5. GUNKANJIMA (Japan): the Ghost (and forbidden) Island
Gunkanjima is one among 505 uninhabited islands in the Nagasaki
Prefecture about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki itself. The island was
populated from 1887 to 1974 as a coal mining facility. The island’s most
notable features are the abandoned concrete buildings and the sea wall
surrounding it. It is known for its coal mines and their operation
during the industrialization of Japan. Mitsubishi bought the island in
1890 and began the project, the aim of which was retrieving coal from
the bottom of the sea. They built Japan’s first large concrete building,
a block of apartments in 1916 to accommodate their burgeoning ranks of
workers, and to protect against typhoon destruction.
In 1959, its population density was 835 people per hectare for the
whole island, or 1,391 per hectare for the residential district, one of
the highest population density ever recorded worldwide. As petroleum
replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines began shutting down all
over the country, and Hashima’s mines were no exception. Mitsubishi
officially announced the closing of the mine in 1974, and today it is
empty and bare, which is why it’s called the Ghost Island. Travel to
Hashima is currently prohibited.
4. SURTSEY (Iceland): The emerging island
Off the coast of Iceland on the morning of 14 November 1963, the crew
of a lone fishing trawler spotted an alarming sight. Off to the
southwest of the Ísleifur II, a column of dark smoke was rising from the
water. Concerned that it could be another boat on fire, the captain
directed his vessel towards the scene. Once there, however, they found
not a boat but a series of violent explosions producing ash. This was an
unmistakable indication of a volcanic eruption taking place underwater,
close to the surface. Very aware of the potential danger but eager to
watch, the crew kept their boat nearby. It was indeed a remarkable event
that they would witness a small part of over the course of that
morning: the formation of a brand-new island.
Although now quite visible, the eruption lasted for much, much longer
than the Ísleifur II would have been able to watch. After several days,
the volcano had broken the water’s surface, forming an island over 500
meters long and 45 meters tall. Even though the rough tides of the North
Atlantic might have soon eroded the new island away, it was named
Surtsey, meaning ‘Surtur’s island’ – Surtur (or Surtr) being a fire
giant of Norse mythology. The island proved to be tenacious, however.
The eruption was ongoing and Surtsey increased in size more quickly than
the ocean could wear it down. In the meantime two other nearby volcanic
eruptions produced the beginnings of islands, but neither lasted very
long. By April 1964, though, the most violent parts of the eruption were
over and Surtsey remained.
It was fairly clear that it was going to be a permanent island – or
at least as permanent as anything can be in geology. The explosions
returned in August 1966, and only stopped when the entire eruption
finally came to an end in June 1967. Since then, the volcano has lain
dormant. The island was left 174 meters tall and about 2.8 square
kilometers in size. At 33 kilometers south of the mainland, it also
marked the new southernmost point of Iceland.
3. PALM ISLANDS (Dubai): the palm-shaped man-made island
The Palm Islands in Dubai are the three largest artificial islands in
the world. They are being constructed by Nakheel Properties, a property
developer in the United Arab Emirates, who hired the Dutch dredging and
marine contractor Van Oord, one of the world’s specialists in land
reclamation. The islands are The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali and
The Palm Deira. The Islands are located off the coast of The United Arab
Emirates in the Persian Gulf and will add 520 km of beaches to the city
of Dubai.
The first two islands will comprise approximately 100 million cubic
meters of rock and sand. Palm Deira will be composed of approximately 1
billion cubic meters of rock and sand. All materials will be quarried in
the UAE. Between the three islands there will be over 100 luxury
hotels, exclusive residential beach side villas and apartments, marinas,
water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities and
health spas. The creation of The Palm Jumeirah began in June 2001.
Shortly after, The Palm Jebel Ali was announced and reclamation work
began. In 2004, The Palm Deira, which will be almost as large in size as
Paris, was announced. Palm Jumeirah is currently open for development.
Construction will be completed over the next 10-15 years.
2. SEALAND (Principality): World’s smallest island
The Principality of Sealand is an island and a micronation located on
HM Fort Roughs, a former Maunsell Sea Fort located in the North Sea 10
km (six miles) off the coast of Suffolk, England, in what is claimed as
territorial waters using a twelve-nautical-mile radius.
Since 1967, the installation has been occupied by associates and
family of Paddy Roy Bates, a former radio broadcaster and former British
Army Major, who claims that it is a sovereign and independent state.
Critics, as well as court rulings in the United States and in Germany,
have claimed that Roughs Tower has always remained the property of the
United Kingdom, a view that is disputed by the Bates family. The
population of the facility rarely exceeds ten, and its habitable area is
550 m2 (5920 sq ft).
Sealand’s claims to sovereignty and legitimacy are not recognised by
any country, yet it is sometimes cited in debates as an interesting case
study of how various principles of international law can be applied to a
territorial dispute.
1. EASTER ISLAND (Polynesian triangle, Chile): world heritage site and one of the most isolated inhabited islands in history
Easter Island is one of the world’s most isolated inhabited islands.
It is 3,600 km (2,237 miles) west of continental Chile and 2,075 km
(1,290 miles) east of Pitcairn. Nowdays, it is a Chilean-governed
island, and is a world heritage site with much of the island protected
by the Rapa Nui National Park.
First settled by a small party of Polynesians, Easter Island is one
of the youngest inhabited territories on Earth, and for most of its
history it was the most isolated inhabited territory on Earth. Its
inhabitants the Rapanui have endured famines, epidemics, civil war,
slave raids and colonialism; have seen their population crash on more
than one occasion, and created a cultural legacy that has brought them
fame out of all proportion to their numbers.
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