12 Most Dangerous Islands You Never Want to Visit
What island in southeast asia is crawling with man-eating crocodiles? How did Danger Island earn its name? Find out in 12 Most Dangerous Islands You NEVER Want To Visit!
Number 12. "Farallon Islands"
Twenty-miles west of San Francisco sits a series of islands that are so jagged they have earned the moniker The Devil's Teeth but this may no longer be a name based only in appearance. Because of the islands potential dangerous humans have been banned from stepping foot on the islands. The waters around the islands are still a popular destination for whale watchers and because humans can no longer interfere, the Farallons have become home to one of the largest seabird colonies in the United States.
Although you can still catch intrepid skin divers sneaking onto the islands, the government adamantly warns anyone that they do so at their own risk. You might be able to avoid the dozens of great white sharks that roam the area feeding off the Farallons' large population of elephant seals but the real danger is one you won't be able to punch in the nose. Throughout the middle of the twentieth century the waters around the island were used for the disposal of radioactive materials. There are almost 50,000 drums full of nuclear waste throughout the area and with numbers that high leaks are a inevitable certainty.
Number 11. "Reunion Island"
West of the African island of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean sits Reunion Island a small yet busy island that is covered by rainforest, rivers and breathtaking waterfalls. Though it is over 5,500 miles away from France the island is still governed by French law and because it is less of a hassle than traveling to island destination where passports may be required, it has become a popular vacation destination for French citizens. Because of this the island is one of the most modern islands in terms of sanitation and transportation. It could be easy to get carried away day-dreaming about visiting Reunion because of its beautiful villages and relative isolation from the outside world but tourists must be prepared for the terrifying realities of this pristine locale.
First off, it is home to one of the most active volcanoes in all of the world which was a popular hiking destination for tourists until it was deemed too dangerous to traverse. The island also has the distinction of being one of the leading islands in terms of annual rainfall in the entire world and is often the victim of violent tropical cyclones. Lastly, Reunion is known for having one of the largest and most vicious populations of sharks encircling it. The sharks attack have become so bad that the French government has forbidden surfing around the island. Despite this, there are still around half a dozen deaths every year from shark attacks.
Number 10. "Danger Island"
South of Maldives in the western part of the Indian Ocean lies the Chagos Archipelago a series of coral islands long inhabited by the Chagos peoples. One of the smallest of these atolls is Danger Island, full of coconut trees that used to act as a reserve by the Chagos in the event food supplies run short. The island is full of wildlife, most significantly it is the home of two rare birds with fun names to say: brown noddies and red-footed boobies.
The island isn't actually as dangerous to modern day adventurers as its name suggests. The name is merely a holdover from ye olden times as when it was first mapped in the 19th century, seafarers found the coral reef and rocky shoals that surrounded it too treacherous to anchor their ships. Even with modern transportation the island is incredibly difficult to get to and navigate without risking damage. If you were too end up grounded or wrecked near Danger Island you would find yourself utterly isolated from the world and would especially in trouble if you were allergic to coconuts.
Number 9. "Tristan da Cunha"
Almost 1800 miles east of South Africa is the British territory known as Tristan da Cunha. Visiting this grassy circle shaped island that measures only 8 miles across can be incredibly daunting as the only way to reach it is by traveling seven days by boat. Because of this it once had the distinction of the being the most isolated yet still inhabited place on Earth.
That was until the volcano that formed the island had enough of being host to humans and erupted in 1961, causing widespread devastation. Luckily because there were only a few inhabitants to begin with on Tristan da Cunha, the British were able to successfully relocate everyone to England before they could be wiped out. Slowly people have returned, the island is now home to around 270 locals who live life off-the-grid and farm to make ends meet all the while trying to forget that the volcano may evict them at a moments notice.
Number 8. "Bikini Atoll"
The Marshall Islands are a series of atolls and islands that lie east of Guam in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The most famous of these islands is that of Bikini Atoll which although small helped shaped history, along the way becoming synonymous with the two-piece bathing suit and the atomic bomb. What was once a beautiful tropical locale is now a radioactive wasteland as Bikini Atoll was one of the main sites at which the United States military tested nuclear weapons. Though the island had a small indigenous population, they were all relocated to a nearby island in 1946 before testing commenced. The island has remained abandoned to this day aside from researchers studying the effects of radioactivity.
Number 7. "Hashima Island"
If you head out to see traveling west from Nagasaki, Japan you will come across what appears to be a floating fortress, this is the island of Hashima aptly known by the nickname 'Battleship Island'. Hashima was once one of the main sources of fuel for the Japanese military during World War II. The island was home to a coal mine and because of the sheer amount of workers (the majority of which being Korean and Chinese POWs and enslaved civilians) it was at one point the most densely populated place on Earth.
However, a few years after the war the Japanese eschewed coal for oil and the mine was abandoned. Because there is no one to manage the giant housing buildings and other complexes they have fallen into severe disrepair and nature is slowly taking back the island. This has made the island extremely dangerous to traverse as the buildings and seawalls built to hold back vicious tsunami waves are crumbling all around. It is also believed that there may be unrecovered naval mines in the surrounding water.
Number 6. "Bear Island"
Between the arctic Island of Svalbard and mainland Norway lies Bear Island. The island--with an area just over 110 square miles was once considered a vital position for naval reconnaissance now only hosts little more than a weather station and few abandoned houses. The entire Island has been declared a nature reserve by the Norwegian government but there really isn't much nature to find as it is largely devoid of plant and animal life aside from moss, seabirds and fish. It is believed that much of this is due to toxic contaminants that have found their way to the island via air currents that waft pollution from industrial countries like the United States and England that border the Atlantic.
But the true danger of Bear Island comes from another form of pollution. In 1989 a Soviet nuclear submarine crashed just south of the island resulting in much of the water surrounding the island having been possibly been contaminated with radioactive waste. Then in 2009 a Russian transport carrying upwards of 15,000 gallons of oil rammed into the island, becoming lodged. Much of the oil leaked into the sea causing large numbers of the island's seabird population to perish and only adding to the man-made destruction haunting the island. The pollution, combined with the desert-like terrain which averages nearly zero inches of rainfall a year, and the steep sharp cliffs that make up Bear Island this is one place you can cross of your list of potential vacation destinations.
Number 5. "Saba"
If you are willing to brave the rocky but short twelve minute plane ride from St. Maarten to Saba, the smallest island in the Dutch Antilles you will be graced with a view like none other, a place that looks trapped in the ancient past. Upon arrival you will find a village nestled upon a volcano that is full of vibrant atmosphere with live music, family owned restaurants featuring fresh caught cuisine and plenty of outdoor activities like scuba-diving and hiking for nature lovers. But all this comes at a cost. You might say that the locals have become such experts at having a good time because at any moment it could all be destroyed. Tourists have been known to call it 'The Unspoiled Queen of the Caribbean' but it could be more accurately described as 'Hurricane Island'. Because of its location right in the Atlantic's hurricane alley, the island has been noted for being hit by the most hurricanes of any island on Earth. Despite the constant attacks that mother nature brings down upon Saba its people still find a way to survive and rebuild time and time again.
Number 4. "Rockall"
The tiny 80 foot wide island known as Rockall which lies nearly three-hundred miles off of Scotland's western shore has such an imposing presence it has made its way into Irish and Scottish legends as well as popular culture through music, books and television. People have long been entranced with its simple yet powerful structure with some ancient myths going as far to name it the location where the apocalypse will begin. The real life danger is in the fact that the island itself, is essentially a large granite rock sticking out of the ocean--the remnants of an extinct volcano.
Because of its steep incline on all sides there is really only one place for a person to stand, the peak, which you can only get to if you are a skilled rock-climber. Even if you are it isn't recommended that you try climbing the relatively short summit of 65 feet as the island is smack dab in the part of the ocean that boasts waves which reach upwards of 100 feet. Despite their being no natural value to the island other than its looks, Rockall was considered an extremely important strategic location by the United Kingdom who claimed the island in fear of it falling into the hands of the USSR and being used to house a missile silo. Britain's claim to the island also has the historical distinction of being their last modern day territorial acquisition.
Number 3. "Gruinard Island"
Gruinard Island is another one of Scotland's treacherous isles but it owes its place on our list for a man-made danger. This hauntingly bleak-looking island was once home to some of the most extreme biological weapons testings of the 20 century. The British army peppered and doused the islands hundreds of times with weapons like chlorine gas and anthrax.
The anthrax in particular had a permanent effect on Guinard as it soured the soil and decimated the entire indigenous animal population. The island remains a wasteland and only sanctioned government researchers are allowed to visit it and they must wear hazmat suits from the moment they step on the island until they leave. Any attempt by non-military personal to land on the island is strictly prohibited and even if it wasn't you probably shouldn't go there anyway as you wouldn't survive very long.
Number 2. "Miyake-jima"
The Izu Island chain that juts from Japan's southeastern coast is made up of string of volcanoes all of which are currently active. In the last century alone nearly two-hundred people have perished due to major eruptions. This most major of these was in 2000 when, Mount Oyama the biggest volcano on the island of Mayeke-jima, blew its top. Oyama, which looms over several small villages occupied by few thousand people, spewed lava and lethal amounts of sulfuric gas upon the island for four straight years. While some decided to pack up and move, a vast majority of the population stayed.
Up until 2005, much of the island was restricted and the people of Mayeke-jima were forced to stay inside with their doors sealed, only traveling outside in their gas masks if absolutely necessary. Nowadays the people have returned to work and adapted to life next to this fiery giant by closely monitoring the gas levels and keeping gas masks handy in case the levels become excessive. Tourists are even welcomed as commercial flights were allowed to start back up in 2008. But if you do visit you better come prepared and expect to feel like you are on another much more dangerous planet.
Number 1. "Ramree Island"
Just off the coast of Myanmar in the Indian Ocean is Ramree Island. At a distance the island looks like the perfect place for a relaxing vacation but if you were to travel inland you would most likely have an experience akin to a Jurassic nightmare and probably end up in the belly of one of the world's oldest surviving species. Ramree is unique because it is home to one of the largest consolidated bask of saltwater crocodiles.
In World War II after being defeated by the British in a battle on the island, the Japanese Army retreated through Ramree's swamp lands and over four-hundred soldiers were gobbled up by the nasty crocs. To this day, the onslaught that the Japanese faced in the form of these two-thousand pound reptiles remains the event with the largest loss of human life due to animals. If you had to choose one of these islands for your next vacation, which one would you choose?
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