Top 12 beautiful and scary abandoned islands in the world

1. Mamula, Montenegro: On the island of Mamula, there is an abandoned fortress built in 1853 by the Austro-Hungarian general, Lazarus von Mamula, for the purpose of protecting the Bay of Kotor (Southeastern Montenegro). During World War II, the fort was used as a place to hold prisoners of war by Benito Mussolini.

2. Gemiler, Turkey: Archaeologists believe that the remains of the first Christian bishop - St Nicholas - were laid to rest on Gemiler Island in 326. However, the island had to withstand many attacks from the Arabs. Arabia, so the saint's remains were brought to the mainland in 650. Church buildings on the island were then abandoned to this day.

3. Spinalonga, Crete, Greece: The Venetians built fortifications on Spinalonga island in the late 16th century to protect trade routes from pirates and the Ottoman Empire. In 1903-1957, the island was the place of exile of the leper, then has been abandoned to this day.

4. Ilha Da Queimada Grande, Brazil: This place is also known as snake island, famous and uninhabited place since 1920. Before that, the island's settlers had made efforts to create a plantation. banana but failed. Tourists also rarely dare to visit the island, because there are too many poisonous yellow-tongue viper snakes.

5. Fort Alexander, Russia: Built in 1838-1845 on an artificial island in the Gulf of Finland, this fortress was tasked with protecting St Petersburg and the port of Kronstadt. In 1899, it became a laboratory for the study of plague and bacteria, but the deaths of two workers caused the place to close completely.

6. La Isla De Las Munecas, Mexico: This is an artificial island built near Laguna de Teshuilo, Mexico, which is known as "the island of dolls". Starting in 1950, thousands of dolls were hung from the tree by the owner of the island, Julian Santana Barrera, to scare away the spirit of a young girl who died nearby.

7. Gaiola, Italy: According to the inhabitants of Naples, the island of Gaiola - which is only a few meters from the city's shores - has been cursed. This rumor was obtained after the tragedy of the island owner's family, causing many family members to lose their lives.

8. Alcatraz, California, USA: This is an island with a haunting history, located about 2 km off the coast of San Francisco. In 1934-1963, Alcatraz Island was the site of a federal prison. The strong current around the island was the reason that not a single prisoner was able to swim out.

9. Ellioaley, Iceland: The island was inhabited until 1930. The small community on Ellioaey Island lived by fishing and raising cattle. As life gets harder and harder than on land, they decide to leave. The large white building (pictured) was built in 1953 as a resting place for hunters.

10. Middle Ground Coastal Battery: This island located near the port of Mumbai, was built by the British East India Company in 1682 to fight pirates. During World War 2, the island was also supplemented with many anti-aircraft artillery and combat weapons. Today, the island is controlled by the Indian Navy.

11. Baljenac, Croatia: Like a fingerprint from the air, the island of Baljenac has 23km of dry rock walls known as "suhozid". For hundreds of years, the inhabitants of the nearby island of Kaprije have used Baljenac for agriculture, building walls to divide crops and protect them from the wind.

12. Houtouwan, Zhoushan, China: Houtouwan Island used to have more than 2,000 people living, mainly fishing. In the early 1990s, the remote village had many problems related to education and infrastructure, causing people on the island to migrate to other places. In 1994, almost the entire island was abandoned to this day.