Hashima Island, often known as Gunkanjima (Battleship Island), is a small, uninhabited island situated off the coast of Nagasaki in southern Japan. Covering an area of 6.3 hectares (approximately 16 acres), Hashima Island earned its nickname due to its resemblance to a military warship.
The island's history is steeped in industrial development and, later, abandonment. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it became the site of a major coal mining operation run by Mitsubishi. At its peak in 1959, the island was home to over 5,000 residents, making it one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Remarkable for its multi-story concrete apartment buildings, the island stood as a symbol of Japan's rapid industrialization.
However, when the coal reserves began to dwindle and petroleum emerged as a more popular fuel source, the mine closed in 1974, leading to a mass exodus of the island's inhabitants. Today, it stands as a haunting relic, with its deserted buildings gradually succumbing to nature's reclaim.
Hashima Island was reopened for visitors in 2009 and was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2015 as part of the Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution. The island, with its desolate landscapes and decaying structures, offers a poignant reminder of Japan's industrial history and the human costs associated with rapid industrialization.
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