Abandoned Mediterranean Resort: Varosha Quarter in Famagusta, Cyprus

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Sometimes Interesting
In the early 1970’s Varosha, Cyprus was one of the Mediterranean’s most glamorous and popular tourist destinations. An upscale quarter in Famagusta Bay, its bright blue waters and beautiful sandy beaches were draws for such celebrities as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Raquel Welch, and Brigitte Bardot among others. Population eventually grew to about 39,000, but by the end of 1974 the town would be conquered by Turkish troops, fenced off completely, and be left with a population of zero. Today the former millionaire’s playground resort still stands vacant and fenced off, guarded by Turkish soldiers and unlikely to re-open anytime soon. Varosha Cyprus
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The Coldest Inhabited Place on Earth: Oymyakon, Russia

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Sometimes Interesting
Oymyakon, a small village of about 500 people in the Sakha region of Russia, holds the claim to fame as being the coldest continually inhabited place on Earth. Located approximately 20 miles northwest of Tomtor on the Kolyma Highway in Siberia, it is not easily accessible. Situated in an area known as Stalin’s Death Ring, Oymyakon set the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded by a permanently-inhabited settlement in 1924 when a Russian scientist endured a frigid -96° Fahrenheit (-71 C).
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Electronic Waste Dump of the World: Guiyu, China

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Sometimes Interesting
Guiyu China electronic waste dump of the world
Ever wonder where those old used computers end up? How about all those old CRT monitors, cell phones, keyboards, and PDAs? We’re told when we drop off our old electronics for recycling that they will be properly disposed of; in some cases we pay recyclers to ensure our old electronics are disposed of in the correct way. It is easy to wipe our hands of these discarded items, feeling we’ve done our part – but have we? What we don’t know is what the “recyclers” do with these parts and where the discarded items end up. You rarely hear about electronic waste sites; perhaps it is time we start paying more attention.
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The Most Contaminated Place on Earth: Chelyabinsk-40

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Sometimes Interesting
Outside of the Chernobyl incident, we seldom hear about the nuclear laboratories and test facilities of the former U.S.S.R. One particular installation – Chelyabinsk-40 – was the first Soviet plutonium production complex and the site of three separate massive nuclear incidents. Until recently this area was not included on maps and the Russian government denied its existence. No visitors had been allowed under any circumstances, and all residents worked in the facility (later referred to as Chelyabinsk-65).  With the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 90’s, Chelyabinsk-40 was finally acknowledged by the government and granted town status. In 1994, Chelyabinsk-65 was finally given a name: Ozyorsk. 
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Abandoned Resort: Sanzhi, Taiwan

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Sometimes Interesting
San Zhi Resort Taiwan
Sanzhi might look like an outcropping of structures from an episode of Star Trek, but the site is actually home to the remains of an abandoned tourist destination resort in the north of Taiwan. The concept behind Sanzhi was futuristic pods that would function as summer villas for the affluent who wanted retreats from the city.
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The Dyatlov Pass Incident

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Sometimes Interesting
Dyatlov Pass 1959
On January 27th 1959, a group of nine skiers set off hiking in the northern Ural Mountains. The group was formed of graduate students from a nearby University for a ski trek across the Sverdlovsk Oblast. The students were all experienced hikers and seasoned skiers, and the route was rated as a “Category III” – the most difficult. The trip began rather uneventful, but by February 2nd they would all be dead with no witnesses or explanation.
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The Island Shaped Like a Battleship: Hashima

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Sometimes Interesting
Populated from 1887 to 1974, Hashima was originally purchased by Mitsubishi to be run as a coal mining facility. Just off the coast of Nagasaki, Hashima had the first concrete buildings constructed in Japan. For nearly one hundred years, Hashima enjoyed prosperity while the coal mines flourished. In the 1960’s petroleum started to replace coal for energy, and coal mines started closing around the country. By 1974 Mitsubishi announced it was closing the mine, and it has been uninhabited ever since.
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Sealand: Smallest Country in the World

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Sometimes Interesting
Considered more of a principality, the micronation of Sealand is located on an old British World War II radar platform. It was a Maunsell Sea Fort constructed by the British military in 1943, and originally given the name HM Fort Roughs. Later it would be renamed Sealand by Major Paddy Roy Bates, who would live there with his family and host a pirate radio station.
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