Gunkanjima, Japan

Gunkanjima is a Japanese abandoned city-island with rich industrial past, known for its undersea coal mines. In 1890 substantial deposits of coal were discovered on the seabed near to the island. In the same year Mitsubishi company purchased the island and began the resource development. In 1916 the first house for the workers was built there. Later Gunkanjima housed thousands of workers in its heyday.

The island reached a peak population of 5259 in the middle of the 20th century. In the early 60s of the last century coal mining declined and in 1974 the last mine was closed. More than 30 high-rise apartment buildings once occupied by workers and families survived so far.

The tiny island has had several dozen shops, a school and a hospital. There has been even a cemetery in the city. Several decades Hashima Island commonly called Gunkanjima was the most densely populated place in the world. Currently entering the territory is illegal but for persistent photographers and tourists no taboos exist. Upon the initiative of local authorities Gunkanjima has been proposed to the UNESCO World Heritage list, but this request received no response. Next - Kadykchan