5 countries in the world that have ‘dead cities’ each city

Here are 5 countries with notable "dead cities,"

1. Cyprus: Varosha, located in Famagusta, was once a modern tourist hotspot on the eastern coast of Cyprus. Before 1974, this suburb was a vibrant area with high-rise hotels, shops, and residences, attracting celebrities and tourists alike. However, following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in August 1974, the Greek Cypriot inhabitants fled as the Turkish Army advanced. The area was subsequently fenced off and has remained abandoned ever since.

United Nations resolutions have called for the handover of Varosha to UN control and for the return of its original inhabitants, but these have not been implemented. Over the decades, the lack of human presence and maintenance has led to the decay of the buildings. Nature has begun to reclaim the area, with vegetation growing through the cracks in pavements and within abandoned structures. Metal corrodes, and windows are broken, leaving a ghostly appearance.

Once a symbol of Mediterranean glamour, featuring prominent avenues like John F. Kennedy Avenue lined with luxurious hotels, Varosha now stands as a poignant reminder of the Cyprus conflict. The interiors of the visible buildings reveal a stark absence of furniture and fittings, suggesting a hasty departure. While some limited areas have been opened in recent years, much of Varosha remains a silent, fenced-off ghost town, a time capsule from the 1970s and a significant point of contention in the ongoing Cyprus issue. The eerie stillness of its decaying buildings contrasts sharply with its lively past, making it a compelling, albeit somber, site.

2.United States: Centralia, Pennsylvania, is a borough in Columbia County that has been largely abandoned due to a coal mine fire that has been burning beneath the town since 1962. The fire is believed to have started when burning trash in a landfill ignited an exposed coal seam. Attempts to extinguish the fire failed, and it has been burning uncontrollably ever since, leading to sinkholes, toxic fumes, and ground instability.

Once a thriving anthracite coal mining town incorporated in 1866, Centralia's population gradually declined as the fire spread. By the 1980s, the dangers posed by the fire became acute, leading to the relocation of most of its residents. In 1992, the state condemned the town. Today, only a handful of residents remain.

The landscape of Centralia is surreal, with steam and smoke rising from cracks in the ground, and sections of roads buckled and fractured. The most famous remnant is a stretch of the former Route 61, now known as "Graffiti Highway," covered in layers of colorful spray paint left by visitors, before it was eventually covered with earth. While nature is slowly reclaiming parts of the area, the underground fire continues to burn, a constant reminder of the disaster that emptied the town. The eerie silence, punctuated by the hissing of subterranean flames, makes Centralia a unique and unsettling ghost town.

3.France: Oradour-sur-Glane in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region is a village that was destroyed on June 10, 1944, during World War II. In a brutal act, German Waffen-SS troops massacred 642 inhabitants, including women and children, and then burned the village to the ground. This horrific event left the village in ruins, a stark testament to Nazi brutality against civilians.

After the war, it was decided by Charles de Gaulle that the village would not be rebuilt but preserved as a memorial to the victims and a symbol of Nazi barbarity. A new village was built nearby, but the ruins of the old Oradour-sur-Glane remain untouched. Visitors can walk through the skeletal remains of houses, the charred church where hundreds were killed, and the empty streets, providing a powerful and somber experience.

The preserved ruins serve as a poignant reminder of the atrocities of war. Information plaques mark what the buildings once were, allowing visitors to piece together the life of the village before its destruction. Oradour-sur-Glane stands as a place of remembrance and reflection, urging visitors to contemplate the devastating consequences of violence and intolerance. The silence within the ruins speaks volumes about the tragic loss of life and the permanent scar left on the landscape and collective memory.

4.Ukraine: Pripyat is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, located within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. It was founded on February 4, 1970, as a "nuclear city" to house the workers of the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. By 1986, it had a population of nearly 50,000 people. However, on April 27, 1986, the entire city was evacuated the day after the catastrophic Chernobyl disaster.

Due to the high levels of radiation, Pripyat has remained uninhabited ever since. The city stands as a frozen moment in time, with personal belongings left behind in homes, schools, and workplaces. The Ferris wheel in the amusement park, which was scheduled to open just days after the disaster, has become an iconic symbol of the abandoned city.

Today, Pripyat is a surreal landscape of decaying Soviet-era architecture, overgrown by nature. Trees sprout from the cracks in the asphalt, and wildlife has returned to the once-bustling urban environment. While the area is accessible for guided tours, the buildings remain empty and silent, a stark reminder of the sudden evacuation and the invisible danger that persists. Pripyat serves as a powerful example of the long-term consequences of nuclear accidents and the fragility of human settlements in the face of such disasters.

5.Chile: Humberstone is a former saltpeter mining town located in the Atacama Desert. Founded in 1872 as "La Palma" to serve the nearby nitrate extraction plant, it was later renamed after James Thomas Humberstone, a key figure in the industry. For decades, Humberstone was a vibrant community, a testament to the "saltpeter fever" that significantly impacted Chile's economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The town featured well-organized infrastructure, including a theater, a school, and company stores, reflecting a unique "pampino" culture developed by the workers and their families in this harsh desert environment. However, with the decline of the natural nitrate industry in the mid-20th century, Humberstone was eventually abandoned.

Today, Humberstone stands as a remarkably preserved ghost town, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its empty buildings, from the workers' housing to the administrative offices, offer a glimpse into the life and labor of the nitrate era. The arid climate has helped to preserve the structures, making it a fascinating historical site. Visitors can explore the silent streets and buildings, imagining the once-bustling community that thrived in this remote desert location, a poignant reminder of a bygone industrial age.