By Islomaniac | June 23, 2007

Hashima (Gunkanjima) Island which translates to Border Island is among 505 uninhabited islands lying just outside of Nagasaki, Japan. However, unlike most of these islands at one time Hashima Island was inhabited. In fact it was one of the most densely populated places in the world. What happened to these people? Click below to find out.

Hashima Island

Hashima Island

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This ghost city, notable for its abandoned concrete buildings and surrounding sea wall was populated from 1887 to 1974. The island was a large coal mining facility and played a large part in the industrialization of Japan.

In 1890 Mitsubishi bought the island and started mining coal from the bottom of the sea. The island was developed quickly becoming the site of Japan’s first large concrete building. Soon blocks of apartments were built to accommodate the large numbers of workers moving to the island, and to protect them from typhoons.

By 1959 the population density on the island was 1,391 in the residential district making it one of the highest population densities ever recorded.

Hashima Island

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In the 1960’s petroleum products started to replace coal, and mines started shutting down. The Hashima mines were no exception and in 1974, Mitsubishi announced that is was closing down the mine. Since coal was the livelihood for virtually all of the islands residents they no longer could live there. Consequently all of its residents moved away leaving behind its buildings and roadways.

Since that time the Island has sat empty, off limits to the public. It has come to be known as Ghost Island and conjures images of a post apocalyptic future, where man is gone and nothing remains but what we left behind. One author describes the site as: “Hashima is what the world will be like when we finish urbanizing and exploiting it: a ghost planet spinning through space—silent, naked, and useless.” source

Restoration efforts began in January 2007 and part of the island will be open to the public in 2008.

Article sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunkanjima

http://archibase.net/archinews/14101.html

http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/7/hashima.php

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Topics: Island Cultures, Weird and Wacky |