Most tourists prefer to travel to beautiful or at least well-maintained places - so that they can boast with comfort and photographs: look, they say, where we were, how beautiful it is! And the service there is five stars.
But there are people, according to whom beauty lies not in the rustling of blue waves, but in the surf, black with rage; not in a pink sunset, but in a scorching sun that burns out all living things, and so on. We will tell you about such similar places.
Two Valleys of Death
Yes, in the plural, because there are many “valleys of death” on Earth and at least two of them fully deserve their name.
First Death Valley located in the USA in the Mojave Desert. It is here that the highest temperature in the world is recorded - 56.7 ºС, and this is in the shade. That is, in the summer here in the sun it’s not just hot, but you can easily cook all kinds of hot dishes right in the sand. At night it is a little cooler here - about 30 ° C, and in winter it even sometimes (very rarely) snows.
Death Valley is surrounded on all sides by mountains. This is a seismically active region, the surface of which shifts along fault lines. Huge blocks of the earth's surface move during underground earthquakes, the mountains become higher, and the valley goes lower and lower in relation to sea level.
Among this bare space are scattered boulders - seemingly ordinary ones, ranging in size from a soccer ball to half a ton in weight. And these stones tend to change their location, leaving visible traces of their movement.
Second Death Valley freely located in Kamchatka, not far from the famous geysers, in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve. And here the source of mortal danger is not the banal heat at all - everything is much worse here.
It all looks like this: some small animal or bird unwisely runs or flies into dangerous territory. Then sudden death overtakes him or her. A corpse collapsed to the ground quickly becomes a victim of, say, a fox, who also did not go into this out of great intelligence scary place. After some time, the fox dies.
And if, for example, a bear covets a fox that suddenly died, then the same fate will soon await it. Thus, scientists observed entire chains of dead animals.
There is no mysticism in these deaths. Studies have shown that animal death occurs due to high concentrations of toxic gases, mainly hydrogen sulfide. Some researchers have discovered cyanide compounds in the gas mixture. Poisonous gases spread over the ground itself, their concentration at a height of 10 - 15 cm is twice as high as at a height of 50 cm. This explains why there are no known cases of severe poisoning or death of people at the bottom of the Valley of Death.
It is phenomenal that animal corpses are preserved for an unusually long time without decomposing. It turns out that in the Death Valley, in a toxic atmosphere, the oxidative activity of bacteria is suppressed.
Scientists conducting research in Death Valley experienced headaches, heat in the back of the head, dizziness, and weakness. However, if you leave a dangerous place in time and climb to a ventilated hill, your health will be restored quite quickly.
Like in hell
The next depressing place is Danakil desert, located in northern Ethiopia and southeastern Eritrea. Not only is it incredibly hot there, and the hot air is simply impossible to breathe, but there are also volcanoes all around, lakes with acid instead of water, poisonous fumes from these very lakes and volcanoes. In short, the landscape is still the same.
But, despite the impossibility of human (or any living) creature living in such conditions, the desert has owners. Aboriginal people live here, divided into two tribes, each of which considers the Danakil Desert to be theirs and, with the help of diplomacy and weapons, periodically conveys this information to its neighbors.
But when fighting among themselves, the tribes do not touch outsiders. Because if there are no tourists, there will be no meaning in the reclaimed attraction. So those who want to look at the “alien” landscape and deeply breathe in the rich composition of sulfur fumes are eagerly awaited.
There, in Ethiopia, in the Afar Valley, there is another formidable attraction - Erta Ale volcano. It is famous for the fact that the area around it is constantly “breathing”, since two lava lakes located in the crater have not been able to calm down for many years. They either fall somewhere underground, causing mild earthquakes, or splash out, destroying all living things.
Another "fun" Volcano Sinabung located on the island of Sumatra. One can only guess how people still live at its foot.
Judge for yourself: recent eruptions occurred in 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015 and February 2016. Moreover, these were not just light hazes and emissions of small amounts of ash into the air, but full-fledged eruptions with lava flows, ruined crops, destroyed houses and infrastructure.
Acid Lake and Snake Island
In Tanzania it gently splashes a lake called Natron. The complete privacy and silence around the lake invites the traveler to undress and plunge into its waters. It is precisely the silence and solitude, and most importantly, the absence of any living creatures in the lake itself, that should immediately alert a swimmer.
The fact is that no one lives in this lake, not because it is boring there, but because the content of salt and alkali in the water is so high that animals and plants die instantly as soon as they touch the surface. So, not only swimming, but even touching the water of Lake Natron is not recommended.
But where you can’t meddle because not of a lack, but rather of an excess of living creatures, is on Queimada Grande island, or Snake, located near the coast of Brazil.
As the name suggests, the island is simply infested with snakes. There are five of them per square meter here, can you imagine? Nobody knows what they eat here - after all the people serving the lighthouse located on the island died from bites and an automatic beacon was installed, rarely any of the service personnel appear here, and they usually don’t stay long. Tourists are generally prohibited from entering here. In general, the island is a paradise for serpentarium lovers and a scary place for normal people.
Bolivia has a national Madidi Park. Everything here is very beautiful, healthy and picturesque, but... It is recommended to enter the park only for very healthy people, in the sense of those who do not have any open wounds or even just minor scratches.
Explorers dreaming of uncharted places on the planet often think of Madidi. But for the most part they just think. Because the few that went into the deepest areas of the park never returned. The exact cause of their death is unknown, although here death is literally hidden everywhere. Including in small native villages that are lost among lush foliage, not wanting to contact our civilization.
Moreover, even touching the plants or insects living in the park can cause itching, allergies and simply feeling unwell. A very unpleasant place.
Bikini and stunning wind
Bikini Atoll is still considered a dangerous place after the Americans tested atomic and hydrogen bombs there. They say that it is now possible to live on the atoll, but you should never drink local coconut milk - the amount of cesium-127 there is off the charts, and consuming this isotope inside can lead to imminent death.
But let's return from the tropics to cooler places and appreciate Mount Washington in the US state of New Hampshire. This is a low mountain - less than two thousand meters, but on the other hand, a simply stunning wind periodically blows on it at a speed of up to 372 kilometers per hour! Let's add winter temperatures down to -40 °C, heavy snowfalls - and we will think many times before taking a walk in this area.
Konstantin KARELOV
Almost everyone loves to travel, but there are places that even the most adventurous would not want to go to. In this article, we have selected the ten most dangerous points on our planet. Are these really the most dangerous corners and which of them is the most risky we will leave to you, the readers, to decide and judge.
1. Tora Bora, Afghanistan. Tora Bora is considered the most dangerous place on our planet, a place that is very far from the laws and justice of the civilized world.
Terrorism and lawlessness flourish with impunity, turning Tora Bora into a living hell on earth. The place is located in the eastern part, near Pakistan, approximately in the middle of the road between Kabul and Peshawar.
Because of its inaccessibility, Tora Bora is often described as a mountain fortress for the Taliban.
2. Waziristan, Pakistan. Located in northern parts Pakistan, Waziristan is an area that is considered one of the most conservative and isolated in the world.
She obeys her own rules and laws, and that's one of the things that makes her so dangerous. Similar to other places like Tora Bora, Waziristan is considered one of the “nests” of terrorism in the world.
3. Kandahar, Afghanistan. The city of Kandahar is considered the most dangerous place on the planet, even more dangerous than Kabul, Mosul and Baghdat.
Here, despite the long-term presence of Western military units, the situation remains quite tense. The city is located in the southern parts of probably the most dangerous country in the world - Afghanistan.
4. Peshawar, Pakistan. Located in the northern part of Pakistan, near the border of Afghanistan, Peshawar is among the most dangerous and dangerous places on the planet.
It is a land of terrorism which is not much different from Waziristan, also located in Pakistan.
5. Kabul, Afghanistan. The capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, is considered the most dangerous capital on the planet, along with cities such as Mogadishu and Baghdat.
Danger and fear are in the air here, and the situation is extremely unstable. Explosions and other forms of terrorism are still part of everyday life in this city.
6. Mosul, Iraq. Mosul is considered the most dangerous city in Iraq; the capital, Baghdat, is more dangerous.
If you are Christian, Mosul can be a living hell for you. Here, the threat of terrorism is an inseparable part of people's daily lives.
7. Baghdat, Iraq. Once upon a time magical city from fairy tales, nowadays Bagdat is not a place you would like to go to.
Today, the Iraqi capital is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world.
The threat of terrorism in Baghdat is still exceptional high level and most of the world's governments oppose any visits to this dangerous place.
9. Gulf of Aden, Somalia. One of the most dangerous sea routes, the Gulf of Aden, cannot be left out of this negative rating. The reason for the danger in the area is a reflection of the dire situation facing Somalia.
There are pirates floating in the Gulf of Aden, posing a threat to those sailing in the area. sea vessels. The world has repeatedly witnessed the theft of ships in these waters.
10. San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Although it initially seems sunny, exotic and colorful, San Pedro Sula is considered the most dangerous city in all of Latin America.
Despite the fact that this region as a whole has always been considered risky, the crime rate here is surprising. The murder rate per capita in San Pedro Sula is among the highest in the civilized world.
During a visit, your skin gets goosebumps from what you see here. With the most scary places We'll get to know each other further on earth.
Old Jewish cemetery in Prague, Czech Republic
Processions in this cemetery took place for almost four centuries (from 1439 to 1787). More than 100 thousand dead are buried on a relatively small plot of land, and the number of gravestones reaches 12,000. More ancient
Cemetery workers covered the burials with earth, and new tombstones were erected in the same place. On the territory of the cemetery there are places where 12 burial tiers are located under the earth's crust. As time passed, the subsided earth revealed old gravestones to the eyes of the living, who began to move later slabs. The view was not only unusual, but also creepy.
Island of Abandoned Dolls, Mexico
There is a very strange abandoned island in Mexico, most of which is inhabited by scary dolls. They say that in 1950, a certain hermit, Julian Santana Barrera, began collecting and hanging dolls from trash cans, who in this way tried to calm the soul of a girl who had drowned nearby. Julian himself drowned on the island on April 17, 2001. Now there are about 1000 exhibits on the island.
Hashima Island, Japan
Hashima is a former coal mining settlement founded in 1887. It was considered one of the most densely populated places on earth - with coastline about a kilometer its population in 1959 was 5,259 people. When coal mining here became unprofitable, the mine was closed and the island city joined the list of ghost towns. This happened in 1974.
Chapel of Bones, Portugal
The Copella was built in the 16th century by a Franciscan monk. The chapel itself is small - only 18.6 meters long and 11 meters wide, but the bones and skulls of five thousand monks are kept here. On the roof of the chapel is written the phrase “Melior est die mortis die nativitatis” (“Better the day of death than the day of birth”).
Suicide Forest, Japan
Suicide Forest is the unofficial name of the Aokigahara Jukai forest, located in Japan on the island of Honshu and famous for the frequent suicides committed there. The forest was originally associated with Japanese mythology and was traditionally thought to be the abode of demons and ghosts. Now it is considered the second most popular place in the world (first at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco) to commit suicide. At the entrance to the forest there is a poster: “Your life is a priceless gift from your parents. Think about them and your family. You don't have to suffer alone. Call us 22-0110."
Abandoned psychiatric hospital in Parma, Italy
Brazilian artist Herbert Baglione created an art piece from a building that once housed a psychiatric hospital. He depicted the spirit of this place. Now ghostly figures of exhausted patients wander around the former hospital.
Church of St. George, Czech Republic
The church in the Czech village of Lukova has been abandoned since 1968, when part of its roof collapsed during a funeral ceremony. Artist Jakub Hadrava populated the church with ghost sculptures, giving it a particularly sinister look.
Catacombs in Paris, France
Catacombs - a network of winding underground tunnels and caves near Paris. The total length, according to various sources, is from 187 to 300 kilometers. Since the end of the 18th century, the remains of almost 6 million people have been buried in the catacombs.
Centralia, Pennsylvania, USA
Due to an underground fire that broke out 50 years ago and continues to burn to this day, the number of residents has decreased from 1,000 people (1981) to 7 people (2012). Centralia now has the smallest population in the state of Pennsylvania. Centralia served as the prototype for the creation of the city in the Silent Hill series of games and in the film based on this game.
Magic Market Akodessewa, Togo
The Akodesseva market for magical items and witchcraft herbs is located right in the center of the city of Lome, the capital of the state of Togo in Africa. Africans of Togo, Ghana and Nigeria still practice the voodoo religion and believe in the miraculous properties of dolls. Akodesseva's fetish assortment is extremely exotic: here you can buy cattle skulls, dried heads of monkeys, buffalos and leopards and many other equally “wonderful” things.
Plague Island, Italy
Poveglia is one of the most famous islands Venetian lagoon, northern Italy. It is said that since Roman times the island was used as a place of exile for plague patients, and therefore up to 160,000 people were buried on it. The souls of many of the dead allegedly turned into ghosts, with which the island is now filled. The island's dark reputation is compounded by stories of horrific experiments allegedly carried out on psychiatric patients. In this regard, paranormal researchers call the island one of the most terrible places on earth.
Hill of Crosses, Lithuania
The Mountain of Crosses is a hill on which many Lithuanian crosses are installed, their total number is approximately 50 thousand. Despite the external resemblance, it is not a cemetery. According to popular belief, good luck will accompany those who leave a cross on the Mountain. Neither the time of the appearance of the Mountain of Crosses nor the reasons for its appearance can be said with certainty. To this day, this place is shrouded in secrets and legends.
Burials of Kabayan, Philippines
The famous fire mummies of Kabayan, dating back to 1200-1500 AD, are buried here, as well as, it is believed local residents, their perfume. They were made using a complex mummification process, and are now carefully guarded, as cases of their theft are not uncommon. Why? As one of the robbers said, “he had the right to do this,” since the mummy was his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather.
Overtoun Bridge, Scotland
The old arch bridge is located near the Scottish village of Milton. In the middle of the 20th century, strange things began to happen on it: dozens of dogs suddenly threw themselves from a 15-meter height, fell onto rocks and were killed. Those that survived came back and tried again. The bridge has turned into a real “killer” of four-legged animals.
Actun-Tunichil-Muknal Cave, Belize
Actun Tunichil Muknal is a cave near the city of San Ignacio, Belize. Is archaeological site Mayan civilization. Located on the territory natural park Mount Tapira. One of the halls of the cave is the so-called cathedral, where the Mayans made sacrifices, as they considered this place to be Xibalba - the entrance to the underworld.
Leap Castle, Ireland
Leap Castle in Offaly, Ireland is considered one of the cursed castles in the world. Its gloomy attraction is a large underground dungeon, the bottom of which is studded with sharp stakes. The dungeon was discovered during the restoration of the castle. In order to remove all the bones from it, the workers needed 4 carts. Local residents say that the castle is haunted by many ghosts of people who died in the dungeon.
Chauchilla Cemetery, Peru
The Chauchilla Cemetery is located about 30 minutes from the Nazca desert plateau, on the southern coast of Peru. The necropolis was discovered in the 20s of the twentieth century. According to researchers, bodies found in the cemetery are about 700 years old, and the last burials here took place in the 9th century. Chowchilla differs from other burial sites in the special way in which people were buried. All the bodies are “squatting”, and their “faces” seem to be frozen in a wide smile. The bodies were perfectly preserved thanks to the Peruvian dry desert climate.
Sanctuary of Tophet, Tunisia
The most notorious feature of Carthage's religion was the sacrifice of children, mainly infants. During the sacrifice it was forbidden to cry, since it was believed that any tear, any plaintive sigh would detract from the value of the sacrifice. In 1921, archaeologists discovered a site where several rows of urns were found containing the charred remains of both animals (they were sacrificed instead of people) and small children. The place was called Tophet.
Snake Island, Brazil
Queimada Grande is one of the most dangerous and famous islands on our planet. There is only a forest, a rocky, inhospitable coast up to 200 meters high, and snakes. There are up to six snakes per square meter of the island. The poison of these reptiles acts instantly. Brazilian authorities have decided to completely ban anyone from visiting the island, and locals are telling chilling stories about it.
Buzludzha, Bulgaria
The largest monument in Bulgaria, located on Mount Buzludzha with a height of 1441 meters, was built in the 1980s in honor of the Bulgarian communist party. Its construction took almost 7 years and involved more than 6 thousand workers and experts. The interior was partly decorated with marble, and the staircases were decorated with red cathedral glass. Now the monument house has been completely looted, only a concrete frame with reinforcement remains, looking like a destroyed alien ship.
City of the Dead, Russia
Dargavs in North Ossetia looks like a cute village with small stone houses, but in fact it is an ancient necropolis. People were buried in various types of crypts along with all their clothing and personal belongings.
Abandoned military hospital Beelitz-Heilstetten, Germany
During the First and Second World Wars, the hospital was used by the military, and in 1916 Adolf Hitler was treated there. After World War II, the hospital ended up in the zone Soviet occupation and became the largest Soviet hospital outside the USSR. The complex consists of 60 buildings, some of which have now been restored. Almost all abandoned buildings are closed to access. The doors and windows are securely boarded up with high boards and sheets of plywood.
Unfinished subway in Cincinnati, USA
Abandoned subway depot in Cincinnati - project built in 1884. But after the First World War and as a result of changing demographics, the need for the metro disappeared. Construction slowed in 1925, with half of the 16 km line completed. The abandoned subway now hosts tours twice a year, but many people are known to wander its tunnels alone.
Hanging Coffins of Sagada, Philippines
On the island of Luzon, in the village of Sagada, there is one of the most frightening places in the Philippines. Here you can see unusual funeral structures made of coffins placed high above the ground on the rocks. There is a belief among the indigenous population that the higher the body of the deceased is buried, the closer his soul will be to heaven.
Nuclear lighthouse at Cape Aniva (Sakhalin)
The lighthouse was built with great difficulty in 1939 according to the design of the architect Miura Shinobu - it was unique and the most difficult technical structure all over Sakhalin. It operated on a diesel generator and battery backup until the early 1990s, when it was refurbished. Thanks to the nuclear energy source, maintenance costs were minimal, but soon there was no money left for this either - the building was empty, and in 2006 the military removed two isotope installations that powered the lighthouse from here. It once shone for 17.5 miles, but is now plundered and abandoned.
Eighth workshop of the Dagdizel plant, Makhachkala
Naval weapons testing station, commissioned in 1939. It is located 2.7 km from the coast and has not been used for a long time. Construction took a long time and was complicated by difficult conditions. Unfortunately, the workshop did not serve the plant for long. The requirements for the work carried out in the workshop changed, and in April 1966 this grandiose structure was written off from the factory balance sheet. Now this “Array” is abandoned and stands in the Caspian Sea, resembling an ancient monster from the shore.
Psychiatric Clinic Lier Sikehus, Norway
The Norwegian psychiatric hospital, located in the small town of Lier, half an hour's drive from Oslo, has a dark past. Experiments on patients were once carried out here, and for unknown reasons, four hospital buildings were abandoned in 1985. Equipment, beds, even magazines and personal belongings of patients remained in the abandoned buildings. At the same time, the remaining eight buildings of the hospital are still operating to this day.
Gunkanjima Island, Japan
In fact, the island is called Hashima, nicknamed Gunkanjima, which means “cruiser island.” The island was settled in 1810 when coal was discovered there. Within fifty years, it has become the most populated island in the world in terms of the ratio of land and the number of inhabitants on it: 5,300 people with a radius of the island itself of one kilometer. By 1974, the reserves of coal and other minerals on Gankajima were completely exhausted, and people left the island. Today, visiting the island is prohibited. There are many legends about this place among the people.
Each continent has its own special places. Some fascinate with their beauty, while others pose a mortal danger and, moreover, are strictly prohibited from visiting. TravelAsk found information about the most dangerous places on our planet.
A place where the wind can blow away
Mount Washington in New Hampshire is recognized as one of the most dangerous places on the planet. Here in 1934, a record wind speed on the surface of the Earth was recorded - 372 kilometers per hour! For comparison, the maximum recorded speed of a tornado is 480 kilometers per hour.
Moreover, the winds blow here all year round on average 16 hours a day. Yes, with such gusts that they can easily knock you off your feet. In addition to the winds, there is another feature here - the thermometer can easily drop to -40°C.
However, this does not prevent tourists from visiting the mountain. There is even a funicular leading to the top. There are also meteorological stations and observatories here. But they are imprinted into the mountain and installed in such a way that they can withstand wind speeds of up to 500 km/h.
A place to burn
Want to visit Mars? Then you are in the Danakil desert, or, as it is also called, hell on Earth. It is located in Africa, in northern Ethiopia. And do you know why they called her that? The fact is that the air here warms up to 50, and sometimes 60 degrees, and the ground - up to 70. And in the desert there are many volcanoes that periodically erupt right under your feet, so you can easily burn here while walking on the sand. Volcanoes form crevices from which toxic fumes escape. In addition, there are lakes of sulfuric acid and gas everywhere.
The reason for this is the location of the desert. The fact is that Danakil is located right on the territory of the fault of the Arabian tectonic plate. Because of this, it is very restless here: here it is quite possible to die or be poisoned by gases, ruining your health.
But this territory is dangerous not only due to natural anomalies. The desert is home to semi-wild Ethiopian tribes that can easily kill.
Despite all these “charms”, the desert is very popular among tourists. True, it seems that people come here to communicate with aliens: the landscapes are quite suitable, plus the thin air and unbearable heat. And you won’t believe that this is our planet.
Prohibited place
Well, the most dangerous place on the planet is considered to be the island of Queimada Grande or Snake Island. It is even closed to the public.
Queimada Grande is located in Atlantic Ocean, 35 kilometers from , and belongs to Brazil. This island is simply teeming with snakes: according to some reports, there are from one to five reptiles per square meter. Moreover, one of the most dangerous snakes- island bothrops. This reptile is capable of killing in a very short time, since its poison causes rapid death of the body. In addition, it contains a substance that can break down tissue for further processing, so the bite site rots down to the bones. And this snake is big - up to 1 meter in length.
Snakes are everywhere on the island: on the ground, hanging from branches, hiding in the shade of bushes. They mainly feed on birds, which, unsuspectingly, sit on branches.
Bothrops is endemic here and has lived in these forests for many centuries. Once the island separated from the mainland, so the individuals remained cut off from the world. Naturally, the hot climate and the absence of any interventions had a positive effect on their population, so the island is literally swarming with snakes.
Queimada Grande is so dangerous that Brazilian authorities have banned visitors from visiting it. Only the navy and periodically researchers can come here.
There is a lighthouse on the island, where a family once lived. In fact, it was built in order to divert ships from a dangerous place. However, 11 years after its construction, in 1920, all family members were found dead. The snakes climbed into the home and bit the caretakers. For some time the lighthouse did not work, but thanks to technology it was made automated.
But still, Queimada Grande is of particular value from a scientific point of view: after all, it is the largest natural serpentarium in the world. Therefore, visiting the island is prohibited not only in order to protect the lives of tourists, but also in order not to disturb this fragile ecosystem.
Although, considering how the snakes subjugated the entire island and “evicted” people from here, they cannot be called fragile)
There are many amazing and beautiful places, where many people would happily spend their holidays: excellent weather, charming nature, warm sea, flowering plants, stunning architectural monuments attract many tourists.
But there are also those who are attracted not by amazing landscapes and a comfortable climate, but by real extreme sports and dangerous mysteries.
For such originals, as well as for those who would not like to accidentally find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, we offer a rating of the 10 most dangerous places in the world.
It includes mountains, islands, and areas where weather or biological factors make staying very unpleasant and even threatening.
10 Summit of Mount Washington
This Mountain peak in the USA in the White Mountains system it is famous among amateurs extreme species sport like a mountain with the strongest winds and completely unpredictable weather.
At this most beautiful point mountain system was in the 30s of the last century, the most amazing wind speed was recorded - 103.3 m/s. If we convert the indicator into the usual system of measures, it will be 372 km/h. For comparison, the speed of a tornado is about 480 km/h.
Everything located on Mount Washington has to be firmly attached to the surface, and the meteorological instruments that are installed there require the constant supervision of a specialist. So there are always people at the extreme peak.
Extreme lovers visit this scary place with great pleasure: competitions of runners, cyclists and even climbers are held here every year. disabilities health, as well as the introduction of cars with alternative energy sources.
9 Mountain of the Dead
