The most unusual islands in the world. What is interesting in the Seychelles The most unusual name of the island
The islands are wonderful! And in this article you will get acquainted with some of the most interesting and unusual of them.
Socotra is an isolated island in the Indian Ocean that belongs to the country of Yemen. Located about 240 kilometers east of the Horn of Africa and 380 kilometers south of the Arabian Peninsula, the island is one of the most isolated landforms in continental (i.e. non-volcanic) origin.
The island has been described as "the most alien-looking place on earth", and due to its isolation and warm, dry climate, a third of its plant life is found nowhere else on earth.
North Sentinel Island
North Sentinel Island is an island in the Andaman Islands archipelago belonging to India.
This island is notable for the indigenous people who live on it, the Sentinelese, who are among the last remaining people untouched by modern civilization. Sentinelese actively reject contact with other peoples, and in some cases have been openly hostile and aggressive towards outsiders.
After the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Indian government helicopters flew over the island to watch for people who responded by throwing spears and rocks in an apparent attempt to drive the car away. In 2006, two fishermen were killed by the Sentinelese after their fishing boat was taken to the area of the island and they ran aground on a coral reef.
The world in which we live, thanks to the Internet and the availability of various modes of transport, is becoming more and more crowded, and there are less and less mysteries in it. Most of the islands in the world have long been studied, their secrets have been explored many years ago, but still some are still covered with a halo of mystery. We present to your attention the ten most mysterious islands in the world.
10 PHOTOS
1. Bermeya Island.
This island was marked on the maps of the XVIII century, it was located a few kilometers from the Yucatan Peninsula and was the most remote part of Mexico. However, when expeditions were sent to search for it in the late 90s, the mysterious island could not be found. It was never discovered and in 2009 it was officially recognized as non-existent. Where did Bermeya Island disappear to? There are several theories on this, including US intervention and global warming.
2. Renaissance Island. This island was discovered in the 19th century in the Aral Sea. In Soviet times, biological weapons testing was carried out on it, including the development of substances that cause anthrax with tests on animals. After they learned about the laboratory in the United States, it was decided to urgently liquidate it. All equipment and personnel were removed, and weapons and chemicals under development were buried on the island.
3. Earthquake Island. In September 2013, a powerful earthquake hit Pakistan, as a result of which a new island was unexpectedly formed. According to scientists, Earthquake Island is a mud volcano that surfaced due to strong tremors.
4. Magic island. An island with such an intriguing name is located ... outside our planet. In 2013, astronomers observing Titan, Saturn's moon, discovered the appearance of a new island on it. It is assumed that this may be an accumulation of solid particles that form land. Since there is a theoretical possibility of simple life forms on Titan, the discovery of this island is an important event for astronomers.
5. Bannerman Island Bannerman Island is located on the Hudson River half an hour from New York and you can see the ruins of a magnificent castle on it. At the end of the 20th century, the American tycoon Frank Bannerman, who bought a large number of weapons, built a castle here to store them. In 1920, approximately 200 tons of gunpowder exploded on the island, destroying most of the complex. The island remained closed to the public for a long time, but last year it became available to tourists again.
6. Socotra Island Socotra Island, located off the coast of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, looks like it is on some other planet. Unique is not only the landscape of the island, but also a lot of unusual plants and animals, most of which are found nowhere else on earth.
7. Diego Garcia Island. Diego Garcia is part of the large Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean. In the 1960s, the inhabitants of the island were evicted by representatives of the US government, who set up their military facility there. The secret American base is located on the island to this day and it is absolutely impossible to get there as a tourist.
8. Floating island. This unique natural object was discovered in 2016 in hard-to-reach places in the province of Buenos Aires (Argentina). The floating island is located in an almost perfectly round lake and looks like an eye from a height. About this place, a film crew led by director Sergio Nespiler made a scientific documentary called "The Eye".
9 Partridge Island This island is located in Canada, off the coast of the port of St. John. In the 19th century, thousands of immigrants came to Canada to escape the famine. To avoid the spread of diseases such as typhus, scarlet fever, yellow fever and cholera, the Canadian authorities have organized a quarantine complex on the island. Anyone who was sick was not allowed to leave the island, 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.
10. Easter Island. The island was discovered in 1722 by Dutch sailors and got its name in honor of the Easter holiday. The main attraction of Easter Island is the giant stone statues, of which there are about 900. There is still no consensus among scientists about their origin, and the locals believe that the power of the ancient gods is contained in the statues.
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 a lifeboat, and, perhaps, shipwrecked people sailed on it. But the boat had no markings to show where it came from or who it belonged to, and the nearest trade route is at least 1,600 kilometers away. 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 the Soviet expedition to Antarctica in 1959, and part of the crew wanted to inspect 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 all 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 sewerage system, and fresh water sometimes flows in a very thin stream, depending on the time of year and 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! Firstly, the largest island in the 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 channel, there is only a narrow rivulet connecting Taal with the South China Sea. For several centuries, the salty water of Taal 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, gray bull sharks lived in Taal until the 1930s, until they were driven to extinction by local residents.
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 Google Maps service in northern Canada, an even larger island of the same type was discovered 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, such 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. The infamous garbage patch is made up of tiny bits of plastic that travel along ocean currents, and most of the time it's barely visible above the water, so it's not really an 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, which led to the creation of another floating island the size of almost the whole of Israel - its area was about 19,400 square kilometers! Migrating land has been spotted in the South Pacific near 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 the southern part of the 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 an inhabited island ... It had many 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 Danube 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 Treaty of Sistovo in 1791, which marked the end of the fourth Austro-Turkish war, Ada Kale was handed over to the Ottoman Empire for the last time. 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 to the autonomous status of Bulgaria. The 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 free from taxes and surrounded by incredibly picturesque views, the island of Ada Kale has become a favorite place for tourists, a kind of small oriental 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 massive 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 very eloquently about its appearance. Hashima 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, a kindergarten, a hospital, a cultural center, a cinema, swimming pools, a club and several other entertainment centers were built on the island. 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 Hashima 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 island botrops venom 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 Sentinel 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 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 the North Sentinel Island with a special status in order to protect the 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, a cargo ship ran aground near the island, and it took 9 days to repair 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 a diligent search, 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 a fairly accurate description of the actual location of Eden. 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 was their absence on the modern map that 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 the beautiful lands in which human civilization was born. Some records mention Dilmun as a great empire and an important trade center at the crossroads between ancient Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. 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 trading center, 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 beautiful islands with virgin nature in the most remote corners of the Earth. Some of them are extremely difficult to get to, but it's worth it.
Okunoshima (Japan) - land of rabbits
This cozy uninhabited island is washed by the waters of the Inland Sea of Japan, its main feature is a huge number of rabbits that literally filled a small piece of land. They say that at present, at least seven hundred fluffy inhabitants live here, who are very fond of tourists and willingly contact them.
Once upon a time, Okunoshima was inhabited by several families of fishermen. At the end of the 19th century, fortifications were erected on its territory, then a secret military base and a plant were built on the island, which produced chemical weapons - dangerous poisonous gases. The laboratory functioned until 1945, carefully hiding its own existence from the whole world.
As soon as the Second World War ended, the plant was closed, all equipment, along with documents, was burned, and people were evacuated. Only rabbits, previously used as experimental animals, remained. Over the years, their population has increased significantly, fluffy animals literally occupied the entire island and feel very good here.
Cocos (Costa Rica) - the island of treasure hunters
Aldabra (Seychelles) - the lost atoll
One of the most beautiful atolls in the Indian Ocean is almost impossible to get close because of its impregnable rocky coast. Thanks to this isolated position and the complete absence of human activity, the local nature has literally flourished - the flora and fauna of the island is amazing.
Currently, the atoll has been declared a reserve of international importance, there are no tourists here, but sometimes scientists appear who conduct research and keep order on Aldabra. Rare species of animals such as black parrot, blue dove and flying fox live and feel great on this island.
The shores of the atoll resemble a colorful Persian carpet due to the vibrant vegetation and exotic flowers. About 130 species of beautiful tropical butterflies live here. Many migratory birds have chosen this paradise. A great place to relax and recharge after a long day.
Enderbury Islands (New Zealand) - a deserted haven of penguins
This small piece of land belongs to the volcanic archipelago of Auckland, spread among the waters of the Pacific Ocean to the south of New Zealand. Relatively recently, scientists have discovered traces of an ancient Polynesian settlement on the island, which existed on these lands around the 13th-14th centuries.
Currently, the island is completely uninhabited, sometimes it is visited by scientists who are engaged in the study of local flora and fauna. Enderbury was opened to the world relatively recently - in 1806, by an ordinary carriage. This island was chosen by yellow-eyed penguins, who feel very at ease on the inhospitable rocky shore.
In addition to them, New Zealand sea lions, Auckland chirrels and wild rabbits also live here. It is known that earlier shipwrecked victims were found on the island, who then returned safely to the “mainland”.
This is a selection of islands that are somehow unusual and famous. The list is in no particular order, as each island is unique in its own way. So this one really looks more like a grocery list than a “countdown from ten to one” list. The listed islands were also chosen because of their low profile, which explains why, for example, Easter Island is not on the list - everyone has already heard of it! So, the most unusual islands are waiting for you...
Niihau Island
The westernmost of the eight main Hawaiian islands, Niihau (pronounced "Nii-i-how") differs from the other seven in that it is privately owned. Purchased by Elizabeth Sinclair of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1864, this is one of the most unusual islands in the world. Visitors are rarely allowed to visit Niihau, which is why it is also called the “Forbidden Island”. Although, in recent years, the island has begun to receive a very limited flow of tourists participating in safari. Niihau's population hovers around 130 people who speak their native Hawaiian language.
Attu Island
Once again the westernmost island, but this time the westernmost in the Aleutian Island chain in Alaska. Although Attu Island is western, it is actually in the eastern hemisphere. The island has a population of only twenty people who live and work at the United States Coast Guard Station Attu LORAN. It is also the outermost island in the 1,900 km long Aleutian Islands chain. The island is unusual in that it is the location of the only ground conflict on American soil during the entirety of World War II.
Monuriki Island
Monuriki is a small, uninhabited island in the Mamanuca group of islands in Fiji. It wouldn't be notable for any particular reason if it didn't get into the spotlight as the main filming location for Tom Hanks' movie Cast Away. The film is about a plane crash survivor who lived on the island for four years. In the movies, the island is completely isolated, although in reality there are several other islands within a few miles, including Tavua with a population of approximately 2,400. Monuriki has now become a popular tourist destination as one of the world's most isolated islands.
Navassa Island
Navassa is an uninhabited Caribbean island about thirty miles west of Haiti, and ninety miles south of Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Its coastline is made up of steep cliffs, making it impossible to land by boat. The United States occupied the island in 1857 and spent the next few decades mining its vast guano deposits. The island is now classified as a nature reserve, which requires United States government permission (which is rarely granted) to visit. Navassa is also one of several disputed territories in the United States that is also claimed by Haiti.
Svalbard
Svalbard is the largest of the islands in the Svalbard archipelago, north of Scandinavia. Norwegian territory is home to the city of Longyearbyen, one of the largest permanent settlements in the north. Also, Svalbard contains a lot of "northernmost" things - the northernmost church, the northernmost airport, and much more. Due to the danger of polar bears, when traveling in Svalbard outside of Longyearbyen, it is required to take a rifle with you every time. Svalbard has also been chosen as the location of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, where the seeds of all plants are stored for safekeeping. This is necessary to preserve biodiversity in the event of any large-scale disaster.
Palmyra Atoll
Palmyra is a collection of small islands located about halfway between Hawaii and Samoa. The largest island, Cooper Island, is privately owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy. The rest is owned by the United States federal government and managed by its Fish and Wildlife Service. Palmyra is staffed by a small team of government scientists and Nature Conservancy volunteers to conserve and explore the island. In 1974, Palmyra was the location of a double homicide, later detailed in Vincent Bugliosi's best-selling detective story "And the Sea Shall Reveal the Mystery".
Howland Island
Howland Island lies halfway between Hawaii and Australia, about fifty miles north of the equator. Like most small Pacific islands, it was used by the United States for guano mining. There was also an attempt at colonization, interrupted by World War II when Howland was attacked by Japanese terrorists. It happened the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. All attempts at colonization ceased immediately after the war. Howland is now a nature reserve, best known for being the stopping point for Amelia Earhart's round-the-world flight. Her plane disappeared somewhere near the island, and the details of the disappearance have not been disclosed to this day.
Pitcairn Island
Pitcairn is the only inhabited island of the four in the Pitcairn group. It is the last British overseas territory in the Pacific. The island, with approximately fifty inhabitants, is the least populous and most remote jurisdiction in the world (approximately 2,100 kilometers west of Chile). All its inhabitants are descendants of the rebels in the ranks of the armed forces of Great Britain, as well as the Polynesians who accompanied them. The island is famous for the best honey in the world, that even the Queen praised its merits. You can buy honey through the website, but be prepared for a long wait. Pitcairn does not have an airport, it is rarely visited, so postal deliveries can take months.
Bouvet Island
Bouvet is a 19 square mile volcanic island in the South Atlantic Ocean, about 2500 kilometers south-southwest of South Africa. The island is almost completely covered in ice. Much of the coastline is made up of very steep cliffs, making landing almost impossible. Bouvet was originally a British territory, but Britain relinquished its hold and ceded the island to Norway, which maintains it today as a nature reserve. Bouvet has never been inhabited and will almost certainly never be inhabited, but it has its own top-level domain name, .bv, which is not in use. The reason for Bouvet's fame is that it is the most remote island in the world. The closest landmass, Dronning Maud Land in Antarctica, is about 1,750 kilometers to the south. Fans of extreme travel and radio lovers really like to come here.
North Sentinel Island
North Sentinel Island is located approximately 32 kilometers west of Smith Island in the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately 72 square kilometers entirely forested except for the thin strips of beach surrounding it. In general, the island is quite ordinary, except that it is inhabited by one of the few remaining completely isolated peoples in the world. The Sentinelese xenophobically resist virtually all attempts at contact, often firing arrows at boats and helicopters that come too close to the island (sometimes even killing the "intruders"). Due to their active isolationism and the difficulty of observing the island from the air, almost nothing is known about the Sentinelese. - their language, culture, and even an accurate estimate of their numbers is still unknown.North Sentinel Island is technically part of the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, but in practice the local government has stated that they intend to leave the island to its inhabitants, making it a de facto Sentinel closes the list of the most unusual islands in the world.
