Strangest Places Where People ACTUALLY Live

The human species exhibits remarkable resilience and adaptability, enabling them to inhabit diverse and unconventional environments. For instance, I currently reside in a room devoid of windows, furnished only with a microphone, internet access, and a bottle whose purpose shall remain undisclosed. While my abode may seem peculiar, there exist even more extraordinary living arrangements, ranging from minuscule islands to cities inundated with refuse. Let us explore some of the most peculiar habitats that humans have chosen to call home.

Upon initial mention, Monchiat Naser may seem like a utopian destination. Situated in the sunny city of Cairo, Egypt, Mansiad Naser boasts low unemployment rates, affordable housing, and a populace that self-identifies as generally content. However, the city is plagued by a pervasive issue: a perpetual state of garbage accumulation. Despite this drawback, it appears that the citizens of Monchiat Naser have accepted this reality, as discarded items such as broken bottles, tattered newspapers, discarded plywood, tin cans, and wrappers are commonplace throughout the city.

The reason for the existence of this unsanitary city is due to Cairo's failure to invest in an advanced waste management system, despite being a major city with a population of 20 million people. Consequently, individual citizens were left to dispose of their own trash. As the city grew larger, residents began to run out of places to dump their waste, and Manchiat Naser eventually became the unofficial dumping ground for the city's trash. The inhabitants of this area took it upon themselves to collect and sort through the garbage, earning them the nickname "the zabaline" or "the trash people". Despite the unglamorous nature of their work, the zabaline are highly efficient, reportedly recycling up to 85% of the garbage they sort. This is more than four times as efficient as conventional waste management companies. However, the zabaline face poor living conditions and illness, and are among the poorest people in Cairo. Moving out of this area is difficult, and for those born here, the idea of seeing anything besides trash outside their window may seem like an unattainable dream. It is important to treat these garbage collectors with respect. Have you ever wanted to live on a desert island but dislike sand?

Dear Anakin, allow me to introduce you to the Principality of Sealand, a metal platform located off the eastern coast of the United Kingdom. The platform, formerly known as Fort Roughs, was constructed during World War II by the British for defensive purposes but was decommissioned in 1956 when it was no longer useful. In 1967, the platform was commandeered by Patty Roy Bates, a former major in the British Royal Army, who then declared the Principality of Sealand independent from the United Kingdom.

If taken seriously, Sealand is the smallest nation in the world by a wide margin. Currently, Vatican City is the smallest country consisting of just 110 acres, but that is still 110 times bigger than Sealand. However, Sealand's independence is not recognized by any nation on Earth. Only Prince Michael Bates, son of Roy and his wife, calls Sealand home, and though they admit to spending most of their time in more traditional nations, Sealand has many things you would expect from a real nation, such as a coat of arms, a tourism board, its own currency of the Sealand dollar, and even passports, which are not recognized by any nation on Earth. Sealand even has its own political turmoil. In 1978, a band of mercenaries attempted to seize Sealand but were fought off by the Bates family. When the invaders were captured, a German diplomat was sent to Sealand to negotiate their release. Patty Bates considered this a de facto admittance that Sealand was, in fact, a real country.

As for Cooper Petty, Australia, it is a town where half of its population of 2500 live in underground houses, shops, and even churches that have been slowly dug into the surrounding sandstone bedrock. Over 100 years ago, Coober Petty began life as a mining town, and the land here has a mineral-rich bedrock that is full of opals, which miners flocked to trying to make their fortune. Sometimes when they found a particularly opal-dense chunk of rock, they would start sleeping and eating near it to make sure no one else claimed their territory. Over the years, the further down they dug, this slowly led to the rocky underground society you see today.While opals have dried up a little in recent years, the town still produces the occasional beautiful gemstone. Underground temperatures are much easier to regulate, and ventilation shafts allow these subterranean dwellings a steady stream of fresh air, preventing them from running out of oxygen or getting too stuffy. Residents of Cooper Petty, by and large, design their own homes, and if they have the energy and time to carve themselves out a new guest room, there is nothing stopping them from doing it. However, this has led to several instances where enterprising residents actually dug into their neighbor's home.If you are looking for somewhere remote, quiet, and isolated, Cooper Petty may be the perfect place for you.

I would like to introduce you to Ellie Day Island, also known as Ellie Die Island. This minuscule scenic island is located in the Westman archipelago, which consists of 18 islands off the Icelandic coast. It is the most northeastern landmass in the archipelago and measures just 110 acres, making it about the same size as the smallest recognized nation on Earth, the Vatican City. Despite its small size, Ellie Day Island is home to one single solitary residence, which some have dubbed the loneliest house in the world. However, this domicile is not a permanent dwelling and was not built by a billionaire as a zombie apocalypse safehouse. It is not the vacation home of musician Bjork or any other wacky internet rumor you might have heard. The truth of the lonely house is that it was constructed in 1953 by a local hunting association as temporary housing for hunters. The island is home to puffins, which, because they are not a protected bird in Iceland, are hunted for their coats, meat, and even oil. Before the era of this lonely hunter's lodge, Ellie Day Island was home to five entire families who survived by fishing and raising cattle. However, the last of them left the island in the 1930s. While the lodge has no permanent residence, it still contains many rooms and can be rented on a nightly basis.

In Hong Kong, real estate is a precious commodity, with only one quarter of the city considered fit for development. This has led to the creation of subdivided housing units known as shoebox apartments, where dozens of people live in a single room. Each tiny apartment can be as small as 15 square feet, which is a tenth of a standard parking space. Even Hong Kong's prisoners live in roomier cells in Stanley prison, where they occupy 80 square foot cells, five times the size of some shoebox apartments. These apartments often extend only as far as a mattress, which explains why they are sometimes called coffin apartments. To live this way, residents of these minuscule apartments must store their belongings on hooks or shelves, sometimes dangling from another bed above their heads. In some shoeboxes, tenants might be lucky enough to have walls between their units, while some only have wire mesh like dog crates. The people who own property in Hong Kong have realized that splitting it up into tiny chunks and then renting it out is very profitable. Even a shoebox apartment can cost 1300 Hong Kong dollars per month, while the minimum wage in Hong Kong is roughly 765 dollars per month. As of 2023, there are some 220,000 residents living in subdivided housing like this. The Hong Kong government has declared that it intends to make housing a priority and end shoebox homes by 2049.

Whittier, Alaska, is an unusual town that began life as a large U.S naval base in the 1950s but was abandoned in 1966 when it was no longer strategically useful. In the years that followed, Whittier slowly transformed into its own living ecosystem as people moved in. It was purchased by residents in 1973 and today has a population of approximately 214 people. The 14-story single roofed town has everything you could want from your local community, including general stores, a post office, a hospital, a church, a laundromat, and even a hotel. The school is a separate building across from the main residence and is connected via an underground tunnel. The nearest other town to Whittier is Anchorage, which is a 63-mile journey along the seaward highway. The only way to reach Whittier is through a one-lane, one-track tunnel into the surrounding rock formation, which is over 13,000 feet long. By day, it's a road, and by night, it's closed off to allow trains through. While the journey may sound like a pain, it's a journey the general store proprietors need to make every week to keep their shops supplied.

Off the coast of Colombia lies a small, yet beautiful and densely populated island known as Little Getaway Santa Cruz Del Islote. With a population of approximately 600 people spread across just two and a half acres of land, it is one of the world's most densely packed islands. To put it into perspective, the entire island could fit inside London's Trafalgar Square with room to spare. Despite its small size, life on the island is pleasant, with a close-knit community that gathers every Wednesday for music and dancing in the town square. However, the island's lack of access to fresh water poses a significant challenge, as the townsfolk are reliant on a single seller of bottled water who has a monopoly on this basic human necessity. Additionally, industry and job opportunities are limited, making it difficult for those with big dreams to stay on the island for long.

Another example of a tiny, densely populated island is Migingo in Lake Victoria, Kenya. With a population of around 500 people living on just half an acre of land, the island's residents do not have to worry about access to fresh water, but they do have to contend with political turmoil. Both Uganda and Kenya claim ownership of Migingo, which serves as an excellent port and has unique access to Lake Victoria's fish. For now, the island is officially Kenyan, but its poor residents are taxed by both countries.

Miyake Jima, a small island located about 62 miles south of Tokyo, Japan, is another example of a unique island. While it boasts idyllic scenery and a close-knit community of around 3,000 people, it is also home to a stratovolcano that periodically releases enormous concentrations of sulfur dioxide. This gas is heavier than air and can lead to asphyxiation with prolonged exposure. In 2000, a particularly volatile eruption led to the evacuation of around 3,600 residents, but nearly 2,800 decided to return to the island five years later. Due to the island's unpredictable and dangerous gassy nature, residents are required to carry gas masks with them at all times and must don them whenever there is even a hint of sulfur dioxide in the air. Visitors to the island are advised to take a respiratory medical exam prior to their arrival and to purchase a gas mask.

In conclusion, these islands may be small, but they are unique in their own way, with challenges and quirks that make them stand out.

I continue to experience nightmares; however, it is fortunate that I am not employed at Fung Jing Shan. The mere sight of it, situated amidst China's rolling mountains, causes me to experience nosebleeds. Fang Jingshan, also known as Mount Feng Jing, is a distinctive formation consisting of two tall, narrow, and lush green peaks. At the top of these peaks sits the enigmatic Funjing Temple, which is considered a holy site for Buddhists. The date of its construction, along with the exact group responsible for it and how long they lived there, remains unknown. Buddhism spread throughout the region during the Tang Dynasty around 639 CE, but this does not narrow down the construction time frame significantly, as it spans hundreds of years. Approximately 1100 people reside in the lower area around the temple, and while it is open to visitors, it is mostly occupied by caretaker monks. If one wishes to pay their respects, they must be prepared for a dizzying journey, as the temple sits at an elevation of 8,432 feet above sea level, making it the highest point in the mountain range. To reach the top, one must traverse a trail consisting of a glute-busting 8,000 steps, which is equivalent to climbing 381 floors in a standard building. At that height, the view is certifiably magnificent, which is why the temple was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1986. As impressive as it is, one cannot help but feel out of breath merely looking at it, making it a nightmare central.

Centralia, Pennsylvania, is a humble little town nestled amidst the state's Great Hills. It is quiet and serene, but its most interesting quirk is that it is constantly on fire. The issue began in 1962 when Centralia was an unremarkable town with a trash problem. Residents were using abandoned mine pits as garbage dumps, and trash was still piling up.

The proposal put forth by the city council was to eliminate the garbage by means of incineration. Regrettably, the trash fire spread and ignited an abandoned coal mine. This was due to the fact that Centralia was constructed on a vast deposit of natural coal seams, which were set ablaze by the spreading fire. The underground fire has been burning ever since. It is important to note that the presence of fire underground is not a trivial matter and should not be taken lightly, particularly with regard to health and safety. The underground fire continues to burn, causing smoke to seep out of the ground, which contains high levels of carbon monoxide, an odorless gas that is lethal to humans. The situation has proven to be detrimental to Centralia's infrastructure and its inhabitants, as roads and buildings have sunk into the ground or collapsed altogether. Over the years, more and more people have moved away, and barricades have been erected around the town to discourage visitors or passersby. Astonishingly, a handful of people have chosen to remain in Centralia, despite the hazardous conditions. The reasons for their decision to stay are unclear, but it is possible that they enjoy the isolation or are too old and stubborn to leave. Regardless, it is likely that Centralia will eventually become a ghost town, as it continues to sink into the ground.

In contrast, the town referred to as "the pits" is a small Russian town with a large hole in the middle. This hole was created in 1955 when three Soviet geologists were searching for kimberlite, a blue-tinged rock that sometimes contains trace amounts of diamonds. Instead, they discovered one of the largest natural diamond deposits in the Soviet Union.

The news of the diamond-rich soil spread rapidly, leading to the formation of a small settlement called Mirni in the area. Over time, this settlement grew into an entire town, with the giant hole in the center being the result of the diamond mine expanding outward. By the 1960s, Mirni was producing an impressive 10 million carats or 4,409 pounds of diamonds per year. Unfortunately, this diamond mine dried up in 2011, leaving the locals with a significant hole to navigate. This hole is the second-largest man-made hole in the world, measuring a staggering 1722 feet deep and 3,900 feet wide, which is equivalent to three Washington monuments deep and 11 football fields wide. The size of the Mirni hole has raised concerns about its potential to be a flight risk. When a hole is deep enough, the Earth begins to warm the air inside it, causing warm air to rise and displace the cooler air above the hole. This air movement could potentially interfere with or even suck small aircraft like helicopters into the hole, although this has never been proven. Despite my impressive grip strength as an avid rock climber, I cannot imagine living in the Hanging Temple of Hangshan in Shang TSI, China. This enormous temple clings to the edge of a cliff face approximately 246 feet above the ground, held aloft by hundreds of bars and poles that have been dug into the side of the cliff. Winding passages carved into the rock lead to different rooms and areas of the temple structure. This is a design decision that is both stylistic and functional. The height of the temple serves to protect it from flooding, while the cave-like interior provides protection from harsh wind and sunlight. The exterior of the temple is predominantly constructed of wood, with some stone work. These rudimentary materials, along with the general signs of aging, suggest that the temple was constructed between 386 and 534 CE. It is said to have been built by a lone monk named Liao Ran Uh, whose upper body strength must have been impressive. Interestingly, the temple represents three separate religions: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. It is unclear whether the temple was originally constructed to be multi-denominational or whether it changed to accommodate additional faiths over time. Even today, monks of each faith call the temple home and practice their beliefs there. The temple was in a state of disrepair for centuries; however, in 1900, a collective effort was made on behalf of the Chinese people to restore it to its former glory. This is why it is open to visitors today. It is remarkable to imagine convincing a group of people to spend their time and money restoring an ancient Chinese temple. In conclusion, this is a collection of truly remarkable places to live.