things in the world.

Some are created by nature, others are man-made.

20. La Isla de las Munecas ("Isle of the Dolls")

This island is located near the city of Mexico City. A man named Don Julian apparently lost his mind, abandoned his family and fled to this island, where he hung several dolls to ward off evil spirits. Some time later, he drowned.

19. Okunoshima Island

This small island ok is located in the Sea of ​​Japan, near the city of Takehara. It is also called "Rabbit Island". Between 1929 and 1945, the Japanese army used the island as a test site for chemical weapons and apparently imported rabbits as test subjects. The rabbits that inhabit the island today are the descendants of those very poor animals.

18. Isola La Gaiola

Not far from the coast of Naples lies the terrible island of Gaiola. Almost every inhabitant of this island has either been killed, or drowned, or lives in devastation. Many consider this place cursed and refuse to live here.

17. Deer Island, Thousand Islands

At first glance, this island, located next to Alexandria Bay, New York, USA, looks like an old island with old houses. But in fact, it is the site of the oldest secret society "Skull and Bones" (Skull & Bones), organized by Yale students.

It is believed that only representatives of the highest elite, the heirs of the wealthiest and most influential families in the United States, become members of this secret society. Both in the past and now, members of the Skull and Bones Society hold the highest positions in the fields of politics, media, finance, as well as in the scientific and educational fields.

16. Floating Islands on Lake Titicaca

These islands, created entirely by human hands ka, are interconnected by reeds and are the property of the local Uros tribe. A long time ago, representatives of the tribe created these islands and settled on them in order to avoid problems with other tribes. Today, this tribe still lives on the islands and is engaged in fishing, and also profits from tourism.

15. Poveglia Island

This island is one of the most famous in the Venetian Lagoon, which is located in northern Italy. For many years this island served as a "dump" for the sick and the dead. Here at one time the Romans sent victims of the plague.

In 1922, a hospital for the mentally ill was built here and, according to the legend, crazy experiments were carried out in this institution. Today, the island is uninhabited; moreover, none of the locals even think of visiting it.

14. Alcatraz Island

Located in San Francisco Bay, the island was originally used as a defensive fort.

After some time, the island was turned into a military prison, and then into a super-secure prison, in which there were especially dangerous criminals, as well as those who were caught trying to escape from the previous place of detention. Here sat Al Capone himself. Today this place is a museum.

Islands in the Atlantic Ocean

13. Sable Island

Off the coast of Nova Scotia is Sable Island, also known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. All you will find on this island are horses and the wreckage of 350 ships. It is worth noting that the image of the horses of this island can be found on Canadian stamps and coins of 2005.

It will also be interesting to note that due to two countercurrents: the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current, the island is moving and its speed is about 200 m / year. This sometimes leads to navigational errors.

12. Queimada Grande or Snake Island (Ilha de Queimada Grande)

The island is located in Atlantic Ocean, near the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Queimada Grande is just full of poisonous snakes, and these are not just poisonous, but very poisonous snakes.

Moreover, the Brazilian naval forces forbid even setting foot on the coast of this island.

11. Fort Boyar

This island was built for 56 years. The project of the stone fortress-island was far from easy - when the French troops completed construction in 1857, progress in the field of weaponry made this island an easy target. This led to Fort Boyar being turned into a prison.

During World War II, German troops used the island for practice shooting and caused significant damage to the structure. For the next 20 years, the Fort was in disrepair, and under the influence of waves, wind and birds continued to collapse. Only later did television become interested in him, they bought the island, did the necessary restoration work and began to use it for the television game of the same name.

Islands in the Indian Ocean

10. Christmas Island

This small island is located in the Indian Ocean and is the outer territory of Australia. It is he who is the site of one of the largest migrations of representatives of the animal world on Earth.

Every year, about 120 million crabs move from the forests to the coast for a month to breed. It is truly an exciting sight.

9. Socotra Island

The island is in the northwest indian ocean. It is part of the Socotra archipelago and is administered by the Republic of Yemen.

Since this island was isolated from prying eyes for a long time, a big variety plants and animals, most of which cannot be found anywhere else on Earth.

8. North Sentinel Island

This island is one of the Andaman Islands located in the Bay of Bengal. North Sentinel Island is officially administered by India.

The Sentinelese, the aborigines, live on northern Sentinel Island. Their number cannot be accurately determined, since they are hostile to any contact from people outside their civilization. The island currently exists in a rather unusual state of limbo.

Islands in the Pacific Ocean

7. Tashiro Island

Also known as "Cat Island", this small japanese island is a place where about 100 people live and a huge number of cats and cats.

It is reported that the animals appeared on the island in the 1850s in order to control the number of rats that interfered with the silk production on the island.

Over the years, a large number of residents left the island, and the number of cats and cats began to increase. Today, the inhabitants of the island consider the animals as symbols of good luck. Tourists can even spend the night in a cat-like house.