Mysterious 'fingerprints' in the ocean

Located off the coast of Croatia, in the Adriatic Sea, Baljenac is a tiny island covered with a series of stone walls that make it look like a fingerprint in the middle of the ocean when viewed from above.

The walls are made up of countless stones stacked on top of each other and have a total length of 23km, viewed from above, you might think this is a maze, but they are actually only about half a body high. people. They were created to support farming in an inhospitable place.

The rocky terrain and strong winds are not ideal for growing plants, so residents of the nearby island of Kaprije built these stone walls to separate and protect their crops, some researchers say. that the island was once used to grow grapes. Most of the walls are believed to have been erected in the 19th century, but some parts may be even older.

This is also a technique used in other parts of Europe, like Britain or Ireland, but only on the island of Baljenac do these walls remind us of human fingerprints. This uninhabited island has only a surface area of ​​0.14 square kilometers but has 23 square kilometers of walls created simply by stacking rocks and this is where this technique is most heavily used. by surface area.

Since aerial photographs of Baljenac were shared on the Internet, it has become a tourist attraction in the area. Although locals welcome visitors, they are also worried that some impolite tourists will destroy these walls.

The Croatian government has asked UNESCO to include the island in the list of world heritage sites, which will not only boost its popularity but also ensure Baljenac is more carefully protected by the local authorities.